Media and The Missing

January 28, 2008

The problem isn’t that they receive media attention, the problem is that the media becomes so absorbed in certain cases that it fails to cover cases of other missing persons. Time is of vital importance when a person goes missing, kidnapped or a murder is unsolved. The police need all the leads that they can get in order to try to solve the case. The best chance for getting the person back safely, if it’s a kidnapping, passes quickly. The media can play a huge role in helping get police leads, people who might have seen the missing person can give the police tips that can help find that person. When the media fails to cover a missing person case in favor of running more and more coverage about just one missing person, they’re limiting the effectiveness of the search.

A few questions I have: Is it all about sensationalism and ratings for the media. Is this the standard for media covering a missing person: Pretty, white damsels in distress draw viewers; missing women who are black, Latino, Asian, old, fat, or ugly do not. What about the many missing men that we never see in the media. What can we do to change this, to make sure that all missing persons get some coverage.

Hopefully we can help make a change. When we become aware of a missing individual that goes unreported, while the media locks its eye on another who represents their version of “newsworthy,” we will do all we can to make sure the voices of others who are missing are heard.

We need to help make the public aware of the disastrous epidemic of missing persons. If you have a loved one missing contact us so we can help get the information out there. Help Find The Missing

~ UPDATED ~
Current as of the October 31, 2007 indexing
~
According to the FBI-NCIC there are (approximately)
106, 062
Missing Persons listed in their system. Children and Adult.

There are (approximately)
6,862
Unidentified Persons listed in their system.
Children and Adults.

Statistics - provided by the FBI-NCIC for media relations — USA & Canada

Written by HFTM · Filed Under Media Watch, Media and the Missing | 1 Comment 

What Happened to Beaner?

January 15, 2008

It was Saturday afternoon, June 14, 2003 when Leanna Warner left her home in Chisholm, nestled in the heart of iron country, in far northern Minnesota. Leanna, nicknamed “Beaner,” intended to go around the corner and play with her friends. She hasn’t been seen since.

Beaner Warner ThumbnailBeaner Warner Thumbnail 2

At the time of her disappearance. “Beaner” was 5 years old, 36″ tall and 50 pounds. She has brown eyes and had brown, shoulder length hair. Leanna has a wart on her left ankle and a dimple on her left shoulder.
 
Missing and Exploited has an age progressed photo of Leanna, reproduced here:

Leanna Aged

A home video of Leanna is available on YouTube.

The case of Leanna Warner has some unusual twists that were revealed when her parents went on the syndicated Maury Povich television show.
 
Leanna’s mother, Kaelin Warner, said that Leanna came home one day with a case filled with Barbie dolls and clothes. Leanna would only say she had received the dolls and accessories from a “little old lady.” Leanna also packed a suitcase before she disappeared, and told her parents she wanted to go live at her “…new family’s house.”
 
Chris Warner, Leanna’s father, told the Duluth News Tribune that Leanna complained of monsters being outside her window, after he found her sleeping in her closet. Warner said he went outside to look for footprints but didn’t find any.
 
Police said they were aware of the Barbie dolls and Leanna’s odd behavior but they did not find any evidence that the dolls were used as a lure. The Barbie dolls were considered such low importance that, when later asked about the dolls, St. Louis County Sheriff, Ross Litman, said he didn’t even remember them. “It doesn’t ring a bell with me,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a lead of significant importance, because if it was, I would’ve heard about it.”

(The three paragraphs above are all referenced on Writertiff’s blog,  Help Find 7 Year Old Leanna Susan Marie Warner by Writertiff.)

There is really little evidence of either a kidnapping or of her just wandering off. Leanna seems to have just vanished. Her home is close to an area known as The Iron Range. If she had wandered into The Iron Range, authorities say she would likely have succumbed to the elements. A shoulder-to-shoulder surface search and a helicopter aerial search of The Iron Range, and areas around Chisholm, had no results.
 
There was, reportedly, an unidentified male, estimated in his mid thirties, seen in the vicinity of her disappearance. He was on foot, 5′10″ 155 pounds, with a dark color tattoo on his right arm, perhaps a sun or a star. Several vehicles were also seen in the area, but none of the vehicles were ever found nor their drivers identified. No one knows if any of those cars or people had anything to do with Leanna’s disappearance.
 
After her disappearance, footprints were found on the edge of Longyear Lake, a shallow lake near Chisholm and about two blocks from the Warner home. In order to look for clues, in October, authorities pumped the lake to bring the water level down, but nothing was found. The operation was halted when the lake froze over. The search continued in 2004 but no evidence was ever found.
 
