HCSO

Steven Ray Fester, dubbed a serial robbery suspect, has been arrested.  As reported in the September 25, 2009, edition of khou.com/news, witnesses said he wore a mask and gloves, held them at gunpoint with a semi automatic, forced everyone to the back of the store, forced them to open the safe, and ordered everyone to put their cell phones into the safe.  He stands accused of the armed robbery of CVS drugs stores, Shipley’s Donuts, H-E-B, and Walgreens in the Greater Huston area.  His charges include three aggravated robberies and he is believed to be linked in eight more.

Myfoxhouston.com reports Steven Ray Fester is being held without bail.

Fester is already a named person of interest in last years mysterious disappearance of his neighbor, Walter David “Bo” Brawner.  What does this arrest mean in connection to that case?  Certainly, Fester having been found guilty of the theft of Bo’s semi automatic hand gun earlier this year in San Jacinto County, and this arrest for armed robbery while brandishing a semi automatic hand gun in neighboring Harris County, demonstrates a preference in pistols and a predilection to break the law using violence - but does it mean more?  Will the San Jacinto County detectives travel to Harris County and be able to find out more about Bo Brawner’s disappearance?  Does this arrest threaten to put Fester behind bars for a long period of time?  Will he be able, or inclined, to plea bargin if he does have information leading to solving the mystery of what happened to Bo?  Will we hear from some jailhouse snitch?  Only time will tell.

In the mean time, the Brawner family has found a tiny glimmer of hope in Fester’s arrest.  They patiently wait and search and hope for Bo to return to them.

As a young man, he married and raised three sons before an unwanted divorce interrupted his life.  The sons he was proud of; the divorce wounded him deeply, he never remarried.  His son, Jesse, a victim of a tragic auto accident left him, at the age of 20, wheelchair bound and unable to speak.  Jesse will spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.  Bo knew pain in his body, in his heart, and in his mind.  Not unlike others who have suffered in life, he became an alcoholic.  He was not the friendly, comical, or the sweetly melancholic type of alcoholic, but was instead the abrasive type giving cause for others to avoid him.  He became a recluse.

The Brawner family was in the business of creating hand made copper lanterns for the commercial lighting industry.  It flourished and Bo’s income from this line of work supported him.  He converted an addition, behind the workshop on his son’s property, into an efficiency where he lived.  Lonnette Brawner, his sister-in-law, tells us Bo could be hard to get along with, but he was also a tenderhearted person who had built a wall around him.  He was always good to her children.  Bo taught Lonnette the copper lighting business and her daughter continues the tradition today.  After Bo’s father passed away he turned to Lonnette to help him file for Social Security and Medicare.

It was not like Bo to allow anyone inside his apartment, or his life for that matter.  However, everyone needs somebody sometime, as the saying goes, and Bo was no exception.  When his family moved away and the business shut down Bo and the man next door became friends - or so it seemed.

His sons, Joe and Arthur, arrived for a Father’s Day visit on June 15, 2008, their 67-year-old dad’s white van was parked at his efficiency, but he was nowhere to be found.  It had been two weeks since they last saw him.  His sons went to the next-door neighbor to ask about their Dad.  Stephen Ray Fester had the keys to Bo’s house and told them Bo had taken off on a trip.  Inside the efficiency, they found keys to his van, his cigarettes, and his medications.  His clothes were still in the washing machine and the last day marked on the calendar was June 10, 2008.  Bo’s wallet was missing.  His Trac phone (prepaid cellular phone - not traceable) was missing.  There were no signs of a struggle.  It just did not look right.  Joe and Arthur immediately reported him missing to the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office in Texas.

Bo's apt behind the white building; Fester's trailer on the left

When Deputy’s came out to investigate they noticed Stephen Ray Fester had an electrical line snaking its way across the ground between his trailer and Bo’s apartment.  It was pulling free power from Bo’s apartment to Fester’s.  Police questioned him.  Fester told a story about Bo’s plans to go out of town.  He told them Bo was waiting for someone to pick him up.  He went on to say while he showered he heard a horn honk for Bo.  However, Lonnette Brawner says this completely out of character.  She has known Bo for 23 years and throughout all those years had only known him to leave home over night for hospital stays, nothing else.  Known to make regular trips to the grocery and to his doctor, no one could remember him ever traveling or even being out after dark.

Stephen Ray Fester

Stephen Ray Fester quickly became a person of interest.  Fester, an assault charge in his history, was 39 - half Bo’s age.  Fester stood 6′1″ - towering over Bo’s 5′4″ height, and weighing 230 pounds - he was almost twice Bo’s weight. Bo’s checkbook and his .380 semi-automatic pistol was in Fester’s possession.  The holster for the pistol was still in Bo’s apartment.  Fester explained to investigators he was given the checkbook to take care of Bo’s bills that might come up while he was away.  However, Fester used the checks for more than paying bills for Bo.  He was charged with four counts of forgery of checks written between June 2 and June 16, and one count of theft of a firearm.  In June of 2009 he received a sentence of 5 years deferred adjudication probation, fines, and is ordered to pay restitution.

The question remains:  When did Walter “Bo” Brawner vanish?  The calendar was last marked off June 10.  Someone reported seeing him at the grocery on May 31.  Then police discovered he had missed a doctors appointment for May 25.  His doctor stated Bo did not pick up his medication.  Everyone agreed this was out of character for Bo.  The time line narrowed to between May 25 and May 31, 2008.

Texas Equusearch and members of the Shepherd Volunteer Fire Department spent June 17 searching the vicinity of Lake Run-A-Muck, the subdivision where Bo lived, and the wooded area surrounding Bo’s home on McClain Street.  In this part of Texas the landscape is swampy in some places, wooded in others, and there are many abandoned houses.  It is a community of small farms.  The big industry in the area is logging.  According to the then Sheriff Lacy Rogers, there was no sign of Bo.  Sheriff Rogers said they have reason to believe it is more than a missing person case.

