We Can Help!
A while back I received the following information from my good friend Todd Matthews with a request for me to see if I can find people to help with this project.
First off KUDOS to Chris Edwards at the Conway County Coroners Office for plunging into this effort to find the missing.
However, they did not have the time or resources to find images for these missing persons.
But I just know that there are bunches of just dying to do something to help so Here we are!!
Per Todd:
The Arkansas ocme are entering missing persons cases - probably close to 500 of them. The reason for this is for the collection of DNA. The President’s DNA program for CODIS now requires that the case have a NamUs submission before free testing is completed for the state(s).
It was to the ocme's best interest to begin entry so that the family reference samples could be collected. Their hope is that the DNA elevation into CODIS will result in some associations to their unidentified remains with in the state.
The down side it that many of these cases will not have images. They are out there though - newspapers, websites etc.
I'm going to publish these case into NamUs without the images. But it is my hope that if anyone out there can locate images - I can then add them to the file as well.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Bethan Leann Markowski
This has long been a case close to my heart. We worked this for a long time with one of our investigators even going to Tennessee and doing his own investigation. I think about this little girl almost every day.
DESCRIPTION
Date of Birth: February 1, 1990 Place of Birth: Tennessee
Sex: Female Hair: Brown
Height: 4'8" (at time of disappearance) Eyes: Green
Weight: 95 pounds (at time of disappearance) Race: White
THE DETAILS
Bethany Markowski was last seen by her father in the parking lot of the Old Hickory Shopping Mall in Jackson, Tennessee, on the afternoon of March 4, 2001. Bethany had gone into the mall alone while her father waited for her in the car. After approximately two hours passed, Bethany's father went into the mall to look for his daughter, but was unable to locate her.
REMARKS
Markowski was last seen wearing a green shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.
REWARD
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the recovery of Bethany Markowski and the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible for her disappearance'
Individuals with information concerning this case should take no action themselves, but instead immediately contact the nearest FBI Office or local law enforcement agency.
Age Progression Pic:
DESCRIPTION
Date of Birth: February 1, 1990 Place of Birth: Tennessee
Sex: Female Hair: Brown
Height: 4'8" (at time of disappearance) Eyes: Green
Weight: 95 pounds (at time of disappearance) Race: White
THE DETAILS
Bethany Markowski was last seen by her father in the parking lot of the Old Hickory Shopping Mall in Jackson, Tennessee, on the afternoon of March 4, 2001. Bethany had gone into the mall alone while her father waited for her in the car. After approximately two hours passed, Bethany's father went into the mall to look for his daughter, but was unable to locate her.
REMARKS
Markowski was last seen wearing a green shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.
REWARD
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the recovery of Bethany Markowski and the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible for her disappearance'
Individuals with information concerning this case should take no action themselves, but instead immediately contact the nearest FBI Office or local law enforcement agency.
Age Progression Pic:
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Vanished With Beth Holloway
http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/vanished-with-beth-holloway
By her own account, Beth Holloway lived a quiet, somewhat uneventful life, raising her family and working as a speech pathologist with children who have special needs. But in the summer of 2005, everything changed, and she would never be the same after her daughter Natalee disappeared on the last night of her senior high school graduation trip to Aruba. Through Beth’s perseverance and unwillingness to go away quietly, the tragic story made headlines around the world and continues to be followed by the media today.
Beth first captured international attention by making appearances on almost every national network as she continued her search to solve the mystery of her daughter’s disappearance. In 2005, Barbara Walters even selected Beth as one of the world’s most fascinating people, for her persistence in seeking answers to what happened to Natalee.
