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There are several cases of missing mothers in the news right now. Two of those cases – Kelly Currin Morris and Corrie L. Anderson – have received a considerable amount of coverage here in recent months. Now another case - a Missouri mother of three – joins them among the pages of the missing.
Renee Pernice, 35, was reported missing by her father, Rick Pretz, on the morning of Jan. 3. According to Rick, he contacted police after another daughter had a bizarre telephone conversation with Renee's husband, Shon Pernice, 37, during which he informed her that his wife had been gone for some time. Upon filing a police report, Rick and other family members, accompanied by a police officer, went to Renee's house. Shon Pernice was not home at the time; however, Rick had a key to the house, which the group used to make entry. Unfortunately, the search was cut short when Shon Pernice and his attorney showed up and ordered everyone out of the house.
Court documents indicate that Shon initially said that he had last seen his wife on Jan. 1 and then later changed the date to Jan. 2. He said he was asleep in the basement when she told him she was leaving. Shon told detectives that he could not remember what Renee was wearing or where she was going. Following that initial conversation with police Shon refused to answer any further questions and denied police access to the couple's children – two sons and a daughter Shon has from a previous marriage - ages 11, 8 and 6.
Shon's attorney, Kevin Baldwin, told the Kansas City Star that he had instructed Shon not to speak to police or the media because he believed he was being blamed for Renee's disappearance.
The mystery into Renee's disappearance further deepened the day she was reported missing, when a homeless man reported finding her phone near Sixth Street and Gladstone in Kansas City. The location is roughly 14 miles from her home.
When authorities questioned Renee's family members, they learned that her relationship with her husband was troubled. The couple had been married for about ten years, but, in 2005, Renee, a nursing instructor, filed for divorce. They eventually reconciled their differences and in Jan. 2007, and Renee had the case dismissed. Unfortunately, all was not bliss for long; troubles resurfaced last year, when Shon - a firefighter and National Guardsman – returned from a strenuous tour of duty in Iraq. According to family members, he suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
The couple's marital problems continued to boil over, and Renee again filed for divorce. According to court documents, Shon was supposed to leave for a two-week military training session on Jan. 2. He had allegedly agreed that, upon his return, he would move out of the house.
All of the details surrounding the case have caused Kansas City Police Capt. Rich Lockhart to suspect foul play.
"This is a woman who has no criminal history; she is a very loving mother who would not abandon her children," Lockhart said in an interview with ABC News, adding, "This is totally out of character for her."
Family and friends of Corrie Anderson, a missing mother of three from Ashville, N.Y., held a prayer vigil for Corrie last night at the Panama Baptist Church.
"It remains the strongly held belief that she is still very much alive and waiting to be found," Rev. Andy Cook said during the vigil. "Some of us, perhaps many of us, share that belief and all of us deeply respect that belief. I find myself not wanting to say, but needing to say that Corrie may not be found and that Corrie may not be coming home. What I just said I say with much difficulty and yet with the upmost love and respect for everyone seated here. If Corrie is not to come home, it is only because she has already been home and perhaps for some time. As of this moment, Corrie has been missing for some three months. It has been a harrowing passage to be sure and in ways the rest of us cannot possibly hope to understand and in ways that we would not want to understand. No one here, least of all this preacher, is qualified to declare what is or isn’t the case, so we go on praying with the hope for Corrie's return."
Corrie's mother, Vicki Acquisto, did not speak during the vigil; however she did express her feelings to the media.
"I just miss her a lot. I really miss her a lot," Vickie said.
Mike Ray and Walt Perkowski, members of the search and recovery group Texas EquuSearch, were also on hand to show support for Corrie's loved ones. Earlier in the day, Ray and Perkowski conducted additional reconnaissance and identified at least one new area of interest in the case. According to Ray, the search is currently set to begin in March or April, depending on the weather.