The Sheriff’s investigators went over Bo’s white van with a fine toothcomb.  They were looking for clues and found nothing to indicate foul play in the van.  Then a break; the family told investigators they believed Bo and Fester had been partners in some sort of salvage business.  They said both Fester and Bo had fallen on hard times and that drew them into talks of a junk business.  They talked about running the business from their two adjoining lots.

By August 13, 2008, Texas Equusearch had completed three searches of the area.  Two of the searches included cadaver dogs; a tip prompted the third search.  None of the searches had positive results.

Crimestoppers offers a $1,000.00 reward and lists Bo on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Missing Person Clearinghouse.  Lonnette Brawner works hard to keep Bo in the public eye.  She constantly makes phone calls, makes requests to local newspapers, television, and calls on line news organizations.  She joined Help Find The Missing for support for families, to keep the conversation going, sort out clues, and to mull over ideas for additional ways to bring attention to Bo’s missing person case.

Time passes slowly and the Brawner family has suffered two bodies discovered in the vicinity and patiently waited for autopsy and test results to identify the men.  The Brawner family is sad for the families of the men whose bodies were found, releived it was not Bo, and through it all remain waiting for closure.

Lonnette Brawner organized a search of the waters at Banana Bend Beach.  The searched with side sonar, sent divers into the murky water, only to find nothing.

It was has been over a year since Bo vanished.  The Brawner family has all but given up hope for his safe return.  Lonnette tells us they are holding out hope to find Bo and lay him to rest with his parents.  His family deserves closure.

Anyone with information can contact:

Walter David “Bo” Brawner

Missing:  Between May 25 - May 31, 2008

Missing From:  Shepherd, Texas

Description:

Date of Birth:  January 26, 1941

Age at disappearance:  67

Height:  5′4″

Weight:  120 pounds

Hair Color:  Gray and Balding

Eye Color:  Blue

Gender:  Male

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Wears Glasses

Dentures, but rarely wears them

Surgery scar on right side of neck

Surgery scars on the right leg

Right leg unerdeveloped

Brown birthmark on back of one leg

Scar on one hand

Medical Conditions:

Stroke, several years ago

Balance and walk impaired, obvious limp

Medication for heart problems, angina and panic disorder

Clothing:

Wears black velcro tennis shoes

Denim jeans

Plaid colored, short sleeves, western shirts with pearl buttons.

Jewelry:

Watch

References:

HFTM’s Walter Bo Brawner thread

Texas Equusearch

East Texas News

North America Missing Persons Network (NAMPN)

Huston Community Newspapers Online

Click2Houston.com

Print out a Poster of Walter David “Bo” Brawner

Texas Missing Person Clearinghouse Online Bulletin

]]> http://helpfindthemissing.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=56 http://helpfindthemissing.org/blog/?p=53 http://helpfindthemissing.org/blog/?p=53#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:49:06 +0000 Linda Johnson http://helpfindthemissing.org/blog/?p=53

Jaycee Dugard, age 11

Jaycee Dugard, at age 11, was abducted as she walked to her school bus stop in Lake Tahoe, Ca.

For 18 years she was held captive in the back yard sheds and tents of her husband and wife abductors. She has been found. Today she is 29 years old and two children by her convicted sex offender captor.

HFTM members are covering all the facts as they surface.

Continued

Melanie’s paternal Grandmother, Sandra Metheny, conducted her own investigation by canvassing for witnesses and interviewing everyone, and anyone, who might have the tiniest bit of knowledge of the whereabouts of Melanie Renee Metheny.  Names may be represented as initials or omitted to protect the innocent. This is her story.

After three years the relationship with the father of Nathan and Hannah, Matthew Harper, ended amicably.  When the 5 foot 3 inch, 100 pound, Melanie Metheny broke up with the father of her two youngest children she was drug free. Melanie continued to bring the children for scheduled weekend visits with their paternal Grandparents and Father.

Eight months later, Melanie shared an apartment with her boyfriend, Jarrett Davis.  She, and two of her children, lived part-time with Jarrett Davis, and part-time with her two younger brothers.  The day before Melanie’s disappearance, she was desperate to have her half sister, and / or the mother of the person who introduced her to Jarrett Davis, say the night and accompany her the next day as she ran errands.  Neither of them spent the night, or accompanied her.

First Stop to drop off Haley

At 7:30 a.m., July 19, 2006, Jarrett Davis left for work.  Melanie was busy with the three children in his apartment.  Michael Lilly’s (Ryan’s Dad) parents had Ryan (Melanie’s oldest son) at their house for the past month.  Melanie was getting Nathan, Hannah, and Jarrett Davis’s daughter, Haley, ready for the day ahead.  She had a lot on her mind as she packed the children into their car seats and drove away.  She would have to drive to Route 60, a mile and a half away, if she wanted to use her cell phone.

Taking the cut off, the drive reduced to about five minutes to reach the first stop.  Melanie was dropping off Haley, Jarrett Davis’s daughter, with her relatives.  It was about 7:40 a.m. and she had Nathan and Hannah in their car seats.

Second Stop..Midland Avenue

By 7:45 a.m., she arrived at the Midland Avenue location.  Relatives lived on the left and the right of the turn around driveway.  Relatives of Melanie who lived in the house on the right had no knowledge of her being there.  The relative of Melanie on the left has chosen not to say one way, or the other, about seeing her that morning.  Using her cell phone, she could have called either relative and not made the trip.  It is an estimate she was only in the driveway for a minute or two before leaving.

Stop sign on Midland Avenue

At 7:50 a.m., a reliable witness recalled seeing her van at the stop sign on Midland Avenue.  The witness was on the way to work and routinely crossed the Route 60 where Midland Avenues stop sign is clearly in view.  In fact, this witness has seen Melanie’s van at that place on numerous occasions while the witness was on his way to work in downtown Belle.

7-11 Convenience Store

Melanie’s next stop was at the 7-11 convenience store where she often purchased snacks and drinks for the children.  The 7-11 is located within two minutes driving time of the daycare.  Sandra, Melanie’s grandmother, interviewed an employee of the 7-11 who does remember seeing Melanie that morning, but cannot recall the exact time.  The witness said the police had not asked for an interview, which leaves Sandra to wonder why. Convenience Store.

