AMERICAN CRIME - Cases, Missing Persons, & Justice

Drone designed to find missing persons

2015-09-12T10:52:00.001-04:00

Our Prototypes column introduces new vehicle concepts and presents visuals from designers who illustrate the ideas. Some of them will be extensions of existing concepts, others will be new, some will be production ready, and others really far-fetched.

The concept

The Seekloc (Seek and Localize) are special drones designed to detect water and gas leaks and chemical products in the environment. They are deployed in groups from a special truck that also acts as a command center. The Seekloc could also be used to find missing persons in cities.

The background

Imagine you’re responsible for a city’s aqueduct and you need to localise a broken pipe underground; or that you’re in charge of the fire department and you need to find a gas leak or chemicals in a neighbourhood. Or imagine that you’re a police officer tasked with finding a missing person. The Seekloc was created with all these scenarios in mind.

How it works

The Seekloc are small, nimble robots that rest on two wheels, similar to the Segway RMP220. The base units would be able to fit in a special truck capable of storing, transporting, and deploying them anywhere in the city within a very short period of time.

The autonomous Seekloc truck could drive itself to a specified location immediately following an order from either the police chief or fire chief. Upon arrival, the Seekloc could immediately begin working while trained technicians are on their way to the scene, thus saving precious minutes.

The Seekloc are built with a modular system that can be adapted to the need of its owners. Therefore, various types of devices could be installed like acoustic detectors, chemical or infrared sensors, cameras, or electronic noses like the ones developed by Montreal’s Sensing Dynamics.

The Seekloc truck would act as a command center. It could be driven manually if needed, or with driverless technology and it would be able to store up to 8 units at a time. The vehicle’s windshield could also double as a widescreen to project a real-time map of the situation (from the inside) and send information and a live feed to elected officials, the media, and social networks. Each Seekloc would be equipped with a camera and would send its encrypted video feed to a live processing unit where it would be dispatched accordingly.

What’s it used for

The primary use would be to speed up the process of detecting dangerous leaks or finding missing persons when time is of the essence. Such robots could also be useful to maintenance crews and other departments of the city. Maybe it would even be useful to Google as a mapping robot.

The designer

I would like to thank Abhishek Roy, who created the incredible 3D renderings of the Seekloc. Roy is the owner of Lunatic Koncepts, a design firm based in India. Roy’s team also created the renderings for the Xoupir futuristic bus concept and the Inkubax, a local incubator accelerator concept for small towns.

Matthew Greene of Bethlehem missing in California

2013-08-02T18:01:00.003-04:00

Matthew Greene of Bethlehem missing in California Went to Mammoth Lakes to hike, camp and climb mountains
Author: Randy Kraft

A 39-year-old Bethlehem man is missing in the area of Mammoth Lakes, CA. Matthew Greene arrived in Mammoth Lakes around June 27 to hike, camp, and climb peaks in the Eastern Sierra. According to his family and friends, Greene is an avid hiker, as well as a rock and ice climber. According to his family, Greene, a Nazareth High school math teacher, usually goes on a trip every summer.

The Mammoth Lakes Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance to locate Greene. On Monday, a missing persons report was taken on Greene. The last known person to have contact with Greene talked to him on July 16. He was camping at Shady Rest Campground while his vehicle was being repaired at a local shop. He has not returned to Shady Rest Campground or picked up his car from the repair shop. Greene is 5’11”, weighs 155 pounds, with brownish-blonde short hair. It is believed that he may have gotten a ride from someone to a remote area to hike or climb. The Mono County Search and Rescue Team has been notified, but without a last known location, the team cannot initiate a search. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Greene is requested to contact the Mammoth Lakes Police Department at 760-934-2011 or the Mono County Sheriff’s Office at 760-932-6549 X7.

Overwhelmed law-enforcement miss ankle bracelet alarms

2013-07-30T21:33:00.001-04:00

Overwhelmed law-enforcement miss ankle bracelet alarms

More than 100,000 parolees and sex offenders are wearing ankle bracelets in the US, but a new report found that police are ignoring tens of thousands of bracelet alarms, and in some cases allowing criminals to commit new offenses.

Electronic ankle bracelets are used to track an offender’s location by sending radio frequency signals at timed intervals. Depending on the crime, parolees may be under house arrest, restricted from leaving a certain jurisdiction, or have a curfew. Tampering with the ankle bracelets or leaving a restricted area sends an alert to police, who are then required to check up on the offender.

But an AP investigation found that numerous agencies fail to respond to many of the alarms set off by the bracelets, and some don’t have clear protocols on how to handle a high number of alerts. In some cases, authorities took days to respond to cases in which parolees tampered with the devices or broke their curfews.

“I think the perception … is that these people are being watched 24 hours a day by someone in a command center. That’s just not happening,” Rob Bains, director of court services for Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, told AP.

Throughout the US, AP found that 21 specific agencies logged a total of 256,408 alarms for 26,343 offenders in the month of April. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has an average of 944 alerts per day. The Delaware department, which employed just 31 field officers, had an average of 514 alarms per day. And in Tennessee, a government audit found that 80 percent of alerts generated at the Board of Probation and Parole went unchecked over a 10-month period.

Criminal justice departments that are flooded with alerts are forced to sort through the notifications and decide which ones are appear serious enough to warrant a response.

But a nationwide lack of responses has occasionally allowed offenders to commit new crimes. With no one checking up on them, parolees and sex offenders are able to engage in further illegal activities.

Authorities in Syracuse, N.Y. ignored 46 alerts from child-porn suspect David Rentz. One alert was generated after he removed his ankle bracelet. He then raped a 10-year-old girl and killed her mother.

In another case, Colorado offender and white supremacist Evan Ebel tampered with his bracelet andkilled two people, including Tom Clements, the executive director of Colorado’s department of corrections. His ankle bracelet alarm had gone unchecked for five days.

“Technology is not going to automatically issue warrants for people. It just sends an alarm that says, ‘This thing’s been cut.’ And for people to ignore it, what’s the point?” said Colorado resident John Leon, whose son was killed by Ebel after the parolee tampered with his device.

Kelly Barnett, a member of the union representing probation officers in Michigan, told AP that it is impossible to track each offender every day, and that ankle bracelets provide “a false sense of security to the community.”

California Sen. Ted Lieu had long pushed for harsher punishments for those removing a bracelet. He believes that ideally, offenders who are at risk to the community should be sent to prison rather than out on parole, but the state lacks the funds to pay for that. He believes that when when offenders tamper with their devices, their intentions are never good.

“Dangerous parolees do not cut off their GPS devices because they want to go to church unmonitored,” he said.

When a child goes missing, there is no playbook

2013-07-24T10:05:00.001-04:00

When a child goes missing, there is no playbook

By Kristi Ramsay

Most parents have felt the pain of having a missing child, if only for a few seconds.

They lose sight of their child at the park or at the grocery store or at the mall. Fortunately for most moms and dads, as soon as the knot forms in their stomach, they lock eyes with their kid.

But for the parents of the hundreds of thousands of children who go missing each year, that pain is much deeper; for some, there is never relief.

Working in the media, I've followed the cases that get national attention. I've watched the press conferences and the family statements.