"The community is behind us 100% and the assets they are offering will make the recovery of Corrie much easier," Ray told Investigation Discovery. "We currently have over 60 horses, as well as over 500 searchers ready to deploy as soon as conditions are ready. Obviously, the safety of the horses and the searchers will be a priority, so ground conditions are holding us back right now. Many in the community have offered lodging and supplies, as well as vehicles to searchers who will be coming from the Texas area. It is great to have this type of support. As always, our main goal is to bring Corrie home."
In addition to the vigil that was held last night, Corrie's family members are also planning at least two other events – a snowmobile poker run and a Chinese auction – in order to raise donations for the search effort and also for a reward fund the family has established for information on Corrie's whereabouts.
The Mysterious Disappearance of John "Chicago Johnny" Spira
In this week's edition of "The Missing," we revisit the mysterious disappearance of John "Chicago Johnny" Spira, a 45-year-old resident of Chicago, Illinois, who went missing in February 2007.
A popular Chicago musician and owner of a successful construction company, John had a lot of things going right in his life. He had money, a new girl, and plenty of fans who fawned over his musical talent. What John didn't have was a reason to walk away from his life, which makes the mystery of his disappearance all the more difficult to understand.
John was last seen at around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23, 2007, leaving his business, Universal Cable Construction Inc., in West Chicago. He had a dinner date planned for later that evening, but for reasons unknown, he never arrived. The following morning John's girlfriend, Renata Biekskis, attempted to file a missing persons report with the St. Charles Police Department but was turned away because she was not his next of kin.
The following evening, John's band, The Rabble Rousers, was scheduled to play a gig at Jason's Steakhouse in Montgomery. However, for the first time in years, "Chicago Johnny" was a no-show. Determined to get the police involved, Renata persuaded John's estranged wife, Suzanne, to contact the police and file a missing persons report.
Police initially did little to locate John, suspecting that he had run off or went on a trip without notifying his friends. Investigators found no signs of foul play at his home or at his business, and both of his vehicles were accounted for.
Stephanie McNeil immediately knew something was wrong when she heard her brother was missing. It was out of character for him to leave without contacting anyone, and she felt there was no way he would take off when he had already purchased tickets to fly to Phoenix, Ariz., the following week to visit his mother, who had recently been hospitalized.
As the weeks turned into months, Stephanie found herself making dozens of trips to Chicago to try to determine what had happened to her brother. Stephanie helped erect billboards with John's picture and information, and she diligently distributed fliers and organized several searches, all to no avail.
In September 2007, on an early fall Saturday evening, there was more intrigue and mystery added to John's case when a fire truck was dispatched to a mysterious blaze at his construction company. Despite firefighters' best efforts, the business was a total loss. Despite the fact that the fire appeared to be suspicious, investigators have been reluctant to label it arson.
In addition to the fire, across the street from the business, someone had destroyed a large banner with John’s picture and information on it. John's business partner, David Stubben, and younger brother, Tom Spira, both remain convinced that these incidents are connected to John's disappearance.
"It wasn't just a coincidence," Tom told Cbs2chicago.com. "There might be a motive because someone somewhere is going to get that money, so maybe that will prompt the police to take a look at somebody. They've never brought anyone in for formal questioning."
Trying to develop support for John's search has been difficult for his family and friends. They have regularly voiced their frustration over not getting media coverage comparable to that of other missing persons cases in the city, resulting in their having to take the bulk of the search responsibilities into their own hands.
John's family has organized several vigils as a way to keep his face in the newspapers and on television. Dozens of volunteers have also donated time to pass out leaflets and posters to keep his story from fading into the background. Family members of Stacy Peterson and Lisa Stebic, two women who also went missing in 2007, have admitted that it is unfortunate that young, attractive missing females seem to get more media attention than missing men, a fact that they would all like to see changed.
John Spira is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, 140 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. A $10,000.00 reward is being offered for information leading to the discovery of his whereabouts. Anyone with information should contact the St. Charles Police Department at 630-377-4435 or the DuPage County Sheriff's Department at 630-407-2321.
For more information or to help, please visit: www.johnspira.com.
Photo Credits: All photos courtesy of John Spira's family.