Country Kids Daycare Center in Belle

Her next stop was the Country Kids Daycare Center in Belle.  Law enforcement told the family Melanie signed the children into daycare about 8:00 a.m., on the morning of July 19, 2006.  Sandra has not been able to obtain confirmation from the daycare center, or see Melanie’s signature signing the children in that morning.  Melanie was able to sign the children in that morning for free daycare, because she told the center she needed to pick up transcripts from the Garnet Career Center in Charleston.  The facts tell a different story.  Melanie knew the transferred transcripts were at the University; there was no reason for her to go to the Garnet Career Center.  Something else was going on that morning.

At about 9:00 a.m. there was an outgoing call from Melanie’s cell phone to the Wreck-A-Mended Paint & Body shop to confirm an appointment for repairs on her car and to inquire about an insurance check to cover the repairs.  The recently stolen, 1998 Chevy minivan, was recovered less than a month before she disappeared.  The (then) juvenile who stole and damaged it was JP.  Melanie knew both the car thief and his sidekick, JC, seen riding in the stolen van.  It appears many people knew about the insurance check for almost $1,200.00.  However, Kanawha Sheriff Detective Lane and Sandra Metheny are not certain it was Melanie who made the call.  They are not sure Melanie was in possession of her cell phone that day.

About a month, before she disappeared, Melanie confronted the person who stole her minivan.  During that confrontation, JP picked up a rock when Melanie turned her back to walk away.  A friend called out and he dropped the rock.  Jarrett Davis said Melanie, still shaken, was not over the incident.

Then a second call from her phone connected at 9:30 a.m. to the voice mail of her cell phone account.  That was the last call logged from her cell phone.

Beech Street intersection

Later that afternoon, an eyewitness saw Melanie’s Chevy minivan between 1:00-1:30 p.m. crossing Beech Street in West Charleston.  The neighborhood, West Charleston, has a reputation for drug activities.  The eyewitness (name omitted) recognized the license plate number and personally knew Melanie and her van.  This eyewitness spotted her while on a break from helping a friend move that afternoon.  Police did not believe it was Melanie in the van, if it was in fact Melanie’s van spotted by the witness.

The only person in Melanie’s life that knew people in this neighborhood is her boyfriend, Jarrett Davis, but Davis could think of no reason for Melanie to be in that neighborhood.

Speedway Convenience Gas and Grocery

Sometime during July 19, a witness saw her near the dumpster of the Speedway Convenience Gas and Grocery store.  Karen West said, Melanie along with JP, who is one of the suspects in the joyride theft of Melanie’s van, approached her.  This prompted a rumor that Melanie was the victim of a fit of jealousy by JP’s girlfriend.

At about 6:00 p.m. the father of Melanie’s two youngest children, Matthew Harper, while on a cigarette break at Air Gas in West Charleston, spotted a red SUV and heard Melanie call out, “What about my babies?”, and the appearance of a struggle.  He reported it, right away, to the police.  He also told Sandra where he spotted the SUV.

Sandra found the SUV exactly where Matthew said he saw it and took down the license number.  When Sandra returned home she had a message waiting for her from the owner of the SUV who did not appreciate her taking down the vehicle tag number.  Getting that phone message was peculiar because Sandra’s phone number was not on any of the flyers put out in that neighborhood, wasn’t in the news broadcasts, and she did not encounter the man when she was looking the SUV over and getting the tag number.  How did he know it was Sandra and how did he obtain her phone number so quickly?

By 6:00 p.m. an employee at the Country Kids Daycare Center called Donna Harper, paternal grandmother of Nathan and Hannah, because Melanie had not shown up to pick up her children.  Donna knew instantly something was wrong because Melanie is a good and attentive mother and had never failed to show up for the children.

Sandra Metheny, Melanie’s grandmother, filed a missing person report that evening and set out to look for her.  Sandra began to search in the Campbell’s Creek area beginning with the apartment Melanie shared part-time with Jarrett Davis.  When Sandra arrived at the apartment, Jarrett was there.  He told Sandra he did not want to go with her because he wanted to take a shower.  She picked up one of Melanie’s brothers and they set out to look for Melanie.

Matt Harper, father of the two youngest children, searched the West Charleston neighborhood with James Metheny, Melanie’s younger brother, until 3:30 a.m.  In the meantime, Jarrett Davis spent the evening visiting a friend by the name of Troy.

Melanie’s 1998 Chevy minivan

Five days later, Melanie’s minivan was located.  It was found parked and locked without a trace of a fingerprint.  The minivan sat at the intersection of Wyoming Street and Beuhring Avenue in West Charleston.  Inside the locked minivan, they found several documents including a hand written note containing a phone number referencing property for sale, an insurance check for almost $1,200.00 in the glove box, and a business card from a Law Enforcement officer.  People who know Melanie have a hard time believing she would place a check for almost $1,200.00 in the glove box, especially in light of the stolen minivan only recently returned.  Her cell phone and her purse are still missing.  The insurance company is holding the money for repairs until Melanie returns, or the court intervenes.

Belle Police Chief R. J. Sizemore related the card in her van to Melanie filing a report, not long before she disappeared.  The incident involved a woman approaching Melanie about speeding through their neighborhood.  They argued, and that is when the woman threatened to beat Melanie up.  Sandra Metheny would like to know the name of the woman and would like to speak to her.  She wonders if Belle Police interviewed this woman.  Sandra, concluded by her own investigation, that the Belle area (the area where Melanie lived for all but two months of her life) was not canvassed by law enforcement.

Information came to Sandra from HM.  HM told her two days following Melanie’s disappearance, and before “finding” the van, the police stopped the van.  Inside the van were JP and JC.  Rumor has it that when confronted with this information police asked how HM came by information not yet released.

