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

2008 Missing: Tiffany Siegworth, Carnegie, Pennsylvania

Her photo is two years out of date (according to caption at link), but it seems to be the only one available.

From http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_581221.html:

Carnegie police seeking runaway teenage girl
By F.A. Krift

TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Carnegie police are searching for a teenage girl who detectives believe
ran away 16 days ago with her boyfriend.
Tiffany Marie Siegworth, 15, of
Carnegie might be in the Lawrenceville, Wilkinsburg or Bellevue area, police
said. Her unnamed boyfriend also is considered missing by police.
Siegworth
was last seen by her father July 20 wearing black sweat pants, a black T-shirt
and tennis shoes. She is 5-foot-5 and weighs 150 pounds, and has dyed her blond
hair black, police said.
Anyone with information on Siegworth or her
whereabouts is asked to call Carnegie police Detective Tom Oros at 412-279-4589
or e-mail.

Another article, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26035160/, gives slightly more information (date last seen and by whom).

Carnegie Police Need Help Locating Teen
ThePittsburghChannel.Com
updated 11:47 a.m. ET, Tues., Aug. 5, 2008
CARNEGIE, Pa. - Carnegie police are asking for help from the public to
locate a missing teen. Police said Tiffany Marie Siegworth, 15, was last seen by
her father on July 20. She was with her boyfriend, who is also listed as
missing.
Tiffany is a white female, about 150 pounds, 5 foot 5 inches tall,
dyed black hair, blue eyes and was wearing black sweat pants and a black
t-shirt.
The teen may be in the Lawrenceville, Wilkinsburg or Bellevue
communities.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Tom Oros at
412-279-4589 or send an e-mail to atoros@carnegiepolice.org.

2008 Missing: Thomas Zinza, Emlenton, Pennsylvania

I just discovered Thomas' case on the North American Missing Persons Network. It was just added there July 31.

From http://www.nampn.org/cases/zinza_thomas.html:

Thomas Joel Zinza
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: February 19, 2008 from Emlenton, Pennsylvania
Classification:Missing
Date Of Birth: February 5, 1966
Age: 42
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 202 lbs
Hair Color: Brown (going gray and bald)
Eye Color: Hazel
Race: White
Gender: Male
Distinguishing Characteristics: Tattoo of a small
trout on upper arm gold crowns on molars, previously fractured right ankle,
herniated disk, chronic knee pain
Medical Conditions: He is diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia and is currently not taking his medication.
Clothing: Usually wore wool clothing, hunting coats, preferred brand was "Filson"
expensive hunting boots or footware, "Carharts" and flannel shirts, occasionally
wore baseball style hats
AKA: Tom, Tommy, Zinz
Case Number: 08-14273
NCIC Number: M-257212634 .
Details of DisappearanceThomas left
Fairbanks, AK and flew to Cleveland, OH. On February 17, 2008 he rented a
vehicle and drove to Emlenton, PA where he checked into the motor Inn on
February 17th. The car was located at the Emlenton Motor Inn, on
Emlenton-Clintonville Road, on February 27, 2008. There was no sign of Mr. Zinza
and it is possible that he had left the motor inn before February 19th. Tom may
be heading towards Vermont to a cabin he visited as a child.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Alaska State Police
(907) 451-5100

You can print a poster of Thomas at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200805607S.

Thomas is also listed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Porchlight International, and the Alaska State Troopers.

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.

Cody Haynes: New age progression!

Finally something new in the case of Richard Lee Haynes, Jr., better known as "Cody". Granted, a very small something, but maybe it can still help somehow.

Cody's NCMEC poster:

Endangered Missing
RICHARD HAYNES
DOB: Apr 16, 1993
Missing: Sep 12, 2004
Age Now: 15
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'0" (152 cm)
Weight: 90 lbs (41 kg)
Missing From:
KITTITAS
WA
United States
Age Progressed
Richard is shown age-progressed
to 15 years. He was last seen at home on September 12, 2004. Richard has a round
birthmark on his right inner thigh. He may go by the nickname Cody.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
Kittitas Police Department (Washington) 1-509-925-8534

You can print one like it at http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=996768&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US.