There are even more bizarre twists in this case. Matthew James Curtis, 24 years old at the time, was arrested in August of 2003 on possession of child pornography. Investigators kept looking for evidence to link Curtis to Leanna’s disappearance, even going so far to check his truck for her DNA. No evidence was found that Leanna had even been in Curtis’ truck.
 
The day before his court appearance on the child pornography charges, Curtis’ body was found in a gravel pit several miles from town. Police report he took his own life by suffocation, as his body was found with a plastic bag over his head. Some theorize he did not commit suicide but was, in fact, murdered and placed to look like a suicide. There does not seem to be any evidence to support the theory.
 
In October 2003, Kaelin Warner was arrested on gross misdemeanor charges for running over her husband with her Chevrolet. He was struck in the arm and leg but was not seriously injured. Kaelin maintains the incident was actually an accident, even though she plead guilty to the charges.
 
To this day, police suspect foul play in Leanna’s disappearance. To this day, Leanna’s parents hold out hope that she is alive and being held somewhere.
 
As with any missing person case, though, keeping the case in the public eye is important to perhaps find the one piece of evidence that can unlock the case. Leanna’s case appeared on America’s Most Wanted on May 22, 2004 and remains on the AMW website. (Duplicated Below.)

In the Summer of 2005, a convicted sex offender, Joseph Duncan, began to write about Leanna in his blog. He said in his blog that, after he heard about Leanna’s disappearance, he began to track his own whereabouts on that day. “I’m always afraid of getting accused when something like this happens,” he wrote. Of course, his online denial served to attract authorities to him.
 
The blog of Joseph Duncan and his criminal history is well documented on Huff’s Crime Blog. WARNING! This entry is not for the faint of heart and contains some chilling information about this man. Huff’s Crime Blog.
 
Chris and Kaelin Warner appeared on the CBS Early Show on July 12, 2005 to discuss the development. Nothing ever developed from the lead. The Warner’s appearance is still available on the CBS News website.   Duncan’s blog is still active - you can read his entries on the Huff Website, the link is listed in the previous paragraph.
 
Chris Warner has said that he tries to get as many people as he can to read a website dedicated to finding Leanna - Help Find Beaner (Duplicated Below.)
 
“I hold on to the hope,’ Kaelin Warner told CBS News. “I made a promise when this happened. I made it to LeeAnna, that until they can physically prove to me that she’s no longer alive, I will believe that she is still here on this earth.”
 
Whatever happened to Leanna “Beaner” Warner? Do you have any evidence in this tragic case? Her family wants to know. Police want to know. Can you help bring Beaner home?

For more about Leanna “Beaner” Warner, you can visit these websites:

Help Find Beaner

America’s Most Wanted

Help Find 7 Year Old Leanna Susan Marie Warner by Writertiff

Missing Kids Clearinghouse - Leanna Warner

Rachel’s Message Board

Written by Ghost Writer · Filed Under Cold Cases, Leanna Warner, Missing Children | 5 Comments 

Where is Steven Baird?

January 11, 2008

The 33 year old man from the charming valley town of Chambersburg, PA, has been missing since January 2, 2008. Police have no leads. Friends and family have no clues. No one knows where Steven Baird has gone, why he is gone, or where he might be.
Steven Baird
Steven Baird 

Baird is the Director of Human Resources for Menno Haven, a retirement community that was founded by the Mennonite Churches of Franklin County in 1964. The Menno Haven mission statement says, “Our Mission is to enhance the quality of life through responsive Christian human services in a caring community.” Fellow employees have held prayer vigils for their missing coworker, who was hired last Summer. They are also baffled about his disappearance and are greatly concerned for his safety.

Pennsylvania State Police authorities report that Baird left home about 7:40 AM on January 2 but never made it to work. He was driving a black, 2002 Jeep Cherokee with PA licence plate FDY-1398. Family members say the Jeep had aftermarket clear tailights.

There have been reports of sightings of the Jeep, but none of the sightings have panned out.

Police say they are not ruling out foul play, but there doesn’t appear to be any reason that Baird left on his own volition, either. “There is no indication he was unhappy with his job. Everything was smooth, or at least, that’s the impression,” said Trooper David Rush, reported in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail on January 8. Rush also reported, as of that date, there had been no activity on any of Baird’s financial accounts.

Information about Baird’s vehicle, and about Baird himself, has been entered in NCIC, the National Crime Information Center. The national database is often accessed by law enforcement to find information on any case.

Even though he is entered into NCIC, Barid is not in any trouble. All authorities wish to do is locate him and verify that he is okay. With each passing day, the chances of finding him go down.