Sandra recently followed up on a lead regarding another urban rumor of what happened to Melanie.  She traveled to a remote section of Kanawha County to meet with a stranger who said he knew what happened to Melanie.  This urban rumor involves crooked LE and drug dealing money owed.  Nevertheless, Sandra is dedicated and follows up every possible lead to find her granddaughter.  She also turns the leads over to Law Enforcement.  This particular lead included a suggestion to search Witcher’s Creek, where coal sludge ponds are located.  We might only imagine how much of Sandra’s efforts take a toll on the tender heart of a Grandmother.

Leads continue to come in, some of them directly to Sandra, or via her relentless efforts to find Melanie.  Although Kanawha Police continue to receive tips and continue to investigate, information from Kanawha Detectives to Sandra has all but dried up.  She feels left out, in the dark.  She is begging anyone out there with event the tiniest bit of information to please, contact her or Kanawha Detectives.  She believes, with conviction, there is someone or some persons out there who can help bring Melanie home.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Melanie’s mother, Deborah Lee Daniel, wants us to know that she is satisfied with the work of the local law enforcement.  She tells me Detective Kelly and Detective Monica keep in regular contact with her and she feels lucky to have them on the case.  Debi believes, strongly, that Melanie is alive and is out there. We need to find her.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Additional facts and questions:

Some facts seem to beg discussion, or at least speculation.  Are they coincidence or are they more?  You decide.

• Melanie Renee Metheny’s son, Ryan, is the Godson of Jason Holstein.  In 2008, after the disappearance of Melanie, Jason Holstein posted disparaging comments regarding her and made statements referring to Melanie as deceased on the findmelanie.com/guestbook.
• On July 29, 2009, Jason Holstein, 28, of Belle, WV, along with two other men, were formally indicted by the Grand Jury and arraigned for murder, burglary and attempted robbery during a home invasion on January 19, 2009, resulting in the fatal shooting of David L Scarbro.
• Authorities said Mr. Scarbro sustained a single gunshot wound to the back and multiple blows to the head and said the three men planned to rob him of drugs and cash.
• References: www.wvgazette.com/news/200907010789
• Reference: www.dailymail.com/news/kanawha/200907010868

• Sandra Metheny wants us to know Melanie’s best friend, who had never been outside the area, left the state permanently following Melanie’s disappearance.
• She also points out Melanie, an animal lover, found her dog killed the first Saturday of July 2006.

Help bring Melanie home.  The smallest piece of information can make a big difference.  The family has raised a reward of $5,000.00 for information that will lead to finding Melanie.

Investigative Agency: Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office

Phone: (304) 357-0169

Investigative Case #71924

Melanie Renee Metheny

Date of Birth:  June 21, 1985

Date Missing: July 19, 2006

Missing from: Belle, West Virginia, U.S.A.

Age at disappearance: 21

Age today: 24

Gender: Female

Race: White

Height: 5 foot 3 inches

Weight: 100 pounds

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Brown

Complexion: Light

___________________________________________________________________________________

Deborah Lee Daniel, Melanie’s Mother, wants us to know she did reach out to many and found volunteers who have since become her “new” family.  She has spoken to me about some of the hardships she encountered from surprising places.  As a result, of reaching out to others who have missing persons, she found many families, and friends who had encountered similar bumps in that hard road.  She spoke about the tremendous guilt carried by family and friends of the missing.

Hearing her poignant story moves me to write about the bumps in the road, and the guilt families suffer, as they seek to locate their loved one or dear friend.  I want to invite anyone who wishes to share, to simply post a request for contact on the blog and I will contact you.

Charleston, the capital of West Virginia, is nestled into the west side of the Appalachian Mountains affording the residents a milder winter.  The city proudly traces its history all the way back to the Revolutionary War, and its legacy sister industries, of salt and coal mining, still sustain much of the population.  It boasts a full range of cultural amenities for its citizens to enjoy including, but not limited to, Symphony Orchestras, Ballet, Museums, Theater, and a Junior Theater for their children.  With a population of 300,000 plus, the metro area of Charleston has a number of bedroom communities, including Campbells Creek.

On Wednesday, July 19, 2006, Jared David left his home in the suburb of Campbells Creek, and headed off to work at 7:00 a.m.  When he left, Melanie Metheny, his twenty-one-years-old girlfriend of five months, was still getting herself and her children ready for the day.

In the past, Melanie’s life was full of hardships and disappointments, making her even more determined to provide a better life for her children.  Everything she hoped for was finally starting to happen.  She and Jared were planning to marry, they were saving money for a bigger house to live in, she had agreed to be the new face on billboards across West Virginia for the West Virginia Adult Basic Education Program, and her career as a nurse was within reach.

Melanie was excited about the day ahead.  As she buckled her one-year-old Hannah, two-years-old Nathan, and four-years-old Ryan into their car seats, Melanie thought about the things she needed to accomplish that day, and the bright future that lay ahead.  She would drop the children off at Country Kids Daycare in Belle, W. V., and pick up transcripts of her courses from Garnet Career Center.  It would not be long before she could take the entrance exams for the West Virginia State University Nursing program.

The direct route to the daycare is to take U.S. Route 60.  The highway hugs the Kanawha River providing a glimpse, or two, of a coal barge in its heavily polluted waters.  The river snaked its way, first left and then right, on the way to the riverfront city of Belle.  Melanie Renee Metheny and her three children arrived at the Country Kids Daycare between 7:40 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.  She dropped them off at the daycare centers entrance, and the three children trotted inside.  No one at the daycare remembers seeing Melanie on that Wednesday morning.

As excited as she was about enrolling at University, everyone assumes Melanie headed directly for the Garnet Career Center, in Charleston, to pick up her transcripts.  It is 15.5 miles from the daycare to Garnet Career Center.  However, Melanie Metheny has not shown up to collect her transcipts.

Melanie’s minivan had some minor damages.  It was stolen and missing for nearly a month.  Weeks ago, they found the damaged minivan in Ravenswood.  Melanie knew the juvenile who stole her Chevy minivan.  Only a week had passed since she had an altercation with the juvenile.  According to Jared Davis, the boy picked up a rock, when Melanie turned to walk away.  A friend, who was with Melanie, shouted out and the youth dropped the rock.  Those close to Melanie say she was still upset about the encounter.