Cody's website: http://www.codyhaynes.org/

MySpace page for Cody (run by one of his parents): http://www.myspace.com/rcodyhaynes

Arkadiy Tashman: Out of the Darkness walk team in his honor

Update - 10/17/08 - The Out of the Darkness Walk raised a total of over $13,000 and had a great turnout! For more details, see http://www.ny1.com/Content/Top_Stories/86412/hundreds-walk-through-the-rain-for-suicide-prevention/Default.aspx.
Out of the Darkness Community walks are a project of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (When Arkadiy disappeared, he left behind a possible suicide note.)
This particular Out of the Darkness walk is being held in Staten Island. Information below from http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&eventID=634&teamID=6519:

The Sheds' Fundraising Page
Staten Island Walk
September 28, 2008 at Clove Lakes Park
So there's a walk going on in
Staten Island at Clove Lakes Park on September 28th.
I registered to be part of the walk and set a fund raising goal of $750. If
we can get more money, great, if not, even being there is still nice
gesture.
If you register for the walk you don't HAVE to donate anything, but even
one dollar is helpful. All the donations go towards Ark's family and other
families out there who have lost loved ones to suicide or disapearances.
I started a team for the walk called 'The Sheds' so if you register for the
walk, sign up to be part of that team.
Please come out and walk with me on September 28th, even if you don't want
to walk, at least register for the event so that we could show his family that
we haven't forgotten about him.
To all people that didn't know Ark, he was an amazing person and extremely
generous, and if you have a heart, or even if you just have nothing to do that
day, sign up and walk anyway.
AFTER THE WALK:
i think it would be nice if everyone part of 'The Sheds' team went over to
the sheds or something. I understand the sheds have been taken down, but it's
the thought that counts. Maybe we'll just set up a picnic at clove lakes and
hang out or go over to a diner or something. It will all be figured out, the
important thing though is the walk.
Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation please search
for one of the participants and then click the "Support This Participant" button
on their page. Donations can only be made to individuals, but the total each
participant raises goes toward our team goal.
Thank you for visiting the The Sheds fundraising page!

So far they have raised $525. Online donations can be made at the link above.
One of the people on the team is his sister and the others apparently are his friends.

Meanwhile, if you know anything about what happened to Arkadiy, please call the New York City police at (212) 694-7781 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

You can print a poster of Arkadiy at http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1007600&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US. (Be sure to change your Page Set-up to "Landscape", or some information will be cut off.)

Arkadiy's sister's blog: http://arkadiytashman.blogspot.com/
MySpace page for Arkadiy: http://www.myspace.com/teens_just_dont_run_away

Found safe: Katherine Soto

A few days ago I had posted a notice I had received that Katherine had been "restricted", which usually means investigators are close to finding her. Well, now here is the official recovery notice, received in my email this morning:

Dear Poster Partner:
Katherine Soto missing from Greenville, SC, 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 restriction notice had been received last Wednesday, July 23.

Found safe: Dominique Watts

This came as a pleasant surprise! From my email notice:

Dear Poster Partner:
Dominique Watts missing from Pittsburgh, PA, 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.

I just received that today!

2008 Missing: Faime Francis, Swissvale, Pennsylvania

I just found her case on the North American Missing Persons Network today, though she had been on the site for longer. Her case was recently moved from their "Hot Cases" section to the regular "Missing Persons" section.
From http://www.nampn.org/cases/francis_faime.html:

Faime Lynette Francis
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: March 28, 2008 from Swissvale, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: May 28, 1977
Age:
30
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 115 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color:
Dark Brown
Race: Black-African American
Gender: Female
Distinguishing Characteristics:She may be wearing a wig or have weave added
to her hair.
Medical Conditions: She suffers from Schizophrenia/Bipolar
Disorder and does not have her medicine with her.
Clothing: Unknown, but she
prefers to dress in all black.
Jewelry: Engagement type ring on her left hand.
Details of Disappearance
Faime left her residence on March 28, 2008 and has not been heard from
since. She has a mental illness and needs her medications.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Swissvale Police Department
Officer Costa
(412) 271-0430
Source Information
Frank & DeNita Francis - Faime's Parents

Faime is also listed on http://pennsylvaniamissingadults.com, which includes a way to leave tips online. It also says she is registered with the NCIC (National Crime Information Center).

Cynthia Day: Story featured on another blog

Hopefully the writer does not mind me reposting it here. It is a very thorough and well done story, and there was much that I did not know before. They included a description of Cynthia, phone numbers for contact information, and even the address of her website. The one more thing they could have included was a picture.

The date on the page was July 8, so it is probably quite up-to-date.