Last week, however, I had the heart-wrenching experience of finding out what happens in between the media updates -- what it feels like when this is real life.

A sweet 14-year-old girl who babysat my son in the church nursery was missing.

She'd left home without her parents' permission to meet up with a boy she connected with online. That was on Monday. The boy said he never went to their rendezvous point, a park, and as of Thursday, the young girl still had not come home.

The days in between were grueling for those involved in the search. I cannot fathom the depth of emotion her parents experienced.

Police never suspected foul play and thought the girl might have run away.

That scenario was both frustrating and encouraging. It was frustrating because the family did not think she intended to be gone long. She didn't bring anything with her. No phone, no keys, no money. It was encouraging because it was the best case scenario. Maybe she "just" ran away. Maybe she was fine -- angry, confused, and unaware of how loved she is -- but fine.

The conversations that unfolded were surreal. We talked to a detective about the possibility she was involved in sex trafficking or abducted or even worse. We had to avoid focusing on the "what ifs" in order to stay focused on the search.

When word got out, the community rallied around the missing teen and her family. We plastered the city with fliers and canvassed her last known whereabouts. People who had never met the family joined the search. Dozens of homeless people in the area helped out. As the story spread on social media, people around the world sent words of support.

Those of us on the ground did everything we could think of, all while having no idea what we were doing.

Three days after the girl went missing, I was helping plan a prayer vigil. We didn't know where to begin. There was no guide. We "guessed" the parents should speak first, before things got too emotional. But what should they say? How do we get the word out? How long should it go? We didn't know the answers to these questions.

The prayer vigil never happened. About an hour before it was to begin, the young girl was located. She had run away, and she was home now.

For the media, that's where the story ends. A quick update to tell local TV viewers everything is OK.

For the friends assisting with the search, there was a huge sense of relief. There were hugs, tears, and then the exhaustion and gravity of the week hit. We laughed -- about how much trouble this girl is in, about how much wine we planned to drink.

After this experience, I'll never look at news of a missing child the same.

I will hold this experience close the next time an e-mail about a missing child crosses my inbox.

I will remember the reality behind the story.

Each missing child poster represents a family in heartache and a community at a loss.

Montgomery County teen Zykee Smith missing since July 3

2013-07-18T21:41:00.002-04:00

LANSDALE, Pa. - Police in Montgomery County are on the lookout for missing teen. Family members of 16-year-old Zykee Smith say he's been missing since the afternoon of July 3. That afternoon he left his home in teh 300 block of East Second Street in Lansdale

Smith is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 155 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call Lansdale police at 215-368-1801.

Abner Twins Face Triple Murder Charges After Arson Investigation

2011-11-09T19:40:00.001-05:00

Abner Twins Face Triple Murder Charges After Arson Investigation

By Elaine Hirsch

After three Alabama toddlers died in a fire last Wednesday, police arrested their mothers. The twin sisters Akeevia Lajoseia Abner and Tekeevia Lajoseialan Abner face three counts each of reckless murder. The case is yet another that has master's degree pundits and online commentators up in arms about motherly murder.

The fatal blaze occurred Wednesday night after the Abner twins left their three children alone in their home. The parents were allegedly visiting a home several blocks away. Firefighters located the children around 8:00 PM and reported finding an open oven. The oven is suspected to be the cause of the blaze, according to the fire marshal's preliminary report. Two of the children were in the hallway while one was in the bedroom. Firefighters removed the children from the home and took them to Atmore Community Hospital, where they all died from smoke inhalation and burns.

After investigating the fire and its cause, the fire marshal arrested the mothers on Monday. The Abner twins are currently held while they await trial for the three counts of murder. At their hearing today, bail was set at $300,000 each. It's unlikely this amount will be met, so the sisters will probably remain in custody.

The Abner twins are eighteen years old, and accordingly will be tried as adults rather than as juveniles. The Alabama Penal Code states that murder occurring as a result of arson is a capital offense, which means the state of Alabama could ask juries to consider the death penalty for the twins if they are convicted.

The district attorney's office hasn't released any statement regarding whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty at this point. If the state doesn't choose to pursue the death penalty, the twins still face the possibility of three life sentences, as they are each charged with three separate counts of reckless murder.

The charge is reckless murder rather than the less severe manslaughter because district attorney Steve Billy believes the twins showed "grave indifference" toward their children's lives. The children's funerals were held this past Thursday.

It remains unclear whether evidence suggests the twins deliberately meant to kill their three children, but the charges of reckless murder indicate that will be prosecutors' argument.

The Amanda Knox Acquittal

2011-10-18T16:32:00.000-04:00

The Amanda Knox Acquittal

Elaine Hirsch

Amanda Knox is an American woman arrested and later convicted of slander, murder, and sexual assault in Italy in 2007. The story made headlines when it first broke, but died down after the trial. It resurfaced after two of her sentences were overturned in 2011. A number of debates among PhDs and other experts online have cropped up as people try to determine whether she actually committed sexual assault and murder.

The Knox family was jubilant when the new verdict was read. Knox spent four years in prison for a crime she says she didn't commit. The question many people want answered is why the conviction was overturned. There are many variables, but the most central reason is the questionable physical evidence presented in court.

Amanda Knox and two others were convicted of the murder of Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher, based on testimony and physical evidence. Knox claimed she was not at the flat when Kercher was attacked. She said she was with her boyfriend, Raffaele Sallecito, who was also convicted of murder and sexual assault in this case. However, Knox had incriminated herself when she lied to police during an initial interrogation, stating that another man had committed the murder.

Knox first said she wasn't there but then said she knew who the killer was. She was either in the apartment when it happened or she didn't actually see the murder. In other words, she lied in either case. That led to greater suspicion by police. She later stated she lied because she'd been under stiff questioning for well over forty hours and wasn't thinking straight. She also claims to have been struck on the head during the interrogation.

The key piece of evidence against Knox for the slaying was a knife bearing Knox’s fingerprints. Police claimed that particular knife must have been the murder weapon, though the fingerprint was the only thing found on the knife. Though prosecutors presented the knife as the murder weapon, it had no blood on it. Though it seemed to be simply a knife Knox had used at some point in the apartment, the prosecution presented DNA evidence to play up its role as a murder weapon.

The decision to overturn the conviction was finalized by the testimony of experts who said this evidence was contaminated when it was handled by police. Police also admitted they made the decision that Knox was guilty because of her demeanor at the scene after the body was found. There were simply too many discrepancies in the case which caused enough doubt to overturn Knox's conviction, as well as Sallecito’s.

Amanda Knox has returned to the United States, hoping to resume her life after four years imprisoned in Italy. She has been offered a million-dollar movie deal for her story, but has made it clear that the most important thing to her at the moment is spending time with a family from which she has been separated for far too long.

Tips On How To Report A Loved One Who Has Gone Missing

2011-09-09T20:28:00.000-04:00

Tips On How To Report A Loved One Who Has Gone Missing
By Marie Owens

You’ve checked at all their friend’s houses. Nobody has answered the phone or was able to tell you where your child is. You’re praying that your child will be home soon just so that you can simply be angry with them for being two hours late; rather that than face the alternative of them being kidnapped. Then, before you know it, the two hours worth of time progresses into three hours, and then time starts to tick slowly forward. By the time it is 10 p.m. and you don’t know where your child is you may be ready to pick up the phone and dial 911, which could be wise idea at this point. It is important that you never go to bed without knowing where your children are.