If you are a family member of a missing loved one and have a case you would like covered here, contact me via e-mail. If you are a reader who would like to help, please spread the word about this site so others can find us. The more people who see these stories, the better the chances that someone might come forward with information.
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A bizarre case of incest is unfolding in Cass County, Missouri, involving a man who allegedly fathered four children with his daughter. Three of those children are now dead and the fourth is in protective custody.
According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Danial "Danny" M. Rinehart, 47, began molesting his 19-year-old daughter six years ago. During those years, Rinehart impregnated his daughter on at least four separate occasions.
The skeletal remains of two of the children were recently found in coolers on a property in Harrisonville. The third child's skeletal remains are believed to be on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma.
Charges against Rinehart include statutory rape, endangering the welfare of a child, one count of second-degree murder, two counts of incest and two counts of accessory abandonment of a corpse.
Danial Rinehart remains behind bars.
Photo Credit: Danial Rinehart: Police file photos.
***Suspects appearing in mug shots are considered innocent until proven guilty***
The family of Corrie Anderson, missing mother of three from Ashville, N.Y., is holding a prayer vigil for Corrie on Tuesday, January 27, at the Panama Baptist Church in Panama, N.Y. The vigil will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. The prayer vigil is open to all who wish to attend.
Although the winter weather has temporarily suspended the physical search for Corrie, the family asks that everyone keep Corrie and her family in their prayers.
In addition to the prayer vigil, the family is planning several fundraiser events to help in the search for Corrie. A snowmobile poker run is scheduled for February 21 and a dinner/Chinese auction is being planned for March.
If you would like to donate to the Corrie Anderson Family Fund, to assist with ongoing expenses in their search efforts, please send your donation to Affinity One Federal Credit Union (formerly MRC), 545 E Second Street, Jamestown, New York 14701-5617.
For further details, please visit the family's website at www.findcorrie.com.
Photo Credit: Contributed by family
George Anthony, father of 22-year-old Casey Anthony and grandfather of now deceased 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, was escorted to a hospital by police early this morning after he allegedly sent suicidal text messages to family members.
Anthony was reported missing yesterday, when he failed to show up for a meeting with his attorney. Later that day, he made contact with family members via text messages, in which he reportedly indicated that he wanted to "end his own life."
Investigators were able to trace pings from Anthony's cell phone to the Bethune Point area. His vehicle was located at the Hawaiian Inn, a motel near Daytona Beach, at about 2:30 a.m. this morning.
According to Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood, Anthony was upset and stated that he was under a lot of pressure.
"We do know George Anthony is saying I don't want to live anymore," Chitwood told Fox News.
Chitwood personally transported Anthony to Halifax Hospital, where he was Baker Acted – involuntarily admitted - for an evaluation.
The Florida State Attorney's Office released 311 pages of new documents Wednesday that have been unsealed in the case of Casey Anthony and her murdered 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony.
According to the documents, Caylee's skeletal remains had been placed in a cloth laundry hamper bag, prior to being placed inside the black plastic garbage bag. The documents further reveal that a backpack with the word 'adorable' on it, a Winnie the Pooh blanket, a size 3T shirt, a kid's pair of striped white shorts and small cloth-type iron on letters were also found inside the bag.
Perhaps most unsettling are paragraphs within a search-warrant affidavit, which detail the discovery of the remains and also the discovery of a "heart shaped" sticker that had been placed on duct tape that was found wrapped around the child's skull.
"Once at the medical examiner's office, Dr. Utz (Deputy Chief Medical Examiner), Dr. Schultz (UCF forensic anthropologist /consultant to the medical examiner's office), Karen Cowan (FBI Evidence Response Team), and I better examined what was collected," an Orange County detective wrote in the affidavit. "When Dr. Utz went to remove the duct tape, he noticed that the tape was attached on both ends to the child's hair. The hair had to be cut in order for the duct tape to be removed. This tape was later sent to the FBI lab in Quantico.
