Searchers Look for Child Skeletal Remains in Adam Herrman Case

January 14, 2009

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."

No remains were found during today's search; however investigators did find some "trash," which peaked their interest. The sheriff's office will not comment on what the trash consisted of, but they have said it is connected to something they found during the first search. They have also said that it is not something they would normally expect to find buried in the ground.

Investigators are now going to reexamine the case to determine their next move.

"It is not cold," Murphy said. "It's very active. It's going to stay active, and it's going to come to a conclusion sooner or later."

In related news, Kendall Stanley, managing editor of Petoskeynews.com, published a Caylee Anthony article on Monday, which mentioned the Adam Herrman case. Within the article, titled "Enough with the Caylee Anthony story," Stanley complained about the ongoing coverage of Caylee's case. The article regurgitated similar complaints that have been expressed on the Web in recent weeks; however it also went on to complain about Adam's case.

"And now we’re going to have to contend with Adam Herrman, the Kansas 11-year-old who hasn’t been seen since 1999 and who’d now be 21 if still alive," Stanley wrote.

While the argument that the media should back off the Anthony case is something some people might be able to relate to, the suggestion that the public will now be burdened with the coverage of another missing child - who has not yet been found - is something that many others might find offensive. Click here to read the article.

Anyone with information about Adam's case is asked to call the Butler County sheriff's office at 800-794-0190.

Related Link:
Boy Missing 10 Years Focus of Bizarre Missing Child Case
More Questions than Answers in Adam Herrman Case

Photo Credits: Adam: police file photo; Caylee: Associated Press

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.

Comments

[WAR]

After reading Stanley's article, I tried to write a lengthy, sardonic quipit chastising him. But sardonicism is based in lurid humor, and it just wasn't there. There are a couple of things that come to my mind: (1) Mr. Stanley wants Nacy Grace's job; (2) number 2 borders on slander, so I can't write it here. In any event, Mr. Stanley is the child abuser's best friend. He and his attitude are a pedophile's cultural stock in trade.

Those of us who are old enough to remember the Jacob Wetterling case in St. Joseph, MN in 1989 know that there is never enough awareness and that there never, never can be end to it. For those of us who have suffered from or invested ourselves in the aftermath of these atrocities can find no empathy or sympathy for the irritation Mr. Stanley experiences when he hears mention of them on news programs. I hope you find peace for yourself, Mr. Stanley. But in the process of doing that, don't bother us with your blather.

[Connie]

As much as I think little Caylee has been somewhat expoited, I also firmly believe that the massive coverage is what kept people looking for her and ultimately lead to her recovery. If it were my child who was missing, I would pray for such coverage no matter what the motives were, as long as it kept everyones awareness level up.

[Trla]

Mr. Stanley received a comment from me about his article.
Thank you David for keeping me updated on Caylee and Adam.
I also would like to Thank you for being a part of the search for Caylee. Unfortunately, all I could offer were prayers.
It takes special people to actually give part of themselves to help others in need.

[protectkidz]

Hi David -

It IS offensive but nothing new. Actually a ploy - I feel - by writers (questionable, lol!) who in the guise of slapping the media across the face for over-hyping a story, sneakily use the name of a high-profile missing/murdered child in order to appear at the top of the list for Google News hits for that particular child.

And how can a reader not help but give comment? Need some hits to your site? Write something rude about a missing/murdered child, lol! (noticed, btw, that he only has 7 comments - so don't give him any more attention!)

[cb]

Actually, I caught a small bit of Nancy Grace last night. It was heartening to see that her show was covering a 6 year old mentally handicapped black boy that went missing outside of his home. I obviously wasn't glad that the little boy is missing but rather that he fell outside of the typical demographic of news coverage, I hope that they can find him. (Whether or not Nancy is annoying)

I would suggest that the writer, Kendall Stanley, consider that beyond 'the story', there are actual human beings missing or dead, as in the cases of Adji Desir, Caylee Anthony and Adam Herman. He may be "sick of the story" and the public may tire as well, but the people who have suffered loss in those cases and others don't have the luxury of becoming bored with their grief. Unfortunately, in the Adam Herman case, maybe no one ever cared enough. Maybe that can be changed for other children , if not Adam.

Is the Caylee/Casey Anthony saga played out excessively in the media? Maybe.
However, it has exposed what humans are capable of at their worst; Possibly a pretty young mother who may have disposed of her baby out of vengeance or selfishness, a cop that may have disdain for the very people he is paid to serve and so doesn't serve adequately, and money- hungry attention seekers galore, with a tent and side show. It's difficult to determine who the real protagonist is with the purest cause. With so much spin and not all evidence revealed, it's difficult to know who really is telling the unadulterated truth, if anyone. So that keeps it interesting as a story. 24/7, maybe not. Still interesting enough to want to see a conclusion though.