At 9:09 a.m., Melanie made a cell phone call to Wreck-A-Mended Paint & Body to confirm an appointment for repairs on her van, and to inquire about an insurance check to cover the repairs.  Kanawha Sheriff Detective R. A. Lane is not certain it was Melanie, who made that call.

Then a second call from her cell phone connected at 9:30 a.m.  This time the call was to Melanie’s voice mailbox. That was the last activity on the call log.

Jared Davis said Melanie usually called him at noon, not hearing from her, he called her cell phone, but she did not answer.

The 5′3″ Melanie Renee Metheny had vanished.  Hours passed before anyone realized she was missing.

Days later a witness recalled an event on the same afternoon Melanie vanished.  The witness, described only as someone who knew Melanie, reported seeing a Red SUV on the West Side, a community within Charleston.  The witness reported seeing a woman resembling Melanie, struggling inside the SUV and heard her yelling, “What about my babies?”  The witness said she appeared to be trying to free herself.  Kanawha Sheriff’s Detective R. A. Lane said they have not been able to locate the Sport Utility Vehicle.

At 6:00 p.m., an employee at the Country Kids Daycare called Donna Harper, Grandmother of Nathan and Hannah, because Melanie failed to pick up the three children.  Donna Harper rushed over to the daycare and picked up the children.  She knew immediately something was wrong.  Donna had never known Melanie to be anything but a responsible and caring mother to the children.

Sandra Winnings, Melanie’s Grandmother, filed a missing person report that evening.

According to Detective Lane, on July 21, two days after Melanie disappeared, they received tips which prompted them to send out rescue crews and a K-9 unit.  They ardently searched Spring Fork Drive, in the Witcher Creek area.  Nothing from that search led to Melanie.

July 23, 2006, tips came in leading to the location of Melanie’s minivan.  Residents in the West Side (a community within Charleston) neighborhood said the 1998 gold and tan Chevrolet Ventrua minivan, parked at the corner of Wyoming Street and Beuhring Avenue, had been there since, at least, 2:00 p.m. the afternoon Melanie vanished.  This Charleston neighborhood, known for its drug activity, immediately raised questions about Melanie and drugs as a possible reason for her menivan being there.  Melanie only used drugs in a social setting; she did not have any connection to durg activites.

The search of the locked Chevy Minivan yielded several documents and phone numbers, including a handwritten note and a business card, found on the front seat.  The note had a St. Albans phone number and the handwritten words, “3 bedroom, 2 bath, 15,000″, on it.  The business card belonged to a Belle police officer.  Belle Police Chief R. J. Sizemore related the card to Melanie filing a report, not long before she disappeared.  The incident involved a woman approaching Melanie about speeding through their neighborhood.  They argued, and that is when the woman threatened to beat Melanie up.  Melanie’s cell phone and purse are still missing.  Investigators were not able to lift any fingerprints from the vehicle.

Jared Davis told investigators he knew people in the West Side, but not in that area.  He did not think Melanie knew anyone there, and that she would not go into that area without him.

After three years together Matt Harper, father of Nathan and Hannah, had broken up with Melanie eight months before she vanished.  He could not recall Melanie going to West Side to visit anyone.  He and James Metheny, Melanie’s brother, drove the streets of the West Side looking for her until 3:30 a.m.  They found a few peole who said they saw a woman matching Melanie’s description, but when followed up by law enforcement, it led nowhere.

The following day, Donna Harper covered the West Side in flyers, speaking to everyone along the way.

The family and friends of Melanie Renee Metheny set up a website.  On that website, there is mention of a crisis in the days preceding her disappearance.  Detective Lane had no information that would confirm a crisis in her life at that time.  Rumors were circulating that Melanie was in the West Side neighborhood because she owed $300.00, to a drug dealer.  He was aware of the rumors and commented he did not believe she owed anyone a large sum of money.  He called it, “asinine”, when reminded of the $300.00 rumor and knowing her untouched savings were more than adaquate to cover a problem like that.

Everyone seemed to agree, Melanie only traveled into Charleston to attend classes.  The junction of Beuhring and Wyoming Street was an odd place to find her parked minivan.

July 28, 2006, a logger discovered the nude body, of a 5′8″ white woman with long dark hair, in a rural area of Eastern Jackson County.  She was wearing only a thin gold necklace and her pink top was nearby.  There were no missing persons reported in Jackson County, causing many to speculate it might be Melanie.  A detective went to Jackson County from Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department to assist in investigating the murder.  A few days later, Jackson County Sheriff Michael Bright announced they were 99% positive it was not Melanie.  This became a new missing person case

By July 30, 2006, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Lt. Brian Stover indicated the leads and tips in the Metheny case have not led to anything significant.  The Metheny family has offered a reward for information on the disappearance.

June 8, 2007, Kanawha County Lt. Sean Crosier announced they are extremely encouraged by new information that has just surfaced in the case of Melanie Metheny.  It was information from one of the famly members who have been trying to track down clues.  They are hoping for a positive resolution in the case.  Detective are following up and conducting interviews, but would not say more.

July 19, 2007, marks the first anniversay of Melanie Renee Metheny’s disappearance.

November 2007, Donna Harper’s mother passed away.  Nathan and Hannah were old enough to realize her passing and missed her.  Little Nathan noticed how sad his Grandmother Donna was and said, “Well, Mamaw, I already lost my Mommy.”

March 13, 2008, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Johnny Rutherford announced the sighting of a woman matching Melanie’s description in South Carolina.  They have sent a detective to South Carolina and are working with officials there.  In the tight-lipped fashion of investigators, they indicated they had not substaniated the lead.  They continue to follow up all leads in the case.

July 19, 2008, marks the second anniversary of the disappearance of Melanie Renee Metheny.

The leads in the case seem to have dried up, but Melanie is still out there, and she needs to come home.