What happened to Steven Baird? If you have any information about this baffling case, you are encouraged to contact police at 717-264-5161.

The Steven Baird Thread on Help Find The Missing “New Missing Persons” forum. Please visit, read the thread and if you have any comments or information about Steven Baird, feel free to comment in the thread.

    UPDATE

The body of Steven Baird was located in a vehicle on a private logging road in Huntingdon County on Thursday, January 24, 2008. The find was made by the owner of the property. Police say foul play is not suspected. Results of an autopsy were inconclusive.

A memorial service was held on Tuesday, January 28 in Chambersburg.

Written by Ghost Writer · Filed Under Found, Missing Men, Steven Baird | 12 Comments 

The Confounding Case of Tom Smith

January 11, 2008

Thirty-nine year old Tom Smith, of Forsyth, Montana just disappeared without a trace.

On December 17, 2007 his vehicle was found in Smith Creek, about two miles from his home. His truck had run off the road and was found in a ditch. A Good Samaritan had seen the vehicle run off the road and called it in to 911, about 10:55 that night. A deputy arrived four minutes after the 911 call was made.

Vehicle Location

The deputy found the Chevy Suburban, but not a trace of Smith. The sheriff of Rosebud County says there are no signs of foul play, no evidence in his home, and he was seen in a local bar before the crash. Officials from the Rosebud County Sheriff Department say they believe Smith set out for home and became disoriented.

But did he?

County Search & Rescue, search dogs from Helena and family members searched a five square mile area but found no trace. His cell phone is GPS equiped but the phone must be turned off. There has been no activity on his credit cards. He has just vanished. Smith is a hunter and knows his way around. In fact, he is a guide in Montana, Wyoming and Alaska. His family is hoping that maybe he just took off for one of those places.

On December 30 about 100 volunteers on foot, horseback and off-road vehicles searched a seven square mile area with no success.

On December 31 the Sheriff’s Department announced it was ending the formal search. Undaunted, members of Smith’s family continued the search. In fact, on January 5 bloodhounds arrived from Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota to continue the search. Alas, the dogs were unable to find anything.

Tom’s home is about a mile and a half south of the Forsyth Country Club, shown in this satellite image.

Bloodhounds are scheduled to return as the family continues the search for Tom.

The story is being tracked here, at Help Find The Missing. You can click on the link to be taken to Tom’s case in the Missing Forum.

If you would like to add your comments to the case, please follow the link to Tom Smith’s forum and make you comments there. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Rosebud County Sheriff’s Department at (406) 346-2715.

UPDATE

The body of Tom Smith was located on April 14, 2008 in a slough about a mile west of Forsyth. An autopsy is planned but no other details are available as of this update. The story was found in the Billings Gazette.

UPDATE II

The results of the autopsy were published on April 19, 2008 and revealed that Tom Smith drowned. According to  Ryan Tooke, Rosebud County coroner, there were no signs of foul play. The story was reported by the Billings Gazette.

Written by Ghost Writer · Filed Under Found, Missing Men, Tom Smith | 1 Comment 

Someone Is Missing

January 10, 2008

Someone is missing.

To most of the world, missing persons are distant and detached. Missing persons are the subject of television dramas. Missing persons are footnotes on everyday lives, just another news story that makes little impact.

The media shows us high profile cases, like Stacy Peterson or Natalee Holloway, but only while the case is new, hot and titillating. After a few days, when there is no resolution and there are no new developments, those high profile cases just quietly fade away and disappear from the media spotlight. Once again, a missing person becomes a footnote in everyday life.

That is until someone we know and love goes missing. For every high profile case, made famous by a media splash, there are hundreds more cases of missing people that hardly anyone hears about.

When the missing person is one of our own, we cannot comprehend why the media isn’t all over our case. What makes one missing person more important than another, what makes one missing person a high profile case and not another? Why is someone the subject of media scrutiny and not our family member or friend?

No one is really sure why that is, it just is. Every missing person deserves the same attention. What someone is, or was, makes no difference. Every missing person is a daughter, a son, a mother, a father, a cousin and a friend. Those of us left behind have painful holes in our lives that need resolution.

Right here is a place where recognition is made. Here is the place where those of us left behind can tell our stories, nay, tell the stories of the missing. By telling their stories, we tell our own.

Every missing person deserves the same attention. Someone, somewhere, holds the key. That one clue or detail that could solve the case and bring our loved one home. Here is where you tell us your story. Tell us your story, tell us their story. Tell us and we’ll tell it here. Let the world know their story.

After all, someone special is missing.

Written by Ghost Writer · Filed Under Introduction | 4 Comments