So many people think that they would never experience the horrific feeling of losing a child. You may even agree with that statement. After all, you live in a safe neighborhood, you’ve taken all the necessary precautions, and your child would never talk to strangers, right? Unfortunately, even in the best of situations, child abductions do happen and they can happen to anyone. Even having a criminal justice degree or have a job at the local police station, can't prevent this horrific crime from occurring. It could even happen to your child. Each year, 2,185 children are filed as missing. Additionally 797,000 children, all under the age of 18, are abducted. However, only about 58,000 of these children were kidnapped by strangers. Yet this does not mean that you should not teach your children the basic principles of the dangers of conversing with strangers.

Kidnapping isn’t just child’s play, though; adults can and have also been kidnapped. In fact, CNN reports about 50,000 adults are kidnapped each year. Thus, if someone you love has been the victim of a kidnapping, how can you report it and what information is relevant while reporting a missing loved one?

One of the most frequently asked questions about child abductions is how long a person should wait before they file a missing persons report. The answer lies in many different places, and across all different time spans. Reporting your child missing ultimately depends on the situation at hand. However, according to Nanny McBride, who is the National Safety Director and runs the center for Missing and Exploited Children, “If someone is going to harm a child, they usually will do it in about the first three hours of the abduction.” That means you should report your child as soon as you know something is wrong or if you have a strong sense that something has happened.

When you’re certain that any sort of abduction or foul play has occurred, be sure to call the police immediately. In fact, you should bypass calling your local police number and simply dial 911. If you witness what you think is a child abduction, call 911 immediately as well. Other resources you can use to report a missing child include the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Their phone number is toll free and they can be reached at 1-800-The-Lost.

Many parents also use another resource: the Amber alert system. This system allows adults to broadcast information across town. An Amber alert is defined as a “child abduction emergency,” when there is fear of immediate harm to a child and the child’s life may be in danger. Whether or not one will be used for your child will vary case to case. If you want to use one, speak with your local police department about whether it would be the right option for you.

In order to compile a proper report, it is important to keep these tips in mind:

I. Always have a basic description of the child ready and a picture of the child available for local police to view. For example: “he’s 5 feet 2 inches tall, he has blond hair, and he was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt with a baseball cap that said ‘International Rescue.’” If you were not there that morning or you cannot remember what the child was wearing the morning of the abduction, ask someone to provide you with a recent description of what the victim was wearing. Police experts recommend photographing anyone older the age of two at least once a year. Infants under two, they say, should be photographed at least four times a year.

II. Know where you saw the child last. Or, if possible, know where the scene of abduction was, as police will be able to get the most information from that scene. For example: “I last saw John Smith at 7:30 this morning when I dropped him up for school. He went to a friends’ house after school, Jane Doe, and now I can’t find him anywhere.”

III. If the child has any sort of photo identification card, make sure to give that to the police. Also other proper forms of identification such as the child’s birth certificate or a social security number tare very useful.

IV. If your child has any identifying marks, be sure to give this information to the police. If possible, have a complete medical history ready to give to police as well.

V. Lastly, most police officials recommend having your child fingerprinted.

Knowing this information can assist the police in bringing your child home safely.

It is also important to know how to report an adult loved one who is missing. Often, adults don’t get reported missing until the 72 hour mark has passed. This myth has been around for ages, but as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police reports, there is no “mandatory” missing time for any adult. However, if you can prove that foul play is involved in an adult’s missing police report, you should report that immediately.

It is important to note that not all adults are kidnapped by someone who is intending to harm them. There are many reasons why adults may disappear, which range from chemical dependency issues to marital discord, and surpass thousands of other reasons as well. On occasion, police will not search for a person until after the 72 hour mark, but the report should be made as soon as possible.

The information that should be given to the police for a missing adult is very much the same as the information that should be given to the police for a missing child. Proper photo identification, whether it is a state ID or a driver’s ID. It may also be wise to have the adult fingerprinted in the event that they go missing.

While it's important to read up on how to report someone missing, it's also important to stay well informed on how to prevent someone from being kidnapped as well. Following safety precautions is essential to preventing yourself or someone you love being abducted. It is wise to gather your pictures or any identifying information about your children or loved one and always try to keep track of where your children are at all times. Following through with these steps will help you be able to make an accurate report in the event that you have to.

missing persons investigation is now being treated as a homicide

2011-08-22T11:13:00.000-04:00

Bill and Kay wood have been missing for nearly 3 weeks. Their home was burned to the ground and there wasn't much for investigators to go on, until the autopsy report was released Friday morning.

After weeks of searching and countless unanswered questions, family members finally have some answers.

“We are, I believe making progress on the case,” said Agent Mike Motsinger with the Division of Criminal Investigation.

But it’s not the progress the Wood family had hoped for. The body found in the remains of Bill and Kay’s home has been identified as 79-year old Bill Wood. The cause of death is multiple gun shot wounds.

The shooting death changes the investigation for police, from a missing person to a homicide.

"Whenever u have a case like this more than likely the person had some type of association with the woods they knew this person. Is there a person running around shooting people and setting fires to houses? No,” said Motsinger.

But other than a few tangible leads, investigators still have more questions than answers.

“What theory do we have? There could be several theories. There could be one person responsible, there could be two, we just don't now, At this point we are keeping any option open and following up on the leads as they come in,” said Motsinger.

What they do know: 72 years old Kay Wood is still missing. Investigators say they are keeping all of their options open, all except the possibility she was also in the fire.

“My understanding is it has to burn very hot for a very long time to totally consume a body,” said Motsinger.

So now the search continues. And family members say as difficult as this news has been, they won't give up.

Police search for missing schizophrenic patients

2011-08-10T13:20:00.001-04:00

Police search for missing schizophrenic patients
Chicago police this evening were searching for two missing schizophrenic adults who are without their medication in separate missing persons cases.

Efrem Lewis, 49, was last seen Saturday in the 11600 block of South Yale Avenue, according to a community alert.

He is described as an African-American man, is about 6-foot-2-inches tall and weighing about 235 pounds, police said. Lewis has brown eyes and graying black hair.

Police are also looking for Colleen Donahue, 51. Friends of the missing woman told police that she may have been traveling to Minnesota to visit her parents, but her parents said they hadn't seen her, according to the alert.

She is described as a white woman, about 5-foot-3-inches tall and weighing about 188 pounds. She has brown eyes and blond hair and was last seen in the 2000 block of North Clark Street.

US Tourist Disappears in Aruba

2011-08-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

Authorities Question Man After Maryland Woman Disappears in Aruba

A Maryland woman vacationing in Aruba has disappeared from the same resort town where Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway was last seen six years ago.

Robyn Gardner, 35, of Frederick, Md., disappeared Aug. 2 from the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino in Oranjestad, MyFoxDC.com reports.

Gardner was visiting the island with a man named Gary Giordano, whom authorities have since detained for questioning, according to the station.