"While processing the duct tape at the FBI lab in Quantico, the latent print unit noticed a residue in the perfect shape of a heart. The heart was not hand drawn and residue appeared to be consistent with the adhesive side of a heart shaped sticker. It appears that the sticker was put on the duct tape intentionally. In the search area, investigators located a small heart shaped sticker similar in size to the residue found on the duct tape. The sheet from which this sticker came from was not recovered on scene."
The search warrant referenced above was served shortly after Caylee's remains were found. Investigators were looking for several items, which they detailed on page one of the warrant. Those items included:
"Arts and crafts material, stickers, scrap booking material, all shoes belonging to Casey Anthony, the original clothing George Anthony last saw Caylee Anthony wearing on June 16th (pink colored top, blue jean skirt or skort, white shoes, small child's backpack with monkey design and white rimmed sunglasses), any doll clothing that would fit the doll recovered from Casey's vehicle on July 15th, small plastic toy horses similar to one found at the crime scene, and a black or brown backpack/shoulder bag similar to the one George Anthony saw Casey Anthony with on June 16th, that may be on said property. Your affiant also requests the authority to observe and note any prescriptions that may be on said property."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case of Arthur G. Nadel, a 76-year-old hedge fund manager from Sarasota, Florida, who investors suspect of defrauding them out of $350 million USD.
The case came to light on January 14, 2009, when police received a call from Nadel’s wife, Peg, notifying them that her husband was missing. She reportedly told them that she had last seen her husband when he left for work that morning; however when she went to meet him at his office later that day he was not there. That same day, at about 1:20 p.m., Nadel’s stepson, Geoff Quisenberry, received a call from Nadel, instructing him to go to his Sarasota home to retrieve a note he had left in a desk drawer. In the note, Nadel expressed his love for his wife and his guilt for mismanaging his clients’ money.
"The subject wrote that, as a result of his management of other people’s money, there are those who would like to kill him," the police report states, "but that he would do it himself."
The day after Nadel’s reported disappearance, investigators located his green Subaru abandoned in a parking lot at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. A trace of Nadel’s cell phone activity allegedly placed him in Tampa the day of his disappearance and then later in the New Orleans suburb of Slidell. Authorities say there has been no other recent activity.
As a result of the discovery of Nadel’s car and the cell phone activity, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office decided to close their investigation in the case.
"Sheriff’s detectives believe that Mr. Nadel is missing voluntarily," reads a January 20 press release issued by the sheriff’s office. "Sarasota Police Department has turned over its investigation of Mr. Nadel’s company, Scoop Management, to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Any person wishing to make a report regarding Scoop Management is requested to do so by [contacting] the FBI."
In the days following Nadel’s disappearance, authorities received dozens of calls from investors, accusing Nadel of defrauding them of millions of dollars.
This most recent incident is not the first time Nadel has been accused of fraud. According to records obtained by the St. Petersburg Times, Nadel was working as an attorney in 1978, when he allegedly took nearly $50,000 from a hospital escrow account to pay off a loan shark. Nadel eventually made full restitution; however, he was nevertheless disbarred for fraud and professional misconduct.
It remains unclear what Nadel did in the years immediately after losing his ability to practice law; however, in 2004, he began to solicit investors for his Scoop Real Estate Limited Partnership. Nadel told potential clients that their money would be used to purchase income-producing properties such as apartment or office buildings. He would then pass the rental income on to them. In time, when the properties appreciated, they would be sold for profit. Nadel would handle all the details, deciding what properties to buy and when to sell, and the investors would benefit from both high current income and long-term capital gains.
Despite his past history, Nadel’s company quickly grew, and before long he was trading for six different funds involving roughly 600 investors across the country. He also became well-known in his local community as a generous philanthropist. He was president of the Guy-Nadel Foundation, which, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, has assets of $3.4 million and an annual income of $1.2 million. The charity has given money to both art and church groups, as well as a one-time grant of $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity in 2006.
Investors were happy with Nadel and there was no sign of trouble until October, when Nadel informed some of them that his funds had suffered losses and that their redemption payments would be withheld "due to extraordinary market conditions."