Story from http://investigation.discovery.com/blogs/criminal-report/missing-person/cynthia_louise_day-02.html:

The Missing - A Weekly exposé of Lost Souls - Issue #19
In this week's
edition of "The Missing," we revisit the mysterious disappearance of Cynthia
Louise Day, a 38-year-old resident of East St. Louis, Illinois, who went missing
on Aug. 10, 1990.
"I was 18-years-old and fresh out of high school when my
mom disappeared," Cynthia's daughter, Melody, said in a telephone interview with
Investigation Discovery. "On the day she went missing my sister, Kimberly, had
just come home from the hospital with her son. My mom was excited, so my sister
and I went over to her house so she could get to know her new grandbaby. My mom
took him around and proudly introduced him to all the neighbors. We had a good
time. We did not know it when we left, but that would prove to be the last time
that we ever saw her."
Approximately one week later, Melody and Kimberly
became concerned because they had not heard from their mother. It was unlike her
to stay out of contact for such a long period of time, so the girls decided to
go check on her. To their surprise, their mother, along with her boyfriend of
seven years, had vanished. In addition, all of their possessions were also
gone.
"My mother was into beauty and fashion and everything – clothes,
makeup, perfumes – was all gone" Melody said, adding, "We did not even find a
single toothbrush."
Both girls were young at the time and neither of them had
any idea what to do, so they went to the East St. Louis Police Department and
filed a missing person report. It was their hope that the police, people they
felt were skilled and knowledgeable in missing person cases, would be able to
uncover the mystery of their mother's disappearance.
"With each year that
passed by, I just assumed that the police were investigating the case," Melody
said. "I would call them whenever I heard they had found a body and would check
to see if it was my mom, but they always said it was not her. Then, in 2004,
when I needed a police report to get the website going and all this stuff, I
discovered that they had never even opened a case. We resolved the issue but
from that day forward I decided to do everything in my power to find out what
happened to my mother."
As part of her own investigation, Melody went back to
the neighborhood where her mother had lived and discovered that many of her
mom's old neighbors suspected that Cynthia's boyfriend had something to do with
her disappearance. This was something that Cynthia's daughters had also
considered because, according to Melody, their mother had allegedly voiced her
unhappiness about the relationship the last time they spoke. In addition, there
was another incident that had occurred prior to Cynthia's disappearance, which
her daughters found troubling.
"Sometime before they went missing, my uncle
Wayne supposedly shot himself in front of my mom and her boyfriend," Melody
said. "The entire thing is strange and my family is convinced that Wayne did not
commit suicide. We think that something happened to him and that my mom
witnessed it."
The case took another unusual twist about five years ago, when Melody
discovered her mom's boyfriend was being held in a California Prison. She cannot
recall the exact charges but said she believes they had to do with an armed
robbery.
"He never once contacted us to tell us that our mom was not with
him," Melody said. "Why didn't he say, 'where's my old lady, where's your
mom?'"
According to Melody, an officer in California questioned her mom's
ex-boyfriend but he claimed to have no knowledge of what happened to
her.
"The officer in California who questioned him told me he is convinced
this guy did something to both my mom and my uncle," Melody said. "He gave my
local police department permission to come down there and question the guy but
they said they did not have the money. I offered to buy the plane tickets myself
but they would not take me up on the offer."
The boyfriend was paroled from
prison two years ago and to date Illinois investigators have yet to question
him.
"Getting the cops to do something is like pulling teeth," Melody said.
"I've been the detective on this case for a long time. Two plus two equals four
and if the police had done their job they would have had this case solved a long
time ago. To know that the cops are not doing anything is frustrating. They take
more interest in an animal stuck in a tree than a missing person. We know my
mother is not alive, we just want to put her to rest whatever way we
can."
When asked what she would like to say to her mother, Melody
responded:
"I love and miss you so much. I am still looking for you all these
years later and will continue to look for you until I find you. You have a
beautiful family that is still hopeful. We will do whatever we can to keep your
memory alive."
Yesterday, Investigation Discovery contacted East St. Louis
police Capt. Lenzie Stewart and asked him if he could provide any information on
the case. Stewart had this to say:
"At this particular time we don't have
very much going for that. We have elicited the Illinois State Police to help us
… What has happened there is we have got DNA from the family members and we are
trying to run that through our database to see if we get any pop-ups on any Jane
Does we have found … I am not actively investigating the case and cannot answer
any further questions at this time."
Stewart referred further questions to
the investigator who is handling the case for the Illinois State Police; however
that investigator was unavailable for comment.
Cynthia Louise Day, nickname
"Peaches," would be 55-years-old today. She is described as a white female, 5'2"
tall, 125 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a hysterectomy scar and
is missing an eye tooth on the left side. Anyone with information is asked to
call the East St. Louis Police Department (Case # ES-04-06787) at 618-482-6724
or the Illinois State Police at 618-346-3781.
For more information or to
help, please visit: http://www.findcynthia.com/.

Also, according to the latest posts on Cynthia's guestbook, her flyer will be displayed at a missing persons' rally in Waterbury, Connecticut, on August 23. She is also one of the missing persons being honored in the making of a special quilt, which will also be at the rally.

Cynthia's MySpace page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=72102351

Cynthia's guestbook: 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.