Giordano told investigators that Gardner never made it back to shore after the pair went snorkeling, and has allegedly changed his story several times, the station reports.

Gardner's boyfriend, Richard Forester, said he doesn't believe Giordano's account and pleaded for the public to help find her.

"I want to let people know this is going on," Forester told the station. "She's been missing six days, and every day she's gone raises fear that she won't be coming back."

Gardner's case comes six years after 18-year-old Natalee Holloway disappeared in May 2005 during a high school senior trip to the island. Her body has never been found.

Gardner is described as 5-foot-5, weighing 120 pounds, with blond hair and brown eyes. She has tattoos on her left arm, rib cage, and right bicep.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is being urged to contact Fred Panneflek with the Aruban authorities at 011-297-597-5201.

Click here for more on the disappearance of Robyn Gardner from MyFoxDC.com

After 27 Years, a Break in Murder Case

2011-08-09T13:10:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Former Foothill High Student Arrested in Slaying of Tina Faelz
A former Pleasanton resident has been arrested in the killing of Tina Faelz, a 14-year-old who was stabbed to death while she was walking home from Foothill High School in 1984.
By Tanya Rose and David Mills

PLEASANTON, CALIF. — The Pleasanton Police Department announced Monday morning that a former classmate of Foothill High student Tina Faelz has been arrested in her killing — 27 years later.

Police said at a press conference that a 43-year-old former Pleasanton resident with an "extensive criminal history" was arrested Sunday in Santa Cruz.

The man, whom police didn't want to name until the case is cleared through the juvenile court system, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Alameda County Inmate Locator, a man named Steven J. Carlson, 43, was arrested in Santa Cruz on Sunday on a murder charge. A Santa Cruz sheriff's spokesman told Patch on Monday that Pleasanton police picked up Carlson from their jail on Sunday.

Several former classmates of Faelz report going to Foothill High School with a youth named Steve Carlson.

Faelz, 14, was stabbed to death in a culvert that once crossed beneath Interstate 680 on April 5, 1984, while she was walking home from school about 2:30 p.m. Fellow students discovered her body shortly afterward.

Pleasanton police said the suspect was in custody on unrelated drug charges and was about to be released when he was arrested. New biological evidence discovered in October 2010, coupled with fresh police interviews, led to the arrest.

Police said the suspect, who at one point had been a person of interest in the investigation, did not seem surprised by the arrest.

According to Santa Cruz authorities, Carlson has been arrested multiple times in Santa Cruz County on nonviolent offenses and most recently had been in jail for six months on charges including possession of methamphetamines and being under the influence of alcohol and opiates. He is registered as a sex offender in the Megan's Law database for lewd acts with a child under the age of 14.

Pleasanton police detective Keith Batt told Patch a motive has been identified, but he wouldn't say what it was.

He said the killing was not random and Faelz was the killer's intended victim. He said the suspect and Faelz had contact before the murder, but he would not elaborate.

Batt said the suspect lived close to the path on which Faelz was killed, a popular shortcut that passed east of the school underneath the freeway to the Valley Trails neighborhood. He said it would have been easy for the suspect to know which students used that route to walk home. (For a map showing the school area, click here.)

"He had a clear opportunity to commit a crime," said Batt.

Monday's news that the suspect walked the halls of Foothill High has shaken former students.

"That absolutely shocks me. It really shocks me" said Tony Trifiletti, 42, who was a sophomore at Foothill at the time of the slaying. "That means we went to school with him for the rest of the year. I'd know him for sure."

Faelz was one of four young girls killed in Alameda County during a one-year period from December 1983 to November 1984, according to online news reports, raising fears that a serial killer was on the loose.

"This made the people of Pleasanton look at the world very differently," Pleasanton Police Chief David Spiller said Monday at a news conference.

Trifiletti, now a Livermore resident, vividly recalls the creek and the concrete tunnel near Lemonwood Way that throngs of teens used daily to cut under the freeway on their route to and from school.

"I used to walk through that same tunnel. It was a huge shortcut for everybody. Back then, kids walked everywhere. And all the kids would walk through that to save time," he said.

After the slaying, a new uneasiness enveloped the culvert area, which has since been developed into a housing community. The culvert is no longer there.

"Everybody kind of walked through it as a group after that," Trifiletti said. "The murder was shocking to everybody. And everybody wondered who did it," he said.

A Longtime Mystery

Throughout the years police investigated lead after lead in the Faelz case, looking at everyone from two imprisoned murderers convicted in the killings of two other East Bay girls, a San Leandro resident and a San Lorenzo resident, to fellow Foothill students, as Faelz apparently had experienced some bullying.

In late 2007 they again reviewed the physical evidence that was
collected in 1984, taking into consideration strides in DNA technology that might not have been available at the time of the murder. Items were submitted to two different laboratories for evaluation.

Last October, the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Va., provided information to Pleasanton police that led to the suspect's identification, and police began re-interviewing witnesses.

Pleasanton Police Capt. Craig Eicher was a senior at Foothill High at the time of the killing.

He said he didn't know the suspect or victim, but that the slaying certainly sent a chill through the campus and the town.

"The case created a void in the community," said Eicher.

He said he's relieved it has been solved.

"Today is a very good day for the community," said Eicher.

Lt. Jim Knox was a 20-year-old Explorer for Pleasanton Police when Faelz was killed. He went to the crime scene, described in various newspaper reports as extremely bloody, that day.

"It means a lot to me personally, not only because the case has been solved but because I was at the scene that day," said Knox. "To have the opportunity to solve the case and then being able to deliver the news to (the victim's) mother creates a lot of joy for me."

Patch will continue updating this story today and throughout the week.

Click here to read Tuesday's follow-up story.

Sign up for our free daily newsletter by clicking the link at the bottom of the home page or "like" ourFacebook page for the latest news.

Patch freelance writers Susan Schena and Corrine Speckert contributed to this report.

Maryland Murder-Suicide

2011-08-08T10:24:00.000-04:00

Maryland Murder-Suicide: Police Say Kelly Brian Thompson Killed Family, Self

BROOKLYN PARK, Md. — The mother of a man police say shot his wife, her twin teenage children and himself to death called police after receiving a disturbing text message from him and feared for their safety, authorities said on Sunday.

As officers arrived at the home in a neighborhood south of Baltimore to check on the family, they heard a single gunshot. Anne Arundel County Police investigators said 33-year-old Kelly Brian Thompson killed Nina Thompson, 34, and her 15-year-old children, Taishawn Pugh and Treshawn Pugh at the home.

The single shot officers heard was Kelly Thompson killing himself, said Lt. J.D. Batten.

The despondent tone of the text message made the man's mother concerned for her son's well-being and his family's safety, Batten said.

Residents of Brooklyn Park, a neighborhood of brick townhouses, gathered on their porches and yards to discuss the morning shooting, noting that times might be tough, but they couldn't believe that the man they had met would harm his family. Kelly Thompson was not the biological father of the twin boy and girl.

Jody Eckmeyer says that Kelly Thompson was a truck driver, had a good sense of humor and often visited with neighbors. Nina Thompson was a nurse and the twins often spent time hanging out with friends on the porch and stayed out of trouble, she said.