Since Natalee disappeared, Beth has worked tirelessly in support of other families who have missing loved ones, making it her life’s work to educate people about traveling safely and finding family members who have mysteriously disappeared. She continues to traverse the country, making appearances and delivering her message of hope, faith and personal safety to young adults and people of all ages. Her “Full Circle Safety Plan” reminds youths to bring their plans 360 degrees when they prepare to go out, emphasizing that planning for the end of their outings is just as important as, if not more important than, planning where they’re going and who they’re going with. To date, she has presented her message to tens of thousands of students and parents alike in high schools, colleges, churches, local and national conventions, and professional associations, and to law enforcement officials, including conferences of attorneys general and mayors. Beth’s safety campaigns have been endorsed by the National Sheriffs’ Association and the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Additionally, Beth has developed Mayday 360 to help travelers who find themselves in serious trouble outside of this country. The organization provides them with information on things that she needed to know when Natalee vanished, including proper government contacts, and where to find law enforcement, medical, legal and other assistance.
In addition to reaching out to families in need and sharing the hard lessons she has learned, Beth has also established the Natalee Holloway Resource Center as an information and resource point where people can turn for help when a loved one goes missing. The Natalee Holloway Resource Center is located in the Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C.
Beth authored the New York Times best seller “Loving Natalee,” which was the basis for the Lifetime Movie Network Original “Natalee Holloway.” She consulted on the film, which premiered on April 19, 2009, and broke all Lifetime Movie Network records, becoming the number one original movie in the network’s 11-year history to date. Most recently she consulted on Lifetime’s follow-up original movie, “Justice for Natalee Holloway.”
About Vanished
Lifetime's gripping true-life series "Vanished with Beth Holloway" examines America's unsolved cases as told to Holloway by the families who've been victimized by mysterious abductions or disappearances of loved ones and unspeakable crimes. Left with little hope, they turn to Holloway, who continues her tireless quest to uncover the mystery surrounding her daughter Natalee's tragic 2005 disappearance.About Beth Holloway
By her own account, Beth Holloway lived a quiet, somewhat uneventful life, raising her family and working as a speech pathologist with children who have special needs. But in the summer of 2005, everything changed, and she would never be the same after her daughter Natalee disappeared on the last night of her senior high school graduation trip to Aruba. Through Beth’s perseverance and unwillingness to go away quietly, the tragic story made headlines around the world and continues to be followed by the media today. Beth first captured international attention by making appearances on almost every national network as she continued her search to solve the mystery of her daughter’s disappearance. In 2005, Barbara Walters even selected Beth as one of the world’s most fascinating people, for her persistence in seeking answers to what happened to Natalee.
Since Natalee disappeared, Beth has worked tirelessly in support of other families who have missing loved ones, making it her life’s work to educate people about traveling safely and finding family members who have mysteriously disappeared. She continues to traverse the country, making appearances and delivering her message of hope, faith and personal safety to young adults and people of all ages. Her “Full Circle Safety Plan” reminds youths to bring their plans 360 degrees when they prepare to go out, emphasizing that planning for the end of their outings is just as important as, if not more important than, planning where they’re going and who they’re going with. To date, she has presented her message to tens of thousands of students and parents alike in high schools, colleges, churches, local and national conventions, and professional associations, and to law enforcement officials, including conferences of attorneys general and mayors. Beth’s safety campaigns have been endorsed by the National Sheriffs’ Association and the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Additionally, Beth has developed Mayday 360 to help travelers who find themselves in serious trouble outside of this country. The organization provides them with information on things that she needed to know when Natalee vanished, including proper government contacts, and where to find law enforcement, medical, legal and other assistance.
In addition to reaching out to families in need and sharing the hard lessons she has learned, Beth has also established the Natalee Holloway Resource Center as an information and resource point where people can turn for help when a loved one goes missing. The Natalee Holloway Resource Center is located in the Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C.
Beth authored the New York Times best seller “Loving Natalee,” which was the basis for the Lifetime Movie Network Original “Natalee Holloway.” She consulted on the film, which premiered on April 19, 2009, and broke all Lifetime Movie Network records, becoming the number one original movie in the network’s 11-year history to date. Most recently she consulted on Lifetime’s follow-up original movie, “Justice for Natalee Holloway.”
Sunday, April 17, 2011
NamUs
In 2008 my friend Todd Matthews asked me if I would like to help with beta testing on a piece of software called PassageWay. I didn’t know it at the time but the work that we did with that piece of beta testing is probably one of the most important things I have ever done in my life!