Jason Jolkowski: Missing persons bill pending in state legislature

The article is more about the bill and missing/unidentified persons cases in general than about Jason, but it is very informative.

Article from http://www.wahoonewspaper.com/site/tab7.cfm?newsid=19823375&BRD=2712&PAG=461&dept_id=557009&rfi=6:

Missing person cases in Nebraska go unsolved
By: Jon Burleson
07/02/2008
Updated 07/12/2008 05:06:03 AM EDT
In Douglas County, law enforcement
lists 1,850 people missing. About half the cases involve children.
On June13,
2001, Jason Jolkowski, then 19, became a statistic. Since that day, his mother,
Kelly, has been striving to make him more than that to lawmakers.
"Nobody knows how big an issue this is," Jolkowski said. "Those who are
missing are more than a height, weight, hair and eye color. They are
people."
After laboring on behalf of missing persons for the last seven years,
Jolkowski has mobilized a new effort to get law enforcement the tools they need
to help families of the missing. Campaign for the Missing is a grassroots effort
to pass legislation in each state that will serve to improve the law enforcement
community's ability to locate and ensure a safe return of missing persons.
"This is so needed," she said. "Things fall through the cracks. Families
aren't told to get vital pieces of information that could help them solve the
case."
The campaign's central focus will address the national problems of missing
persons and the identification of human remains and provide the framework for
improving law enforcement's response. It will also improve the collection of
critical information about missing persons, prioritize high-risk missing persons
cases and ensure prompt dissemination of critical information to other law
enforcement agencies and the public that can improve the likelihood of a safe
return.
"Most law enforcement officers are not trained in missing persons cases,"
Jolkowski said. "Some police academies don't even teach about missing persons
investigations."
The Department of Justice, working with federal, state and local law
enforcement; coroners and medical examiners; victim advocates; forensic
scientists; key policymakers; and family members who have lived through this
tragic experience, developed the legislation to be presented in the Nebraska
Unicameral.
The bill made it mandatory for law enforcement to follow certain procedures
at the beginning of a missing persons case. Certain steps need to be taken in a
specific order and resources must be allocated to assist, Jolkowski said.
"Nobody told me to get his toothbrush or his comb," she said, "and by the
time I knew, it was too late."
On almost a daily basis, unidentified bodies are found across the country.
Over the last year, law enforcement agencies have reported from 40-50,000 bodies
with no means to identify them, Jolkowski said. These bodies are usually buried
or even cremated with no DNA saved for the possibility of a future
identification.
"The families of those missing live in a horrible limbo of not knowing,"
Jolkowski said. "These families need an answer and this legislation could help
provide an answer."
Having run into a roadblock in the last Unicameral session, Jolkowski has
been waiting patiently for the next session. Patience is something she has
developed over the last seven years.
But, she has not been idle. Jolkowski has been working with Nebraska
legislators, such as Steve Lathrop and Brad Ashford to move the bill forward
this time around.
"Last time, I was told that the $50,000 needed to run the program each year
wasn't available," she said. "I feel that if Nebraskans knew how many people go
missing each year, they would be willing to help find them."
If you are interested in helping make a difference in the lives of
thousands of missing persons and their families, send an email to campaignforthemissing@projectjason.org.

If you know anything about what happened to Jason, please call the Omaha Police Department at (402) 444-5818 or (402) 444-5690.

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://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=992083&orgPrefix=NCMA&searchLang=en_US.

Project Jason is conducting a special fundraising campaign in honor of Jason's 27th birthday, and they are already more than 2/3 of the way to their goal! For more information, see http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=3021.0.

You can also "adopt" Jason through Project Jason's "Adopt a Missing Person" program. Learn more about this at http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html.

Photo and age progression of Jason from his poster.

Audrey Herron: Riding for Audrey 2008

The following article was originally published by The Daily Mail Online but seems to have been taken down. So, instead, I have copied it from a post on the Crime and Justice forum (http://www.crimeandjustice.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=62&st=20).