On Monday, President George W. Bush made a surprise move during his last full day in office when he commuted the sentences of two former Border Patrol agents who have been in prison since 2005 when they were convicted of shooting a Mexican drug dealer.
According to the commutation order, Ignacio Ramos, 39, and Jose Alonso Compean, 32, will both be released from prison on or about March 20.
The incident resulting in both Ramos' and Compean's incarceration occurred near the unincorporated Fabens settlement in El Paso County, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2005. On that day, the two men were patrolling the border when they stopped a van containing several hundred pounds of marijuana. The alleged driver of the van, Osvaldo Aldrete Dávila, jumped out of the vehicle and ran away, during which time both Ramos and Compean drew their weapons and shot at Dávila a total of 15 times. They later claimed they thought he was armed. Compean's shots missed; however Ramos managed to shoot Dávila in the buttocks before he crossed over into Mexico.
Following the incident, Ramos and Compean filed a false investigative report, disposed of their shell casings, and lied to their supervisor.
Dávila later filed a complaint against Ramos and Compean, and the two were arrested. A two-week-long trial ensued, and a jury found both men guilty of civil-rights violations and discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. Ramos was sentenced to 11 years in a federal prison, and Compean was sentenced to 12.
Both men filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans; however, both appeals were rejected.
As a result of all the true crime events that have transpired in recent months, I have had to neglect updates in reference to a few of the cases that I had previously covered. One of those cases involves 45-year-old Richard Harold Gear, a man from Bogart, Georgia who was arrested last year after he shot and killed 21-year-old Bryan Joseph Mough, a motorcyclist who had followed Gear’s teenage daughters home from a department store. From the start, Gear claimed the shooting was in self-defense; however, a grand jury disagreed, and indicted Gear on murder charges. The case has since made its way through court, and a verdict has been announced.
The case in question dates back to Feb. 25, 2008. On that day, police say Gear's two daughters, ages 17 and 19, called their father from their cell phones and told him that they were on their way home from a store, and that Bryan was following them on a motorcycle. The girls allegedly said that the incident started when they made obscene gestures at him after he cut them off in a department store parking lot. The girls also claimed that Bryan had run his motorcycle into the back of their Nissan Sentra.
When the girls pulled up to their family home, Gear was standing in the driveway with a loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun. Bryan initially continued driving down the road, but then turned around to pass by the house again. When Bryan drove by the second time, Gear raised his handgun and fired multiple shots. One of the bullets struck Bryan in the back. Gear then called 911 to report the shooting, alleging that he had fired the gun in self-defense when Bryan attempted to run him over with the motorcycle. Paramedics arrived on the scene, and transported Bryan to a local hospital, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Afterwards, police arrested Gear and charged him with murder.
"I don't know how you can legally shoot someone in the back on a motorcycle and then claim that he was trying to run you down," Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry told ABC News.
Berry was also skeptical about statements provided by Gear's two daughters. None of the surveillance footage from inside the department store or from the parking lot indicated that Mough had any contact with the girls. In addition, Berry was unconvinced that Mough had rammed their car.
"It would be unusual for a motorcycle to ram a four-wheel vehicle," he said.
Following Gear's arrest, police revealed that they had responded to his residence for a similar incident in Feb. 2006. The report from that incident, filed by Oconee County Sheriff Deputy Jason Lowe, read, in part:
"I was dispatched to <redacted> Gear Road in Bogart in reference to property damage. Upon my arrival, I made contact with Richard Gear, who told me that persons unknown to him entered his property. These unknown persons were asked to leave. When the unknown persons were leaving, they damaged Gear's mailbox and post by backing over it with a white Chevy Lumina car. I made contact with the driver of the Chevy Lumina. <redacted> said that it was an accident. <redacted> said that they left in a hurry when shots were fired at them."
Investigators had examined the allegations, but were unable to prove that Gear had fired a weapon at the individuals.