[Jim]

To Mr. Stanley and anyone else who has grown tired of the Caylee Anthony coverage, guess what, you don't like it, turn it off.

You stop watching Nancy Grace, and anyone else who covers these stories, and if enough people do, then perhaps they'll move on to other stories or other topics.

But guess what, you're in the minority.

I don't watch Nancy Grace. I hardly watch the local news. But everytime I hear someone complain about what's on I have to wonder. With TIVO, On Demand, and over 100 channels, you can't find something else to watch so we don't have to listen to you people about what is on or what is making the news?

I don't know Mr. Stanley and I will not give him the attention of even a hit to his article, but if it were his loved one, would he not use every opportunity, perhaps even his column, to try to get the word out about what has gone wrong? Who would blame him?

Sure, the Anthony Family is an easy target, mainly because the main suspect is the mother/daughter who for some reason the grandparents are still supporting. They happen to be the newest family the Country loves to hate. But who can blame them for keeping their hope, for supporting their daughter, and for trying to keep the national attentional on recovering their grand daughter?

Until any of us have walked in their shoes, we should probably try to remain positive and not wish their situation on anyone.

And if you happen to find Caylee Anthony's story on the news, and you've had enough, change the channel, I'm sure there's something else on.

[BeckyM]

Once again the media reporting about the media. Enough! As a former journalist I am sick and tired of journalists intruding themselves into the news. Report about what people are interested in hearing about - and if you don't like it, then they should leave the business.

[cb]

Nice note by Jim.

[Buzz]

I would assume that Adam went to the same school as his adoptive parent's natural children. Didn't the school notice he had stopped attending? Even if they were told the State took Adam, they should have noticed if his records weren't transferred to a new school. I am not blaming the school for his disappearence. But it appears to be another opportunity lost.

[WAR]

Buzz ... Adam was withdrawn from public school while the family was living in Derby, KS. This took place after the 1998 report of abuse to Sedgwick County office of SRS (Social & Rehabilitative Services). In Kansas, you are allowed to home-school your children. The Herrmans registered and were authorized to operate "The Herrman School" at their Derby, KS (Sedgwick County) address. I don't know if their move to Towanda, KS (Butler County) changed their authorization to home-school Adam. I don't even know if 'authorization' is the right word to use here - I know they are required to register with the State as a home-school, but I don't know that the State of Kansas has the authority or under what circumstances they would have the authority to say 'no' to anyone who wanted home-school their children. The news articles I've read left me with the impression that the Herrman's other children attended public schools. I'm not clear on whether their biological kids attended school and the adopted kids were home-schooled, or if everyone but Adam went to public school. In any event, unfortunatedly, the school system in Kansas is not a reliable way to track kids or their well being.

[Buzz]

WAR-thanks for the info. I had wondered about home schooling. But my post was running long.

[shannon]

"whoa whoa whoa" I've got to defend Nancy G. i love her show for several reasons. but not because i want to be her best friend. i don't agree with every single opinion.
And "BOMBSHELL!" She is a bit hysterical and over dramatic sometimes! :) lolol
but as far as i know, maybe it's a little showbiz and not her true personality...

and as for Casey Anthony, i just can't take it! i have a two year old... and i love him with all my heart. i would die for him. but, if he ever killed anyone innocent, much less his own little kid, even as his mother, I WOULD NOT DEFEND HIM! I wouldn't let him get away with it either! I'd still love him and hopefully help get him his mind back while he's in prison.
but Casey is a sick woman...going out dancing and hanging out with a new boyfriend just blows my mind...she doesn't have a conscience, she just didn't care.

by the way, remember?
in the beginning reporters were referring to her as an attractive, pretty young girl. i thought she was pretty too. but as these horrific details point more and more to her quilt she has become truly ugly and a nasty selfish person that has ruined a whole family's life!

[pak31]

Agree with everyone here. Jim is right. I don't understand these people that whine about the coverage, yes it's excessive at times but he acts like someone is forcing him to watch every little story about it. I can't believe that with everyone's busy life schedules and everything else going on in this world, that they have time to sit and complain about NG or missing children. I am consumed by Caylee's story and other missing people but that is because I choose to be. My husband is the opposite of me and would probably only be able to tell you that the missing girl's name is Caylee. That would be it. He reads the news but doesn't follow it like me. So it IS possible to not have a clue about this case. It's all a choice. So the fact that you choose to complain about it means that you are letting small things get to you. Not a good trait to have.
As for the Herrman case, it's unreal that a child can go missing like that and no one notices. I watched an episode of Forensic Files where they found a missing woman after 20 years. They had more info but they still were able to do it. So I have hope that they will find him. I don't see this family placing him too far away but who knows. It's sad that children are treated like this.

[cb]

Wasn't there something of significance recently discovered on the property where Adam once lived? Has there been any update
on how this may be tied to his adoptive parents?