After six painful years, search for Audrey continues
July 20, 2008
EARLTON — It’s been more than half a decade since Audrey May Herron
disappeared without a trace, leaving family and friends desperately wondering
what happened to the mother of three. But six years later, they continue to hold
out hope, and add to the reward for information leading to a solution to the
heart-breaking mystery.
On Saturday, the sixth annual Riding for Audrey was held, an annual
fundraiser and awareness campaign designed to ensure the community does not
forget her, and with the hope that someone may remember something.
Well over 100 motorcycle riders completed a ride that started at Brennan’s
on Route 81 in Earlton on Saturday morning, headed out to The Hideaway in
Athens, then on to Blackthorne Resort in East Durham, Gardner’s Brass Rail in
Greenville, and then back to Earlton.
“It means a lot that so many people came out to raise money for my mother,
and to help find her,” said Herron’s daughter, Sonsia Rae Court. She was 10
years old when her mother disappeared. Her siblings, Katie and Quinn, were just
4 and 2 at the time.
Proceeds from the ride, and the fundraising activities that followed, were
donated to the Audrey May Herron reward fund, and to the Center for Hope, an
organization that helps families search for and find missing loved ones.
“We hope to get Audrey’s face out there so one day, someone may come
forward with information that may help find her, and at the same time, help this
organization that helps so many others,” said Michelle Turk, Herron’s
sister-in-law.
Audrey May Herron, 32, of Freehold disappeared on Aug. 29, 2002 when she
headed home from her job in a Catskill nursing home. She started making her
regular trek home — 12 miles away — but never arrived. She has not been seen
since, despite an extensive air and ground search by State Police, friends and
family. Her 1994 Jeep Cherokee has also disappeared.
Since then, there has been no credible evidence or clues to Herron’s
whereabouts, despite investigations by state police, the FBI, and even a private
investigator hired by Herron’s family. However, her friends and family continue
to search for an answer, and to maintain a tireless effort to keep her name and
face in the public eye with the hope that someone, somewhere, may have valuable
information.
Herron’s friends and family also hope to shine a light on the plight of
other families with missing loved ones, and the fears and frustrations they face
every single day.
“This is something that really needs to be supported. The missing person
problem is only getting bigger. You see stories about missing people in the news
all the time, but you never hear about the people who have been missing for a
long time,” said friend Maria Ferencz. “If someone knows something, how long are
they waiting to come forward? She has three kids who want to know what happened
to their mother. It’s just not fair.”
Anyone with information about Audrey May Herron’s disappearance should call
the New York State Police at (518) 622-8600.

You can print a poster of Audrey at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200300201S.

Audrey's website: http://riding4audrey.com

Audrey's guestbook: http://pub26.bravenet.com/guestbook/2199754005/

Audrey's guestmap: http://pub26.bravenet.com/guestmap/view.php?usernum=2199754005

Photos from Audrey's poster.

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.

2008 Missing: Jamal Christian, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Jamal's poster was just emailed to me within the past month through the NCMEC's Poster Partner program. His information:

Endangered Runaway

JAMAL CHRISTIAN
DOB: May 3, 1993
Missing: May 26, 2008
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 15
Sex: Male
Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From:
PITTSBURGH
PA
United States
Jamal was last seen on May 26, 2008. He may still be in
the local area.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
Pittsburgh Police Department
(Pennsylvania) 1-412-323-7800

You can print your own copy to display at http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1096827&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US. (Be sure to first change your "Page Setup" to "Landscape", or some information might be cut off.)

Lachlan Duffley now missing 7 years, Potomac, Maryland

Lachlan's Charley Project profile (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/duffley_lachlan.html):

Lachlan Yukihiro Kishida Duffley

Vital Statistics at Time of
Disappearance
Missing Since: June 24, 2001 from Potomac, Maryland
Classification: Family Abduction
Date of Birth: January 26, 1989
Age: 12 years old
Height and Weight: 4'11, 90 pounds
Distinguishing
Characteristics: Asian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Duffley is pictured wearing
eyeglasses in the photo above, but he may not be wearing them now. He has
birthmarks on both his temples and a scar on his back. Duffley speaks fluent
Japanese.

Details of Disappearance
Duffley was abducted by his
non-custodial mother, Yukiko Kishida. A felony warrant was issued for the
abductor on August 31, 2001. They may still be in the state of Maryland, or they
may have traveled to Pennsylvania or out of the country to Japan. Duffley's case
remains unsolved; neither he nor his mother have ever been heard from again.

Yukiko Kishida
Date of Birth: March 29, 1968
Age: 33 years old
Height and Weight: 5'5, 110 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Asian female. Black hair, brown eyes.
Kishida speaks fluent Japanese. Her ears are pierced, and she has a birthmark
between her eyes.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Montgomery County Police Department
301-279-8000

Lachlan is also listed on the websites of the Children's Rights Network in Japan, the Children's Rights Council of Japan, For the Lost, and CourtTV.

Japanese language website: http://ameblo.jp/nikoniko1205/entry-10030300431.html

Lachlan was one of several missing children featured on Briny Baird's golf bags during tournaments back in 2004. (For more details see http://www.csrwire.com/PressReleasePrint.php?id=2369.)

Unfortunately I cannot find a poster for Lachlan. He seems to have been listed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at some point, but perhaps his poster has been taken down from the website.