"They were very well-respected," Eckmeyer said.

Another neighbor, Thomas Slade, said Kelly Thompson rode a Suzuki motorcycle. He would often come over to Slade's garage to have a couple of beers and work on his motorcycle while Slade worked on his Harley-Davidson.

"We were good friends, but we didn't ride together," he said. Slade never heard him talk about problems at home but he had recently mentioned that he had landed a new job with a trucking firm.

What the 'Voices' Told Him to Do

2011-08-05T10:04:00.000-04:00

Levi Aron, Suspect In Death Of 8-Year-Old Leiby Kletzky, Deemed Competent To Stand Trial

NEW YORK — The man accused in the kidnapping and dismemberment killing of an 8-year-old New York City boy told detectives his victim put up a struggle and that afterward he was hearing voices telling him "to take his own life for what he did," according to court papers made public Thursday.

Police say Levi Aron made the remarks last month around the time he directed them to a trash bin where he dumped a red suitcase containing body parts. As the interrogation wore on, Aron told them, "I'm famous," the papers say.

The 35-year-old defendant also was asked if he knew anything about past sex crimes against children. The papers say he recounted how a man groped him on a subway train when he was a teenager.

"But I never did that to a child because I don't swing that way," he said.

The alleged statements, including a written confession, were turned over to the defense on Thursday at an arraignment where Aron pleaded not guilty. His lawyers also learned that a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation had found him competent to stand trial.

The lawyers – who claim Aron has complained of hearing voices – said they still plan to conduct their own exams to determine whether to pursue an insanity defense.

Outraged members of the victim's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community "should allow the judicial process to take its course," one of the attorneys, Pierre Bazile, said outside court.

Bazile entered the not guilty plea for his Jewish client, who did not speak at a brief arraignment in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn. The defendant appeared in an orange jail jumpsuit with his hands cuffed in front of him.

"Now that Mr. Aron has been found fit to proceed we will move forward expeditiously to bring his case to trial," District Attorney Charles Hynes said in a statement. "I want to reaffirm that this case will go to trial and that there are absolutely no circumstances which would lead me to accept a plea bargain."

Leiby Kletzky got lost on his walk home from a religious day camp on July 11 and asked Aron, whom he met on the street, for help, prosecutors said. It was the first time the little boy was allowed to walk alone, and he was supposed to travel about seven blocks to meet his mother but missed a turn.

The boy first asked for a ride to a book store. But "on the way, he changed his mind and wasn't sure he wanted to go," Aron wrote in his confession, according to the court papers.

The defendant, a hardware supply store clerk, described his decision to take the boy to a wedding upstate. He said when they returned, they watched television before the boy fell asleep. He remained there the next day while Aron went to work.

By that time, the disappearance had sparked a major search effort in his insular community in Borough Park. The boy's picture was plastered on light posts around the area.

"When I saw the fliers, I was panicky and afraid," police say Aron wrote. Once home, he added: "I went for a towel to smother him. He fought back a little until he eventually stopped breathing."

The detectives' notes also outline alleged statement by Aron about how he carved up the body with knives and disposed of body parts, including the severed feet found wrapped in plastic his freezer. A cutting board and three bloody carving knives were found in the refrigerator.

The rest of the boy's body was discovered in bags inside a red suitcase in a trash bin. His legs had been cut from his torso.

Despite the alleged confession, police and prosecutors say they are continuing to work on verifying Aron's horrific and bizarre explanation for the boy's death. It remains unclear why Aron would have taken the child in the first place.

The medical examiner's office said the boy was given a cocktail of prescription drugs. But Aron's confession didn't mention that, and he denied ever tying up the boy.

The suspect was asked if he wanted a kosher meal. "No, I'll eat anything," he replied, according to the documents. They considered McDonald's before settling on Chinese food.

Before the arraignment, State Assemblyman Dov Hikind told reporters that the victim's family and community were still coming to grips with the gruesome slaying.

"The idea of an insanity defense is just not acceptable," Hikind said. "He planned and plotted this entire horror that he committed."

A pretrial hearing was set for Oct. 14.

___

Jail Deputy Accused Of Creating 'Orgy'-Like Atmosphere At Women's Prison

2011-08-05T10:02:00.000-04:00

Mason Chibnick, Jail Deputy, Accused Of Creating 'Orgy'-Like Atmosphere At Fla. Women's Prison

Dean Praetorius

A Florida corrections officer didn't just lust for power, he used his power for lust, according to former co-workers and inmates under his watch.

A Pompano detention center took on an "orgy"-like atmosphere with female inmates dancing topless and performing sex acts on one another as deputy Mason Chibnick looked on, The Orlando Sentinelreported. Games of "Truth or Dare" were common when Chibnick was on duty. Accusers said he had sex with one inmate.

Chibnick, who's been transferred to work in a men's jail, also allegedly sent a picture of his penis to a former inmate's sister and was seen with an inmate entering a closet, the paper reported.

The allegations sparked an investigation that concluded he broke the code of ethics. He was given a counseling slip that outlined department policies, but has faced no other discipline.

Five colleagues testified against him, along with four inmates, although two other prisoners defended him, The Sentinel reported.

Chibnick asked for a transfer in April, because he didn't feel "comfortable" working with female inmates, according to the Orlando paper. He closed his Facebook account, which he'd allegedly used to track down ex-inmates, but didn't share his cellphone records with investigators who were exploring charges he'd sent an explicit picture to an inmate's sister.

Officials from the Broward County Sheriff's Office didn't respond to repeated inquiries from The Huffington Post.

Earlier in the year, AOL Weird New reported on another Florida prison guard who was also found in violation of ethics guidelines (as well as the law). Master corrections officer Joseph Jones, 31, was accused of trying to smuggle drugs into a Marion County jail inside of a hoagie.

Three arrested after man found dead in trunk of vehicle

2011-08-04T14:10:00.000-04:00

Three arrested after man found dead in trunk of vehicle

SUMTER, SC (WIS) - Sumter police have arrested 3 people, including a brother and sister, in connection with the murder of a Sumter man whose body was found in the trunk of his own car Wednesday night.

Family members reported the victim, 34-year-old William Eric Robinson, missing on Wednesday afternoon after not seeing him since Tuesday night.

Robinson's family told police that while driving around looking for the victim, they discovered his 2011 Nissan Altima in the parking lot of Gionwood Apartments in the Mallwood community. Upon investigation, police found Robinson's body in the trunk of his vehicle.

Police said 26-year-old Jacob Lee Terry and his sister, 28-year-old Jacolyn Jacobus were arrested Wednesday night. Terry is charged with Murder and Jacobus is charged with Accessory after the fact of Murder. Police also arrested 28-year-old Travis Bracey and charged him with Obstruction of Justice.

The police department is not releasing a motive for the murder, but said Terry was the last person to be seen with the victim Tuesday night.

Both Terry and Jacobus made statements implicating themselves in their involvement in the crime, according to police. Investigators said Travis Bracey lied to police about what he knew about the death of Robinson.

The coroner was expected to conduct an autopsy Thursday to determine a cause of death.