July 19, 2009, Melanie Renee Metheny is still missing.  It is the thrid anniversay of the day she vanished.

Melanie loved her children, and more than anything, she wanted to be with them.  On March 13, 2006, Melanie wrote an essay titled, ‘The Best Things In My Life’.  It is an out-pouring of heart-felt warmth for her children.  In the essay, she writes about each of her children with sweetness and tenderness.  The last paragraph puts a lump in my throat, and I do not think she would mind sharing it here:

‘Being a single mom is not easy at all but watching my kids grow up and watching them learn new things for the first time is the greatest feeling I’ve ever had.  I would not change them for the world and I don’t know where I’d be right now if I didn’t have them but I know my life wouldn’t have as much meaning.’

Melanie Renee Metheny is a lovely sweet and gentle person.  She quietly dedicated herself to her children, her family, and to making sure her children would have a better chance at life.  Melanie dreamed of being a nurse and taking care of others.  She cared for others, outwardly.  Even though, she and Matt Harper had broken up, she brought his children over to visit him, and their Grandparents, every other weekend.  She worked hard on making it into Nursing.

She is missed and needed and loved, by her brothers James and Michael, by her step Mom Donna, by her cousins Aaron Chaz and Allison, by her Aunt Lisa Wellington, by her Father Jimmy Metheny, by her Uncle Rocky Metheny, by her Mother Debi Metheny, by her Grandmother Sandra Winnings, by her son Ryan (now 7), by her son Nathan (now 5), by her daughter Hannah (now 4), and by all her friends and the people of her community.

Donna Harper has had custody of Hannah and Nathan since picking up the children from the daycare center. Melanie’s son, Ryan, continues to live with his paternal Grandparents since the disappearance of his mother.

The Grandmother of Melanie, Sandra Winnings, had dedicated herself to finding the granddaughter she helped raise.  She dedicated a website to Melanie.  Sandra begs for any leads, of any kind, reminding everyone they can choose to remain anonymous.

The family raised a $5,000.00 reward for information on Melanie Renee Metheny.  If you have information, any at all, please contact them or the Kanawha County Police Department at the number listed below.

Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office

Phone: (304) 357-0169

Investigative Case #: 71924

Melanie Renee Metheny

Date of Birth: June 21, 1985

Date Missing: July 19, 2006

Missing from: Belle, West Virginia, U.S.A.

Age at disappearance: 21

Age today: 24

Gender: Female

Race: White

Height: 5′3″

Weight: 100 lbs

Hair color: Blonde

Eye color: Brown

Complexion: Light

Identifying characteristics:  Pierced ears, metal pins and surgical scar on left ankle, cesarean scar, small birthmark on chin, a tooth growing behind the other on the right side.

For additinoal information: Help Find The Missing

References:

National Center for MIssing Adults

Help Find Melanie Renee Metheny

Texas EquuSearch

America’s Most Wanted

Find Melanie guestbook

Melanie Metheny

Charley Project

Project Jason

Sunday Gazette mail

WTAP

Daily Mail

State Journal

WCHSTV

WV Gazette

WSAZ

Wikipedia

The tiny mountain town of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, population hovering around 1,000, has only one unsolved missing person case. It is the case of Brooke Leigh Henson, or “Brookey”, as her friends know her. July 4, 2009, is the tenth year Brooke has remained missing.

Brooke’s friends describe her as being a carefree person who enjoys fresh air and sunshine. She is comfortable hiking the mountain trials and hanging out at Bald Rock with her friends. She is a natural beauty seldom wearing makeup. Her friends describe her personality as easy going. Brooke also enjoyed spending time with her mother and going on shopping trips. Brooke is a homebody. They tell us Brooke Henson enjoys the waterfalls in Northern Greenville County. Some have surmised it would be accurate to describe her as a beautiful free spirited young woman. She is a sweet person, and by any one’s account, well loved in her community. She was only 20 years old when she disappeared.

On July 3, 1999, Brooke’s parents attended an Allman Brothers concert in Charlotte, N. C. The then 20 year old Brooke had scheduled her first party, at home, without her parents. She invited her friends. Most of Brooke’s friends left the party, or were leaving, before 2:00 in the early morning hours of July 4. As they left, Brooke told some of them she was going to sit on the porch with her boyfriend while waiting for her parents to get home.

Brooke’s parents, Martin and Cathy Henson, arrived home from the concert in Charlotte, about 2:00 a.m. Shaun Shirley, Brooke’s 30 year old boyfriend, was on the porch with Brooke. Cathy Henson, Brooke’s mother, overheard Brooke and Shaun arguing and overheard her say she was leaving the area. Shaun left. Brooke told her mother she did not intend to go anywhere and had only said that to get attention from Shaun Shirley. Another account has her parents returning home to find Brooke alone on the porch crying because she had broken up with her boyfriend. According to her Aunt, at some point, Brooke told her father, Martin Henson, that she was going to leave town for 5 years to get away from Shaun.

After the argument and after Shaun Shirely left, Brooke told her mother, Cathy, she was going to take a walk down to the local convenience store, W. E. Willis, to purchase cigarettes. The W. E. Willis store is approximately a block and a half from their home. The 5′4″ Brooke Leigh Henson was last seen walking down tree lined Henderson Drive. Brooke disappeared between 2:30 a.m. and 2:43 a.m.

U.S. Highway 25 begins in Brunswick, Ga., goes through Travelers Rest, S. C., and ends in Ashville, N.C..

U.S. Highway 276 traverses northwest from Travelers Rest to smaller mountain towns, as well as southeast from Travelers Rest into the center of the city of Greenville, S.C., where it becomes part of U.S. Highway 25.

Some notes on the location:

Travelers Rest is a beautiful small town. The skyline silhouettes the Blue Ridge Mountains and it has spectacular views, waterfalls, parks, and numerous hiking trails. It is a peaceful community, loving its children and its heritage. Most of the portion of Greenville County, where Travelers Rest is located, is full of wooded areas.