One of the cases we have been following here recently is the unexplained disappearance of Adam Herrman, an 11-year-old boy who went missing from Butler County, Kansas, roughly 10 years ago. The case first came to light three weeks ago, when a tipster contacted the Exploited and Missing Children's Unit.
In my last article, I covered law enforcement’s search of a mobile home that was once owned by Adam's adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman. Since that time, investigators have conducted a search of a wooded area along the Whitewater River in southern Kansas.
During the search, the sheriff's department, along with assistance from a team of anthropologists, looked for areas where there were indentations in the ground. They also examined bones in the area to determine if they were animal or human. Nothing of interest was found; however they were able to rule the area out as a place of interest.
The most recent search in this case occurred today, when authorities again returned to the Towanda trailer park where the Herrman's mobile home once sat. According to the Butler County Sheriff, his department decided to return to the park after they received a tip from someone who reported seeing unusual activity at the Herrman home in 1999. The tip was of interest to investigators because that is the same year Adam was last seen. It is also the year that the Herrmans constructed a shed on the property.
During today's search, the sheriff's office cordoned off the area with crime scene tape and used a backhoe to move the shed from the foundation it had sat on for the last ten years. Afterwards, they began digging into the earth, searching for skeletal remains and any other potential evidence related to the case.
"We'd like to find remains, but we're talking 9-10 years here," Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said. "It's a long shot."
The Mysterious Disappearance of George Robert "Skip" Zelaya
In this week's edition of "The Missing," we revisit the mysterious disappearance of George Robert "Skip" Zelaya, a 61-year-old resident of Homosassa, Florida, who went missing in January 2005.
"The last time I saw my dad, two of my sisters and I (I have one more sister and one more brother) took a trip to see him in September 2004, like we always did," Skip's daughter, Kathleen Howarth, said in an interview with Investigation Discovery. "When we were about to get on the plane to go home, all three of us were crying like we were children leaving our dad for the first time. This wasn't odd behavior, because we always cried when we left him. We were all standing there crying, telling him how much we loved him when he started to tear up and told us if we didn't stop crying we were going to make him cry. Then we all wiped away our tears and took one last picture of each of us with him."
Unbeknownst to Kathleen or her siblings, that would be the last time any of them would see their father before his mysterious disappearance.
"I left to go on a trip to Montana on January 21, 2005," Kathleen said. "This was the first time since Dad moved to Florida that I didn’t visit him the first of the year because I was invited to go to Montana. Otherwise, I would’ve been with him at this time. The following Thursday, my little sister, Susan, called the house I was staying at. I was blow drying my hair so I never heard the phone ring. My husband, Doug, answered. He could hardly understand who it was, as she was hysterical. Doug came in and told me to stop blow drying my hair and that I need to call my sister because my father was missing. I screamed, saying: ’God, please don’t let anything happen to my dad!’ I was a basket case. I couldn’t even remember her telephone number to call her back. My husband kept telling me to calm down. We were all so helpless. I was in Montana, my siblings were all in the D.C. metro area, and he was missing in Florida."
According to Kathleen, Skip was last seen by his roommate (who also happens to be his ex-wife), at about 6:30 p.m., on January 13, 2005. It was three days later when his former wife contacted Skip's brother, Joe Zelaya, to ask if he had heard from his brother. When Joe told her he had not spoken to his brother, she informed him that she was going to contact the police. Two days later, on January 18, 2005, the she again contacted Joe to inform him that she found Skip's car at a shopping center off Highway 19. She said that his wallet was found under the seat, empty, all but for his social security card and photos. His watch, keys and cell phone were found on a table in their house.
"Susan waited a week to call me because I was in Montana and she could not decide if she should call or not, so a week later, she could not hold it any longer and that was when she called," Kathleen said. "Since that time the pain has been unbearable. I don't know where he is or why he is gone."
Unfortunately, there were no surveillance cameras outside the mall, leaving detectives with no solid proof that Skip had parked his vehicle there. Investigators conducted a search of the area and brought in a cadaver dog to assist them; however, they were unable to find any indication that Skip was in the area.