All three suspects are being held at the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center awaiting bond hearings.

The investigation is ongoing. The Sumter Police Department urges anyone with additional information surrounding this incident or others to please come forward. You can contact the authorities by calling Crimestoppers at 803-436-2718 or the Sumter City Police Department's Detective Division at 803-436-2717 or 436-2790. Callers may remain anonymous.

Glendale, Peoria top missing person cases

2011-08-03T11:55:00.000-04:00

Glendale, Peoria top missing person cases

by Lisa Halverstadt

A single tip could help Glendale and Peoria police find a person who has been missing for years. Here are details about some of the West Valley's most puzzling disappearances

Susan Cassell

Glendale resident, 35 years old at time of disappearance.

Disappeared: Jan. 4, 1991.

Details: The day before she was reported missing, Cassell went to work at what was then Boswell Memorial Hospital in Sun City. Her mother called that day and Cassell said she was too tired to chat after a 16-hour nursing shift. Her husband and 4-year-old son were reportedly on a camping trip at the time. On Jan. 4, Cassell's husband reported that she had not returned home. Other relatives reported her missing a month later. Family members told police there had been problems in Cassell's marriage but that she would not have abandoned her child. Police suspect foul play.

Who to call: Glendale police at 623-930-3000.

Kevin James Dycus

Glendale resident, 37-year-old at time of disappearance.

Disappeared: Jan. 11, 1998.

Details: Dycus left a family member's home near 52nd Avenue and Ironwood Drive with no belongings or money.

Police say Dycus has a scar in the middle of one of his eyebrows and pierced ears. The bottom of his feet may be scarred from frostbite.

Who to call: Glendale police at 623-930-3000.

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Cynthia Lupe Morales

Glendale resident, 36 years old at time of disappearance.

Disappeared: Jan. 8, 2001.

Details: Morales, who goes by the nickname "Negra," was last seen when she went to visit her two children in the 6600 block of 52nd Drive in Glendale. She left after making a phone call.

Police say Morales has scars on her left hand and lower left shin. She also has a burn scar on her chest from a childhood injury. There is also a hole in the top of the cartilage of her ear.

Who to call: Glendale police at 623-930-3000.

Timothy James McKye

Glendale resident, 50 years old at time of disappearance.

Disappeared: Oct. 13, 2006.

Details: McKye was last seen in Beaumont, Texas, during a move to Florida. An apartment security guard assisted McKye when a U-Haul trailer he was using got stuck in a ditch. McKye left the U-Haul behind. His van also vanished. Police said it was a 1999 Plymouth Voyager with AZ license 161TTM.

Police said he may have been accompanied by a German shepherd dog.

Who to call: Glendale police at 623-930-3000.

Pam Page

Peoria resident, 32 years old at time of disappearance.

Disappeared: July 21, 1989.

Details: Page went missing the day after she returned from visiting family in Arkansas. One of her two dogs also vanished. Police suspected foul play.

Who to call: Peoria police at 623-773-7045.

Drexel case prompts search

2011-08-03T11:46:00.000-04:00

Drexel case prompts search
BY ALLYSON BIRD

GEORGETOWN -- More than two years after 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel's disappearance, investigators in her case converged on a roadside apartment complex where a man convicted of raping a child once lived.

Officials declined to say anything about what they found inside Monday. But Myrtle Beach Police Lt. Chuck Capp said he didn't expect an impending arrest of the man who had stayed in unit 22 at the Sunset Lodge just outside of Georgetown.

"We've continued to follow numerous leads, and they're doing a search warrant of a person of interest," Capp said. "We think it's getting blown out of proportion."

Drexel, a Rochester, N.Y., teen who snuck away to the Grand Strand on spring break, was last seen April 25, 2009, on a Myrtle Beach hotel security camera. She told her mother she was spending the weekend at a friend's house after her parents told her she couldn't go to Myrtle Beach because of poor grades.

They learned that she had disobeyed their wishes at the same time they learned she was missing.

Drexel's cell phone gave off its last signal near the South Santee River in Georgetown County the day after her disappearance. Searchers on horseback and with teams of dogs have concentrated on the woods near there.

A manager at Sunset Lodge said the man in unit 22 moved in the day before Drexel disappeared. He left six months ago.

The man, as identified by the manager, was convicted of kidnapping and raping a child younger than 14 in 1983 in California. He was released from prison in 2004, according to federal records. He is a registered sex offender.

When approached by a reporter at his job site, he said, "I don't know anything about it, and I don't have anything to say."

Capp said police have several such "persons of interest" in the Drexel case. A task force composed of investigators from his department, the State Law Enforcement Division and the Georgetown and Charleston county sheriff's offices are working the case.

"It is certainly not a cold case," Capp said. "It has been an active case from Day One."

Monica Caison, founder and director of the North Carolina-based CUE Center for Missing Persons, said the task force continues to work new tips in the case. She said the ongoing effort means the public might see some of the work unfolding, as with Monday's search, but that much of it stays off the radar.

Although she didn't give any extra weight to the Sunset Lodge lead, Caison said, "I think anything that happens in Brittanee's investigation gets one more step closer to the truth.
"I'm grateful that there's information still circulating," she added. "A lot of cases can fall cold, but you have to remain hopeful."

SLED investigators searched a room Monday at the Sunset Lodge near Georgetown. They were looking for clues in the disappearance of Brittanee Drexel.

Search Warrant Conducted in Drexel Case

Authorities execute a new search warrant Monday in the case of missing teen Brittanee Drexel.

Timeline

Events following Brittanee Drexel's disappearance:

April 25, 2009: Drexel last seen on Myrtle Beach hotel security camera.

April 26, 2009: Drexel's cell phone gives off last signal near South Santee River.

May 5, 2009: Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry offers a reward of as much as $1,000 for information about Drexel's disappearance.

April 16, 2010: Drexel's mother, Dawn, appears on the "Today" show.

Sept. 13, 2010: An Albany, N.Y., church offers a $5,000 reward for information leading to Drexel's whereabouts.

Jan. 29-30, 2011: At least 150 people search 3 miles of wooded road in Georgetown County looking for clues.

Aug. 1, 2011: Investigators execute search warrant at Sunset Lodge near Georgetown.

To offer tips

Brittanee Drexel was 17 when she disappeared in 2009. She is about 5 feet tall and 103 pounds with blue eyes and blond highlights in her hair.

If you have information that may lead to her whereabouts or to the arrest of those responsible for her disappearance, contact the Myrtle Beach Police Department at (843) 918-1382.

Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594.

Husband Of Missing Missouri Mom Arrested

2011-08-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

Jacque Sue Waller Case: Husband Of Missing Missouri Mom Arrested

The estranged husband of Jacque Sue Waller, the missing mother of young triplets from Missouri, has been arrested on charges unrelated to his wife's disappearance.

James "Clay" Waller, 40, was charged Friday with stealing and harassment. The charges have nothing to do with his estranged wife's disappearance, police said.

According to Laura Long Helbig, a friend of Jacque Waller's family, probable-cause documents state that Clay Waller, a former cop and construction business owner, allegedly accepted a check for $55,000 from a company in April 2010 for construction work he never did.