Three weeks passed before Travelers Rest Police took steps to find Brooke Henson. By then it had rained, and the search dogs could not catch the scent. According to Brookes Aunt Christie Metcalf, the police thought she was off on her own and would come back. When they did begin to look for Brooke, patrol officers were initially following up leads and questioning individuals and friends.

Detective Jon Campbell, said this delay, along with patrol officers taking statements, were mistakes. There seems to be a mistake in the handling of the paperwork. Detective Campbell says the lieutenant should have turned the case over to the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office would have placed the case in the trained hands of the Homicide detectives, and they would have conducted the initial interviews in the investigation, not patrol officers. Current officers deeply regret the previous departments’ handing of the case.

Eventually, the case landed on the desk of Detective Jon Campbell. Many theories presented themselves, as does happen in missing person cases. One theory was Brooke simply went away of her own free will. Another theory held that Brooke had planned to renew a relationship with a previous boyfriend. Detective Campbell wanted to follow up on this, but was not able to because the person was, by that time, deceased. He had overdosed and died. There was some speculation, by the public, that his death could have been a suicide, accident, or murder. Another theory held that Brooke was abducted. And lastly, a theory that Brooke was deceased, a murder victim. Detective Campbell believed she was deceased and was murdered in the area of River Falls, a popular hang out and party place for young people.

Shaun Shirley, the handsome 30 year old boyfriend of Brooke Henson, was someone Detective Jon Campbell very much wanted to interview. The records show, Shaun Shirley, a local contractor, arrested on the weekend following Brooke’s disappearance. His arrest was for assaulting two minors. When he realized Detective Campbell wanted to speak with him, he quickly called an attorney. That put an end to any candid interviews. Shaun Shirley had a rap sheet with a history of violent episodes leading to arrests. He has since moved to a more remote area in the mountains.

Then in 2006, a phone call from the NYC Police Department offered hope. In fact, they called the Travelers Rest Police Department to report they had found Brooke Henson. The NYCPD said Brooke Henson was living in Manhattan as a student.

Detective Campbell asked the NYCPD to get a DNA test performed to prove it was Brooke. They set up an appointment for the test, and Detective Campbell notified Cathy Henson they would need a sample from her for a DNA comparison. Cathy Henson was very ill, by this time, suffering from terrible anxiety. They had to carry her to the car to get her to the facility.

The imposter failed to appear to give an agreed upon DNA sample. The NYCPD had to force their way into the apartment only to find nothing left behind that could provide a DNA comparison. She had taken her cat, her toothbrush, and hairbrushes, and fled.

Detective Campbell pursued the case of the imposter using Brooke’s identity. He played a major role in assimilating information, until his promotion to the State Law Enforcement Division. He felt confident they would find this person, and left the department saying he would make himself available as much as possible to assist in the case.

Two and one half years later, they captured the 30 year old, Ester Elizabeth Reed. Ester Reed was represented by Attorney Ann Marie Fitz. She awaited trial in the Greenville County jail. She faced charges of mail fraud, possession of false identity documents, and identity theft. In August 2008, she pled guilty to the Federal charges, and in February 2009, her sentence was to serve four years in prison, out of a possible 41 years. Ester Reed did not have any role in the disappearance of Brooke Henson.

Lisa Henson, Brooke’s Aunt, confronted Ester Reed letting her know she may have stolen Brooke’s identification, but she was nothing like the sweet person that is her niece.

The crimes of Ester Reed speak nothing to the pain of false hope the family suffered.

From Detective Jon Campbell’s work, we know that Ester Reed was able to get access to Brooke’s social security through a Law Enforcement computer in Vermont. He reasons Reed must have known someone there who had access to the computer. At that time, only criminals, on the most wanted list, had social security numbers set up to flag if someone accessed them. A missing person would not be flagged. It is possible Reed saw the website for Brooke Henson that her Aunt put up in 2002, and arrived at the idea of impersonating her.

In the aftermath of all this, Cathy and Martin Henson have divorced. After Brooke went missing, Cathy fell victim to debilitating anxiety, and could no longer remain employed. Martin Henson, a former brick mason, is a victim of multiple sclerosis. He keeps to himself and lives a solitary life. He clings to the hope that Brooke will return, as each year passes.

Brooke Leigh Henson is missing. Her parents, Cathy and Martin miss their daughter. Her Aunts, Lisa Henson, Cathy Henson, and Christy Metcalf miss their neice. Her many friends, neighbors and people of her community miss this lovely person with each passing day.

Each year, Brooke’s family and friends hold a vigil at the Travelers Rest Police Department, on the anniversary of the day she disappeared, July 4. This year marks the tenth year since they last saw Brookey, but they have not given up hope. They will not give up hope that Brooke is out there.

Brooke Leigh Henson

Female

White

Disappeared: age 20

Age today: 30

Height: 5′4″

Weight: 104 lbs.

Hair: Brown, straight

Eyes: Brown

If you have seen Brooke Leigh Henson, or have any information about the case, please contact, Clark Brazier. He is the investigator on the case. There is a $7,000.00 reward associated with the case.

Clark Brazier, Investigator

(864) 834-9029

JusticeForBrooke@trpolice.com

For more information on this case:

http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39&highlight=brooke+henson

References:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/henson_brooke.html

http://www.myspace.com/justiceforbrookehenson

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/case.cfm?id=42966

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/id-theif-mothers-death-led-to-identity=thefts-112723.html

http://foxnews.com/wires/2009Feb11/0,3670,IdentityTheftIvyLeague,00.html

http://www.wyff4.com/news/16791196/detail.html

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/399933_conartist13.html

http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/mpccn/bhenson.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicky-ward/esther-reed-how-an-ordina_b_166188.html

The body of my non-fiction writing is stained with the agony of missing loved ones. In my first book, THROUGH THE WINDOW, some of the victims of Tommy Lynn Sells were found dead in their homes, others were missing for months and a few like Stephanie Stroh and Yvette Mueller remain missing decades after their deaths.