Sabrina Kahler now missing 6 years, Springfield Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania

Sabrina Kahler's disappearance seems to be a cold case. However, while Googling her name, I did find an article from just last month on the person she was last seen with.

Article from http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080517/NEWS02/805170351:

Man accused of making time
Insurance-fraud suspect charged with false accident report
BY ED PALATTELLA
ed.palattella@timesnews.com
Published: May 17. 2008 6:00AM
Police said the evidence in a fraud case against Lake City
resident David S.L. Heck is as clear as the time of day.
Heck, who has a prior record and who is connected to the disappearance of
an Erie woman, is accused of trying to defraud his insurance company by falsely
reporting the time of an auto accident.
Police allege he misreported the time to further his scheme to reinstate
his auto insurance and thus get coverage for the crash.
Heck's auto insurance with GEICO had lapsed because of nonpayment when the
crash actually occurred --sometime before 8:21 p.m. on Feb. 18 at Lake Pleasant
and Arbuckle roads in Millcreek Township, police said.
Millcreek police allege Heck, 32, called GEICO about an hour after the
accident, at 9:36 p.m., to reinstate his insurance. And the next morning, police
said, Heck called GEICO again to report the previous day's accident.
Police said Heck told GEICO the accident occurred at 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 18
-- or about two hours after police said it actually happened, and about an hour
after Heck had reinstated his insurance.
The accident involved Heck's 2000 Dodge Ram truck, a Millcreek Township
snowplow and another vehicle, police said. Police said no one was seriously
injured in the crash, but that police responded to it and recorded the time it
was reported -- 8:21 p.m. on Feb. 18. Police did not have an amount for the cost
of the damages.
Heck, of the 9000 block of Middle Road, is accused of the felony charge of
making a fraudulent statement to an insurance company. He was not charged with
driving without insurance because that charge has a 30-day statute of
limitations, Millcreek police Capt. Harry Love said.
District Judge Susan Strohmeyer arraigned Heck on Friday and jailed him on
$2,500 bond at the Erie County Prison, where Heck remained Friday night.
Heck is the same person last seen with Sabrina Kahler, the Erie woman who
has been missing since June 2002. One of Heck's lawyers has said Heck is not a
suspect in that case.
Kahler left home the morning of June 24, 2002, to go swimming. She never
returned and left few clues to her disappearance, police said. The 20-year-old
woman was last seen at the Tasty Twist ice cream stand on Old Lake Road in
Springfield Township. She had gone there with Heck after the two went swimming
at nearby Eagley Park.
Heck told police later that he then dropped off Kahler at the West Erie
Plaza and gave her money to see a movie. Police have not been able to confirm
the story.
In the case over the accident, Millcreek police Sgt. Scott Heidt
investigated as part of the department's insurance-fraud unit. According to the
criminal complaint, a GEICO investigator contacted Millcreek police to start the
investigation.
Police used Heck's conversations with GEICO representatives to build the
case against him. According to the criminal complaint, a GEICO representative
telephoned Heck on Feb. 19, after he had reported the accident.
During that interview, police said in the complaint, Heck again said the
accident had occurred at 10:30 p.m. rather than 8:21 p.m. -- the time recorded
on the police's accident report.
ED PALATTELLA can be reached at 870-1813 or by e-mail.

If you know what happened to Sabrina, please call the Erie Police Department at (814) 870-1506.

You can print a poster of Sabrina at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200301530W.

Photo of Sabrina from her poster.

Aarys Oberlander-Hower: Poster update

The possible locations have changed.

I wonder why this is listed just as "missing" and not as "family abduction". Perhaps it is not established that he is with his father?

From Aarys' poster:

Missing

AARYS OBERLANDER-HOWER
DOB: Jun 5, 1996
Missing: Nov 6, 2006
Height: 4'9" (145 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: White
Age Now: 12
Sex: Male
Weight: 65 lbs (29 kg)
Hair: Lt. Brown
Missing From:
TITUSVILLE
PA
United States
Aarys was last seen on November 6, 2006. He may be in the
company of his non-custodial father. They are believed to be in Cyprus or
Bahrain. Aarys has a scar under his right eye and a scar under his
chin.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
Federal Bureau of Investigation
(Pennsylvania) 1-412-432-4000

You can print a poster to put up at http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1074204&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US.

Arkadiy Tashman: DNA test results negative

About a month and a half ago I had posted that Arkadiy's family's DNA was tested against that from an unidentified body.

Anyway, the following message was posted on the Yahoo! ColdCases group on May 15 (Sorry I am so late in providing this update!):

The DNA samples of Arkadiy's family that were tested against the remains
that
his sister Natalya had been contacted about are not the remains of
Arkadiy
Tashman according to te DNA results. The samples taken from Arkadiy's
family
will, as a result, be making it's way to the National Database.
Paul Thompson,
Friends of Arkadiy

Please call the New York City police at (212) 694-7781 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) if you have any idea what happened to Arkadiy.