Since July 2008, the case of Casey Anthony and her once-missing - now deceased - daughter, 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, has made headlines around the world. Unfortunately, the coverage it has garnered has been a double-edged sword. While people grabbed onto every headline they could find about Caylee - a child who has often been referred to as "America's Sweetheart" - other cases deserving an equal amount of attention fell to the wayside.
I can name at least 20 children who have gone missing and an equal number of adults who have disappeared since the Caylee case first broke. I can also guarantee that the majority of you have never even heard of half of them. Unless the story is compelling - unless the victim is young, beautiful and the subject of a bizarre or captivating tale - these cases get very little media attention.
If it doesn't make good press, then it doesn't make the press.
During the Anthony case, I covered several other cases of missing persons in an attempt to give them the coverage that they deserved. One of those cases was that of 36-year-old Corrie Anderson, a mother of three from Chautauqua County, New York, who went missing in October 2008. One of the things that struck me most about that case was the initial lack of coverage by the media. I watched local coverage of the case when it first broke. During the first few days, most stations did not even make it their top story. Instead, Anderson stood second to local sports and weather. Taking that into consideration, put yourself in the family's shoes and think about how you would feel if your mother, sister or daughter went missing and you had to beg the media to help you.
Hunters in Mebane, N.C., have found human skeletal remains in a wooded area by Dickey Mill Road. The location is roughly 40 miles from the town of Stem, where Kelly Currin Morris disappeared on Sept. 3, 2008.
No further details are available at this time.
UPDATE: The remains have been identified as 49-year-old Tamara Ann Liner, a Burlington woman who went missing in July.
Related Links:
Full Coverage: Kelly Currin Morris Case
There have been new developments in the case of Adam Herrman, an 11-year-old boy who went missing from Butler County, Kansas, roughly 10 years ago. The bizarre case first came to light three weeks ago, when a tipster contacted the Exploited and Missing Children's Unit. Officials won't disclose the nature of the tip; however it did cause them to open an investigation in the case.
Earlier today, investigators conducted a search of a Sedgwick County mobile home that was once owned by Adam's adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman. The home previously sat in a Towanda trailer park, where police were recently seen searching an empty lot.
Authorities took several bags into the house today; however it remains unclear what, if anything, was found. It has been speculated that investigators are trying to determine whether Adam died inside the home.
Investigators have received several statements from relatives of Adam's adoptive parents that allege he had been abused inside the residence.
Adam's aunt, 48-year-old Kim Winslow, told police that she witnessed Adam chained (possibly handcuffed) to a bathtub faucet in 1999. Winslow said that it was the last time that she saw him.
Other relatives have also came forward and told police similar stories.
One of the more outspoken witnesses has been the Herrman's biological son, 29-year-old Justin Herman. Justin told authorities that he never witnessed his father abuse Adam; however he has alleged that he witnessed his mother hit Adam with her hands and also a belt. Justin has further alleged that his mother would frequently lock Adam inside the bathroom.
January 4th was a particularly difficult day for friends and family members of Kelly Currin Morris, a missing mother of two who disappeared on Sept. 3, 2008. Not only was it the day after the four month anniversary of her disappearance, but it was also the day Kelly would have turned 29-years-old.
In lieu of a birthday party, nearly 200 friends and family member gathered for a prayer vigil in front of Butner-Stem Elementary. Rev. Lenny Rogers, pastor of First Baptist Church of Butner, presided over the vigil, which included the releasing of 140 balloons that carried personal messages from Kelly's loved ones.
"What these folks and family have been through is something few folks in life have to go through," Rogers said during the vigil.
Kelly's birthday was also remembered by Texas EquuSearch, a search and recovery group that has been involved in two large-scale searches for Kelly.
"We send our love and sympathy to Kelly's family and loved ones," said EquuSearch spokesperson Barbie Tarr. "We know how difficult the passing of important dates are for the families of the missing, and our hearts go out to them. We remain dedicated to those that love Kelly and if we are needed, we are there for them."
Meanwhile, Kelly's father, Pat Currin, and her step-mother, Juanita Currin, continue to spearhead the search effort.