The harassment charge allegedly stems from a complaint made last week by Gary Hill, a former friend of Clay Waller, who told police that Waller threatened to kill him.

The probable-cause statement said that Hill's estranged wife had filed an order of protection against Waller but that it had not yet been served. Hill's wife had asked him to tell Waller to leave her alone. When Hill spoke with Waller over the phone, Waller allegedly told him he was going to kill him. Waller told police he didn't threaten anyone, Helbig said.

Waller was scheduled to appear in court Monday in front of Judge Gary Kamp for arraignment, but the hearing was delayed because Waller's attorney asked for a change of judge.

Jacque Waller, 39, of Cape Girardeau, was last seen on June 1 when she went to Clay Waller's house to pick up her son. The child was not at the home when she arrived, and what happened to her after that remains a mystery.

The estranged husband of Jacque Sue Waller has been arrested on charges unrelated to wife's disappearance.

During police questioning, Clay Waller said his wife arrived at his house around 4 p.m. He said they got into an argument and she stormed off on foot. Waller said he left and that when he returned about two hours later, her car was gone. The vehicle was later found abandoned on nearby Interstate 55 and one of its tires was flat. Jacque Waller's purse, keys and cellphone were not found inside the vehicle, police said.

Jacque Waller's Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield business cards were recently found inside a packet along Missouri Route 177, roughly 10 miles from where her car was found. Waller, according to police, is a manager at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Cape Girardeau.

Clay Waller has been named a person of interest in the case. Last month his attorney, Scott Douglas Reynolds, told The Huffington Post his client is innocent.

"Clay is not responsible for his wife's disappearance and we have substantial evidence to support that claim," Reynolds said. "We will not comment on the evidence at this point as there is an ongoing police investigation. It is sufficient to state that the police do not consider Clay a 'suspect' in Jackie's disappearance and they have repeatedly said there is no evidence that a crime was even committed here."

Celina Cass: Body Found In River Is Missing New Hampshire Girl

2011-08-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

Celina Cass: Body Found In River Is Missing New Hampshire Girl

STEWARTSTOWN, N.H. (AP) — Authorities say the body of an 11-year-old New Hampshire girl who disappeared nearly a week ago has been found in a river less than half a mile from her home.

Divers found Celina Cass's body Monday morning near a hydroelectric dam that spans the Connecticut River between her hometown of Stewartstown, N.H., and Canaan, Vt.

Prosecutor Jane Young confirmed the identity at a news conference Monday night.

The discovery followed nearly a week of intense searching that attracted more than 100 federal, state and local law enforcement officers to the town of 800 residents a mile from the Canadian border.

Cass was last seen alive in her home on July 25. Young says her death is considered suspicious. An autopsy is planned for Tuesday.

Vigil held for 'Jane Doe'

2011-08-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

Vigil held for 'Jane Doe'

Twenty years after a young woman's decomposed body was discovered along I-270 at the Baker Valley Road overpass, a small group gathered Sunday to remember her.

In the Worthington Farm National Park parking lot, a Maryland State Police officer and two Maryland Missing Persons Network personnel lit candles and said a silent prayer for the "Jane Doe" on the anniversary of her discovery.

"To this day -- and we're celebrating 20 years -- we have no idea who she is," Maryland State Police Sgt. Tina Becker said.

The Cold Case Unit officer said that the chance of determining what happened to the Jane Doe is zero to none; the girl, estimated to be in her late teens or early 20s at the time of her death, had no identification.

Maryland Missing Persons Network founder Kylen Johnson organized Sunday evening's vigil to make sure the victim is remembered.

"It is important that she is not forgotten," Becker said.

Johnson, Becker and Network member Suzanne McGraw participated Sunday night, holding lit candles together in a circle and saying a few words about the case.

"I ask for guidance to point me in the right direction, bring me helpful information," Becker said.

McGraw says a prayer for the family, she said.

The group wants to continue to raise awareness of the Jane Doe case and other missing persons and unidentified murder victims.

"We are here tonight to celebrate Jane," Becker said. "Unfortunately, there are lots of people missing."

Local attention to Sunday's event and similar vigils is helpful, Johnson said, because there are families who may not know what to do or who to contact when a loved one goes missing.

NamUs.gov, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, is a database open and researchable to the public, Becker said, which can cross-reference unidentified and missing people to create potential matches.

Becker said the law enforcement's biggest struggle is pairing an unidentified person with those listed as missing.

"We talk to people from all over the country, trying to (make a) match," she said. "It is a process of elimination."

The state missing persons network database holds about 350 missing Marylanders, including more than 200 unidentified victims, Johnson said.

"It is an unknown epidemic," Becker said of the number of people who go missing every day.

D.B. Cooper Suspect: FBI Investigating 'Credible Lead

2011-08-01T08:54:00.000-04:00

D.B. Cooper Suspect: FBI Investigating 'Credible Lead' In 40-Year-Old Airline Hijacking

SEATTLE -- The FBI says it has a "credible" lead in the D.B. Cooper case, which involved the 1971 hijacking of a passenger jet over Washington state and the suspect's legendary parachute escape.

FBI spokeswoman Ayn Sandalo Dietrich tells The Seattle Times that a law enforcement member directed investigators to a person who might have helpful information on the suspect.

Dietrich says an item belonging to the man was sent to a lab in Quantico, Va., for forensic testing. She did not provide specifics about the item or the man's identity.

Federal investigators have checked more than 1,000 leads since a hijacker dubbed "D.B. Cooper" parachuted from a flight with $200,000 dollars in ransom.

His fate remains unknown, although the Seattle Post Intelligencer reports agents have previously said they believe he died the night he jumped.

FBI Joins Desperate Search for Girl

2011-07-29T11:32:00.000-04:00

Celina Cass: FBI Abduction Team Searches For Missing New Hampshire Girl Near Canada Border

STEWARTSTOWN, N.H. — Shy and sweet, with a gap-toothed smile and a reputation as reliable, 11-year-old Celina Cass is the last person anyone in her New Hampshire community would expect to run away. At this point, they only wish that were the case. The other explanations are too scary.

Last seen at a home computer Monday night, the fifth grader vanished overnight from her home a mile from the U.S.-Canada border, leaving family members and friends incredulous. Police and conservation officers are searching fields, woods and the Connecticut River while FBI child abduction specialists have joined the hunt.

Police have said that there's no indication she ran away or that someone took her, and there are no signs of a struggle

But tight-lipped police investigators revealed little about the probe beyond that Wednesday, despite a flurry of activity in and around the three-story house where Celina lives with her mother and stepfather. Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young said it is still being treated as a missing persons case.

"We are still desperately looking for her," Young said.

She wouldn't comment when asked why an Amber Alert was never issued for the girl, even though the FBI said it had enlisted a four- to six-person "child abduction rapid deployment team" to pitch in. Earlier in the day, state police Sgt. Sheldon Belanger, the lead investigator in the case, said Celina's disappearance did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert and wasn't considered suspicious.

Police were going through phone and computer records at Celina's home, he said.

Those who know Celina say it's unlikely she ran away.