Natalya's blog for Arkadiy: http://arkadiytashman.blogspot.com/

MySpace page for Arkadiy: http://www.myspace.com/teens_just_dont_run_away

You can print a poster of Arkadiy at http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1007600&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US.

Photo from Arkadiy's poster

Jason Jolkowski: News article on birthday and fundraiser

Article from http://www.kptm.com/Global/story.asp?S=8550418:

Remembering Jason: Helping Find Others
Posted: June 24, 2008 09:58 PM EDT
Updated: June 24, 2008 09:58 PM EDT

Julie
Hong
Omaha (KPTM) - He vanished without a trace seven years ago.
Jason
Jolkowski would be 27 years old this June 24th.
So on his birthday, his
family reflects on his life and want to share a very special gift.
"It would
be so wonderful to be able to buy you a gift and sing Happy Birthday to you,
even in our funny, off-key way," reads Kelly Jolkowski.
It's a birthday
letter with words of love, hope and reflection Kelly wrote to her son.
"We
reflect on him as a person. We miss his laughter and his kind generous
spirit."
Tuesday, June 24th is the 7th birthday the Jolkowski's celebrate
without him.
Jason Jolkowski disappeared without a trace from his Benson home
seven years ago.
He would be 27 years old.
"It's still extremely difficult
to not know anything to not know is he dead, is he alive, is he okay, did
somebody hurt him. Why?" says Kelly.
And while the Jolkowski's don't have
those answers, they do have Project Jason, a non-profit organization dedicated
to help other families like theirs.
"We need the public's help to find Jason,
to remember the missing, other families like ours and to help us accomplish our
goals."
Kelly says since she can't give her son a gift this year, she hopes
the public will give in his honor by donating at least $27 dollars to Project
Jason.
It's a gift that Kelly says she hopes will help find Jason, and help
other families.
But, more than anything it's a gift she says Jason would
want.
"That's part of the birthday campaign we know that with his generous
spirit, he would want us to do this," says Kelly.
The Carole Sund Foundation
continues to offer a five-htousand dollar reward for any information that leads
to Jason.
Money raised from Jason's Girthday Gift campaign will ehlp with the
operating costs of Project Jason pay for awareness programs, fund an upcoming
retreat and help pay for ads of missing people on area bus benches.
You can
donate by logging on to www.projectjason.org
You can donate through PayPal or
mail a check.
Jason's mom also says there are updated posters with Jason's
age progressed photo. The family would appreciate any help if people can print
out the poster and put them up in their neighborhoods or where they work.

If you know anything about what happened to Jason, please call the Omaha Police Department at (402) 444-5818 or (402) 444-5690.

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://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=992083&orgPrefix=NCMA&searchLang=en_US.


Jason is also one of the missing people you can "adopt" through Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. For more information, see http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html.

Photo and age progression from Jason's poster.

Jason Jolkowski now missing 7 years, Omaha, Nebraska

Some new developments in Jason's case include a reward and a new age progression. Project Jason, a missing person's organization founded by his mother, also is starting a new fundraising campaign to mark his birthday, which is also coming up in a few days.

First, the reward. Press release posted at http://www.crimeandjustice.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=164&st=300:

The Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation 301 Downey Ave., Modesto, CA, Ph.
209- 567-1059
Scott Webb – Executive Director
June 10, 2008
Contact: Scott Webb 209-567-1059
$5,000 REWARD
The Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation is offering a $5,000 reward for
information leading to the safe return of Jason Jolkowski. If a homicide has
occurred the reward will automatically revert to the arrest and conviction of
the person/persons responsible for the crime.
It has been our experience that reward funds have been the catalyst to
increased interest and investigative leads in cases. We hope that a reward will
assist in this case as well. The Foundation's reward money has already assisted
in the location of nine missing persons, the apprehension of 37 murder suspects,
and 3 kidnappers of young children, and one suspect charged with attempted
murder of a peace officer. We currently have 37 suspects in custody in ten
states.
To date the Foundation has paid a total of $262,600 in rewards to citizens
who did the right thing by coming forward and sharing the information they had
regarding these cases. We all have a responsibility to do our part to help make
our community a safe place.
Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso were the three women sightseers
who were missing and later found murdered near Yosemite National Park in
February of 1999. While they were missing, Carole Sund’s parents, Francis and
Carole Carrington, at the request of the FBI, posted rewards both for their safe
return and for information leading to the whereabouts of their rental car. The
Carringtons believe that the posting of these rewards and the media attention
they received contributed to the car being located and gave them the first break
in their case. They were thankful that they had the financial means to offer
these rewards and it’s because of this that they have started The Carole
Sund/Carrington Foundation. This foundation was established to assist in cases
such as the case of Jason Jolkowski, which is a similar circumstance as the
Carrington’s in that Jason is a missing person.
We strongly urge anyone with information to contact the investigators.
Please if you know anything about this case, call Detective Jim Shields of the
Omaha Police Department at 402-444-5818.