Later in 2009 that software became what is now the Missing Person Database at NamUs. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
There are actually two databases in the system.One is the Missing Person’s database and the other is the Unidentified Dead database. The most unique thing about the Missing Person database is that anyone can enter information about a missing person. You don’t have to be law enforcement, you don’t have to belong to any organization, or even be a member of the missing person’s family. ANYONE can enter missing person cases. This is the first time that any type of database has been put into place that civilians are allowed to use right along with law enforcement.
At first I thought that this might cause some problems but really it doesn’t. I could envision tons of cases that were not really missing persons being entered. After working with missing child cases for so long I knew about persons who were unhappy with custody rulings that would try claim that their children were kidnapped by the other parent. Putting in a call to law enforcement and find out if a case was truly a missing child case was one of the first things I would do to verify a case. So far as I know this has not been a real problem with NamUs. Once a case gets entered a NamUs caseworker verifies with law enforcement to make sure there is a missing person report etc.
Once a case is entered into the Missing Person database inquiries begin to run between both databases to look for possible matches.
You can actually use NamUs to your advantage for a missing person case you might have filed. When I first started talking/posting about NamUs I had a family member tell me that NamUs =death. I know that some people felt that way. However, NamUs is also a good way to get the law enforcement officer in charge to take another look at your missing person case no matter how old it is. Once a federal agency like the DOJ or NIJ start asking questions you can bet that whatever else your local law enforcement office has been doing with your case, they are going to start looking at it again.
I cannot think of anything that I would call a con with NamUs. However, I do wish to address the fact that many of the missing person organizations are unhappy with the advent of this database. This makes me question the motives of some, I know that some view the database as a competitor but really, a database is a tool.
A tool for everyone to use. We are only as little as we let ourselves feel and this is the one thing that many of us who volunteer for the missing has hoped and dreamed for, all of these years. I intend to take the ball and run with it! I hope all of you will too.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Peace 4 The Missing
What is peace 4 the missing? To me Peace4themissing is as close as it comes to an online support group. Lots of families of missing persons there who can talk to each other and offer each other support. Others who want to offer help in any way that they can.
Information about resources and legislation for the missing person cause. Lots of technical information from persons in the know. Information about what organizations are on the up and up and who to avoid. Warnings about anyone trying to scam and use desperate family members, and just generally A good place to call home.
Here is the description on the facebook site:
http://www.facebook.com/peace4themissing?sk=info
Information about resources and legislation for the missing person cause. Lots of technical information from persons in the know. Information about what organizations are on the up and up and who to avoid. Warnings about anyone trying to scam and use desperate family members, and just generally A good place to call home.
Here is the description on the facebook site:
http://www.facebook.com/peace4themissing?sk=info
| Founded | June 12, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| About | Where There Is Hope Always PEACE4 THE MISSING Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime http://peace4missing.ning.com/ NamUs.gov - http://namus.gov/ Billy's Law - http://helpfindthemissingact.blogspot.com/ |
| Company Overview | We're not a non-profit, (nor a for profit) we are a free resource with no hidden ulterior motive. http://peace4missing.ning.com/ We want you to know of our "agenda free" stance ... because we want you to have as much peace as possible ... and we know how much a hand reaching out (without expecting something back in return) means. We welcome all families of the missing, victims of crime and related non-self seeking advocates and non profits to join us ... http://peace4missing.ning.com... (read more) |
|---|---|
| Description | Peace4 the Missing is a voice platform, support network and collaboration resource for families of the missing and victims of crime as well as related advocates and non profit organizations that are beneficial to the cause. http://peace4missing.ning.com/ |
| General Information | Where There Is Hope Always PEACE4 THE MISSING Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime http://peace4missing.ning.com/ NamUs.gov - http://namus.gov/ Billy's Law - http://helpfindthemissingact.blogspot.com/ |
| Mission | The main focus of Peace4 the Missing is that which is in the best interests of our families of the missing and victims of crime members ... http://peace4missing.ning.com/ Peace4 the Missing belongs to its members and our utmost mission is to provide this platform for their voices, collaboration and mutual support. |
| Awards | NamUs Academy Graduates |
| Website |
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