"Some days we cope better than others," Juanita said in an interview with Investigation Discovery. "We're just frustrated and tired of the status quo. Something needs to happen. It has been four months and still nothing."
Despite the frustration, Juanita said that Kelly's family and friends would not stop searching.
"We will keep looking until she is found," Juanita said. "Pat continues to devote every hour of every day to finding Kelly."
Unfortunately, that search was recently hampered when an unknown person vandalized a K9 transport vehicle owned by Public Safety Dogs, Inc., a local nonprofit group that donates scent dogs to law enforcement agencies and also assists in missing person cases .
Police in Butler County, Kansas, are trying to determine what happened to 11-year-old Adam Herrman, a young boy who disappeared roughly 10 years ago. Investigators were unaware Adam was missing until three weeks ago, when a tipster contacted the Exploited and Missing Children's Unit. Officials won't disclose the nature of the tip; however it did cause them to put together a full scale search for the missing boy.
"We don't know what happened to Adam Herrman past 1999, when he was last seen," Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said at today's press conference in El Dorado. "Is he alive, is he dead? That one I can't answer because we don't know."
According to the sheriff's office, Adam and his siblings were taken away from their biological parents in 1989. Adam was roughly two years old at the time. Each of the siblings were placed into foster care and later adopted by different families.
"I had been a little bit not exactly a good parent," Adam's biological mother, Gerri George, told Kansas.com, adding "I still cry, because I miss them."
Adam's adoptive parents have told investigators that he ran away roughly nine years ago and that they did not report him missing. The couple said that Adam had a history of running away and that they had assumed he would come back. When he did not, they allegedly decided not to file a missing child report because they feared getting into trouble with the authorities.
Investigators have been unable to substantiate claims that Adam was a frequent runaway. A relative of his adoptive family allegedly told authorities that they were under the impression that the state had given him back to his biological family.
Ronald Joseph Dominique, Sean Vincent Gillis, John Peter Malveaux and Derrick Todd Lee - each one of these men has been arrested in recent years for committing serial murders in the state of Louisiana. They are certainly not responsible for all of the unsolved cases in the state; however, they are four of the most recognized criminals. Louisiana has, for all intents and purposes, become Serial Killer Central. Consequently, investigators in Jefferson Davis Parish have formed a task force to investigate the mysterious murders of at least seven women dating back to 2005.
Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff Ricky Edwards is hesitant to use the term "serial killer" in connection with the unsolved murders; this may, however, be precisely what he is facing. Some speculate that his reluctance to categorize the cases may be a way of keeping the killer from reveling in media attention, but previous cases have shown that it is only a matter of time before all bets are off.
The victims in these unsolved cases shared several similarities. Most were in their 20s, traveled in the same circles, had a history of alcohol and substance abuse, and lived high-risk lifestyles, which in some cases included trading sex for drugs.
1. Loretta Lynn Chaisson Lewis
Loretta Lynn Chaisson Lewis, 28, was last seen on May 17, 2005. Three days later, a fisherman discovered her partially clothed body floating in the east fork of the Grand Marais Canal. This location is roughly three miles west of Highway 26.
Despite the fact that she had been dead for only a few days, Loretta's body was in an advanced state of decomposition, which made it impossible for the medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death. Toxicology tests revealed high levels of drugs and alcohol in her system.
Loretta was married and had two children.
2. Ernestine Marie Daniels Patterson
Ernestine Marie Daniels Patterson, 29, was an employee of a local fast food restaurant. The events leading up to her disappearance remain unclear. What is known is that her partially clothed body was found floating in a drainage canal on June 18, 2005. This location was roughly six miles from where Loretta Lewis's body had been found.
During the autopsy, the medical examiner determined that Ernestine's throat had been cut. As with Loretta's toxicology tests, Ernestine's also indicated high levels of drugs and alcohol in her system.
Prosecutors initially indicted two local men, Byron Chad Jones and Lawrence Nixon, for Ernestine's murder; however, the charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence.
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