"She never went anywhere without her mom or sister," said family friend Rebecca Goodrum, 30, fighting back tears and holding a lit candle Wednesday night at a vigil held in a park in neighboring Canaan, Vt., about a half-mile from the girl's home.

"She is very shy," said Kayla Baglio, 18, who knows her, too. "If she doesn't know you, she'd look at her sister to see if it was OK to talk to you."

Celina's friend, 11-year-old Makayla Riendeau, described the girl as very athletic and a stickler about getting her school work done on time.

"She's a very good friend, and she never lets anybody down," Makayla said.

Vermont State Police, the U.S. Border Patrol, New Hampshire State Police, the state Department of Fish and Game and local law enforcement agencies searched for the girl Tuesday and Wednesday, at one point resorting to lowering the water – via dam release – in the Connecticut River so a helicopter could search from above.

Nothing.

At the peak of the search Tuesday, there were at least three dozen officers, New England police dog handlers and a search and rescue group assisting by water, air and land, including all-terrain vehicle trails in the woods.

"We found no evidence that she had been in that area, and, of course, we have no evidence she is lost as opposed to missing, either," said Lt. Douglas Gralenski, a state Fish and Game official.

"Honestly, we don't know where else we can look," he said. "There's so much that's unknown."

At midday Wednesday, about a mile north of town, five Fish and Game officers searched the woods behind an apartment building. They carried bags and boxes, but it was unclear if they collected anything.

Some of the police activity was closer to home. Police were seen entering the home and then stretching yellow crime scene tape around it late Wednesday afternoon before posting a uniformed trooper outside.

After that, plainclothes police officers wearing purple rubber gloves surrounded a red pickup that was parked across the street from the girl's home, photographing it and looking inside. When news cameras began shooting pictures of what was happening, troopers moved a cruiser and a New Hampshire State Police SUV in front of the scene, to block the cameras.

The girl's disappearance hung heavy over Stewartstown, a community of 800 residents with one blinking streetlight and a handful of stores. Friends posted fliers of the girl on trees, utility poles, storefronts and car windows, and stood along the street in front of her house, waving motorists down to hand them copies.

"It's creepy," said Shannon Towle, who owns Towle's Mini-Mart on Route 3. "Things like this don't happen here. I know that's kind of a tired phrase. I'm an overprotective mom as it is. Now it's going to be way worse."

After sunset, about 80 people – many with candles in hand and tears in their eyes – gathered for the nighttime vigil. A framed picture of the girl sat on a picnic table, surrounded by candles. Friends, classmates and even people who didn't know Celina were among those in the crowd, and young children sobbed as adults comforted them.

Goodrum, of nearby Beecher Falls, Vt., said she was praying that Celina, whom she's known since she was 2, is safe.

"She was beautiful," said Goodrum. "She was the light of everything."

Towle said her 13-year-old daughter, Echo Towle, asked her mother whether she thought Celina was still alive.

"How do I answer that question? And do I want to?" Towle said. "I don't want to think about it, but I pray every second that she is."

Glendale missing person cases puzzle

2011-07-29T11:25:00.000-04:00

Glendale missing person cases puzzle

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when Glendale resident Michael Grenley left his home July 19.

He casually said goodbye to his wife of 17 years as she chatted on the phone, and then he drove away in his red Jeep.

Grenley, 41, never returned.

His family and friends are startled. Grenley is the beloved father of a 6-year-old, a man who calls his wife each day as he leaves his Chandler office. He would even call to mention a quick stop or to ask if he should pick up anything on the way to the couple's home near 75th Avenue and Deer Valley Road, wife Melissa Grenley said.

And yet, he left home just after noon on July 19 and hasn't been heard from since.

His disappearance didn't follow a fight or problems at work, his wife said.

Police, friends and family members have since called anyone he might have interacted with. They have searched places he could have taken his Jeep to off-road and flown over some areas in a helicopter. Those who have never met Grenley are searching trails across the state, Melissa Grenley said.

"Everyone keeps asking me, 'Did he just leave?' It's just really not in his character," she said. "If he felt that he needed to get away, if he couldn't tell me, he would just tell his mom."

Missing-person cases vary dramatically. One day, it's a teenage runaway. The next, a senior with dementia or a seemingly happy person will suddenly vanish.

Police try to focus their resources because of the volume of cases.

Last year, Glendale police sought nearly 1,300 missing people.

Reports that are especially startling, involve vulnerable victims or come with significant clues tend to get the most attention, said Mario Sanchez, a Glendale detective who has investigated disappearances for about five years.

Each case is unique and presents different challenges, the detective said.

Many, like the disappearance of Michael Grenley, don't seem logical.

Police have sought cellphone and debit-card records for Grenley.

The man's debit card hasn't been used and his cellphone battery has either died or been removed, his wife said.

Those searching for Grenley long to find him safe. They don't know what to make of his disappearance.

The resolutions to missing-persons cases are often astounding. They can end with the revelation that someone traveled without notifying friends or wanted to get away. Or the missing person can show up somewhere, unfazed.

The prognosis seemed grim for a Glendale senior who went missing last month.

The 68-year-old with dementia walked into a west Phoenix business the next day, saying he was there for the party.

"How he got there, we don't know," Sanchez said.

Denton County sex offender one of Texas 10 Most Wanted

2011-07-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

Denton County sex offender one of Texas 10 Most Wanted

Sean Michael Smith, a high-risk sex offender, is now one of the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders and a $1,000 cash reward is offered for his capture. Texas Crime Stoppers guarantees anonymity during the tip process.

Smith, 35, is wanted for failure to register as a sex offender in Denton County and was last seen in Aubrey. He was convicted of indecency with a child/sexual contact related to an attack involving a 14-year-old girl in Denton County in 1999.

Smith, who also goes by the alias of Sean Michael Carroll, is considered highly likely to reoffend and has been arrested twice for violating his sex offender registration. His criminal history includes two assaults causing bodily injury, evading arrest and burglary. He is also considered armed and dangerous.

In the past, Smith has worked as a self-employed tattoo artist. He has numerous tattoos:

· Abdomen-- the words “wild child.”

· Upper left arm-- a cow skull, tribal art and the words “young guns/the kid” and “Irish.”

· Upper right arm-- skulls with rope, an eyeball and the word “Irish.”

For additional information about Smith, see:http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/wanted/sexoffenders/topTenSexOffenders.htm#;view=Individual%20Details/fugitive=7.

Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Criminal Justice Division of the Governor’s Office, offers rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders or Fugitives. Anyone with information can provide anonymous tips in three different ways:

· Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).

· Text the letters DPS--followed by your tip--to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cell phone.

· Submit a tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about, and then clicking on the link under their picture to submit a web tip.

The 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders are featured on the DPS website athttp://www.txdps.state.tx.us/wanted/sexoffenders/topTenSexOffenders.htm# and have last known addresses in the following cities:

· Houston (2)

· Dallas

· El Paso

· Austin (2)

· Lufkin

· Grand Prairie

· Whitney

· Aubrey

The program identifies violent sex offenders who have either violated parole or failed to comply with sex offender registration.

All calls, texts or e-mails are anonymous, and tipsters will be given a tip number and will not be asked their name.

See both Top 10 lists at: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/wanted/index.htm.