Now the announcement from the Project Jason forum, http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=3021.0:

June 13, 2008 marks seven years since the mysterious and tragic
disappearance of Jason Jolkowski, the namesake of our organization. His 27th
birthday is June 24th.
In honor of Jason, his birthday and his generous spirit, we are launching a
fundraising campaign. The birthday present image at the bottom of our main site
at http://www.projectjason.org/
will be used to show our progress toward the goal of raising $2,700 by October
6th, the 5th anniversary of Project Jason.
You will find a quick reference to Project Jason’s accomplishments and
information about how we utilize donations by continuing to scroll down in this
thread.
Please feel free to forward this information.
What follows is a letter written by Jason's mother, Kelly, to mark this sad
occasion:
Dear Jason,
We love you and miss you. It’s been seven years since we last saw your face
and heard your gentle laugh. Wherever you are, you’re now a grown man. You were
just a young adult when you were last with us, working to find your place in
this life.
The month of June is such a trying time of year. You disappeared without a
trace on June 13th, 2001. Sometimes it seems as if it was just yesterday. The
great fear and pounding of our hearts when we discovered something was very
wrong is a feeling we’ll never forget. We waited and hoped that you’d walk in
the door a moment later and that the whole awful event would be over, but that
didn’t happen. Seven years later, it feels as if it never may end, and that we
may have to wait for our life after this world to see you again. Even so, we
will always have hope to find you sooner, and that you will be with us again.
Love always hopes, and we have hearts full of both.
Father’s Day and my birthday were also events of that fateful month, and
without you, those dates seemed meaningless.
June 24th is your 27th birthday. It would be so wonderful to be able to buy
you a gift and sing Happy Birthday to you, even in our funny, off-key way. There
is so much that we’ve all missed. If you are still with us, you could be married
and have children. You may have graduated from college and be pursuing a career.
So many life events which normally happen with someone of your age may have
passed by. We hope and pray that you haven’t been cheated of the life you were
meant to live.
We feel that somehow, you are aware of how life has changed for us in your
absence. Your little brother has grown up now and works with your dad. He misses
you so.
Because of you, we were called to reach out and help others who have fallen
victim to this tragic circumstance. We passed a law in your name here in
Nebraska, and then we created a nonprofit organization named after you, Project
Jason. We’ve helped find other missing people, including a son who was missing
for 14 years, and a sister missing for seven. We wish we could find you, but
rest assured son, we won’t stop trying.
We were blessed to have you with us for nineteen years. You taught us so
much, especially about generosity and kindness. You never told us these things,
but we found out from those who knew you. You took it upon yourself to help a
handicapped boy at school to get from class to class. You sang a rap in front of
the whole school to help your friend get elected to the student council, even
though you are shy and quiet. We saw for ourselves how you would literally run
to open the door for elderly people, or help someone across the street.
Because of these things and more, we know you would want us to do the work
we do to help other families of missing persons. In honor of your 27th birthday,
and we know you would approve, we are asking for donations to your name sake
organization. It’s been a struggle these past seven years without you, and also
in founding the organization and accomplishing what we know we could. With the
support of others who care, we will achieve more for these suffering families
and help to reunite them with their missing loved ones.
We’re going to ask, dear Jason, that each person reading this consider
donating $27 in your name to Project Jason. Realizing there are many who truly
can’t afford to do this, perhaps some who can, will donate an additional $27. We
have a goal to reach $2,700 by October 6th, which will be the 5th anniversary of
the founding of Project Jason.
For those who wish to help, they can mail their donation to Project Jason,
PO Box 3035, Omaha, NE 68103, OR go to our website, http://www.projectjason.org/, and
click on the PayPal button at the bottom of the page. We’ll also show the
progress towards the October goal on the “birthday present” image shown on the
bottom of the main page of our website.
It will be wonderful to be able to affect even more families in your name,
Jason. The greatest gift of all would be to have you back in our lives, but if
that is not to be, we will continue on with our work with the help and support
of the kind people of the world, people just like you.
Love Always,
Mom, Dad, and Michael

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://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=992083&orgPrefix=NCMA&searchLang=en_US.

Photo and age progression from Jason's NCMEC poster.