The serial killer in INTO THE WATER, Richard Marc Evonitz, abducted young girls from their front yards in broad daylight. Sofia Silva’s family spent two months in unrelenting pain not knowing what happened to the 15-year-old girl until her body was discovered in a lonely spot along the highway. The parents of Kati and Kristin Lisk suffered through an eternal week before their daughters’ remains were spotted in a logjam on a secluded stream.

I wrote about Susan McFarland in GONE FOREVER. She was missing for fifty-three days. While her whereabouts were unknown, her husband told their three little boys—ages 6, 8 and 11: “Your mommy needed a break from you because you are so bad.” With those hateful words, he compounded the evil he perpetrated when he killed their mother.

In BABY BE MINE, Lisa Montgomery killed Bobbie Jo Stinnett and kidnapped her unborn child. Frantic police sent out an Amber Alert and ran themselves ragged in the day and a half it took to find the missing newborn.

Phony doctor Dean Faiello inadvertently caused the death of his patient Maria Cruz in UNDER THE KNIFE. Instead of owning up to his responsibility, he buried her under a slab of concrete in the carriage house of his Victorian mansion, sold his home and partied in sunny Costa Rica. While he enjoyed the tropical life, Maria’s family died a little more every day. It took nine months before her body was found.

In my most recently released book, THE PASTOR’S WIFE, Mary and Matthew’s families were terrified when Matthew was found dead and Mary and her three little girls were missing. They feared the worst until police found Mary—she’d shot her sleeping husband in the back and then took her daughters to the beach.

This summer, my next true crime release, POISONED PASSION, details the misery of Michael Severance’s family. He was missing for two months before investigators found his mutilated body in a stock pond in the middle of nowhere. His veterinarian wife was found guilty of giving him a lethal injection.

Right now, I am working on a book about Caylee Anthony, the sweet little toddler who was missing for nearly six months before her discarded body was discovered. The whole nation grieved and prayed for her safe return. It isn’t easy to write this book—it is heartbreaking work writing the story of the death of the most innocent victim of all.

Three have been arrested, one, a family member that was on the lam for pleading ‘no contest’ to earlier abuse charges.  The other two, parents of four young children, the mother, a Daisy Girl Scout Leader.

While the allegations in this case are so vile, it is not the current crime that bothers me the most about this story, it is the fact that this teenager while in the custody of Child Protective Services has been missing from the group home, he was assigned, for over a year.

We often hear and see on the news missing persons, those who have the ‘right’ look, the ‘right’ family connections, or the ‘right’ amount of financial resources to flood the media with the missing person’s image; but what happens far too many times, those that don’t fit those social profiles slip through the cracks, worse, more often than not, teenagers, especially those that are ‘troubled’ tend to be ignored or very limited effort is put forth to make any attempt to locate them.

In this particular case a missing person’s report was filed with local police when the boy ran away from the group home, but as mentioned in the article linked below…well the police in Sacramento have seen their fair share of runaways, about five reported daily, as a result he was never located…….Until, he escaped.

http://cbs5.com/crime/chained.teen.brother.2.882279.html

It is estimated that about one million teenagers runaway every year, the majority of these runaways are female, and while police willingly admit that these runaways are most likely to become victims of violent crimes, little to nothing is done by most law enforcement agencies to bring these children home.

Another social problem with missing teenagers, it is nearly automatic that they are believed to be runaways, regardless of their family dynamic, grades, character, or circumstances surrounding their disappearance, unless it is witnessed that they are taken against their will, they are pigeon holed and again basically ignored by law enforcement.

This in not meant to be a law enforcement bashing blog, in most cities across the country our public service offices are over worked, under staffed, and sorely under funded; perhaps some become jaded, though I am sure the vast majority are simply over whelmed.

It does however, beg the question, if law enforcement cannot follow up on every runaway that they file a report on, why don’t they then, immediately turn their information to the many groups that do have the resources, and the expertise to perhaps expedite the search for these missing teens.  Why are the pictures of these missing children not send to several different groups that search for the missing?  Why is it not policy to send these pictures to area schools, churches, youth centers, or malls?  The police cannot be everywhere, but fliers can be everywhere, the internet is everywhere..but it is rare that unless a family member, or concerned friend contacts alternative sources, they will never get the information.

The case that began this blog should be a stark reminder to all of us, that a runaway is endangered the minute they leave their home, though the police in Sacramento either due to indifference, or lack of man power, put this case along with so many others, the reality is that this ‘runaway’ a victim of domestic violence, became a victim again not only by those that held him captive, but by the very system that is designed to serve and protect all its citizens–not just the ones that are considered ‘attractive’ or come from a family with enough clout to keep their images out in the public.

The Abby & Jennifer Recovery Foundation continues the search. The group’s leader, Connie Flukey, continues her relentless search for Paige. Why does she keep searching? “Because we haven’t found her,” she says in an interview with KREX-TV in Grand Junction, an interview that was done while she was out searching. “Right now, I’m angry. Somebody out there knows where she’s at, and yet, we’re spending all this time, effort, energy, our heart, and somebody knows.”

Is this kind of dedication unusual? No, many missing persons have dedicated searchers but, sadly, not all of them do. Saddest of all, to me anyway, are the cases of unidentified and unclaimed remains because those were people, loved family members. For each of those people, somewhere there is a family in anguish that is wondering where their loved one has gone.

Connie Flukey and the A&JRF are determined to bring Paige home. How can Connie Flukey afford to continue this search? “We can’t. But we just keep doing it.”

If only every case of someone missing had such dedicated people looking.

It wasn’t us.

Someone, smart enough to hack into a web site but not smart enough to string three complete sentences together in a correctly formed paragraph, took over parts of the HFTM website over the weekend. They wreaked a great deal of havoc. We have regained control but it will take some time to get back to where we were. The colors might not look right, and the touch and feel might not look quite right, but we’re back.

I’m sure you also realize that we did not send out any of those sophomoric e-mails. On behalf of the hackers, we apologize for looking like vindictive infants. On behalf of the staff of HFTM, we apologize for the empty recycled plastic bottles, filled with refuse, in your inbox.

Welcome back, and guard your password!