PinkPony
03-09-2008, 06:24 PM
One year after disappearance, police still hope to find Harper.
www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/03/09/police_remain_vigilant (http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/03/09/police_remain_vigilant)
Knowing that this was the one year anniversary of Jamie's disappearance, I went looking for updates.
Needless to say I was pleased to find this one.
PP
By Will Brumleve
Sunday, March 9, 2008 12:27 AM CDT
PAXTON – One year ago today, 20-year-old Jamie Harper left her home in Paxton for a party in Rantoul, never to be seen by her family again.
After a year's worth of extensive searches in a three-county area, police still have hope they will find the missing woman, but they need the public's help.
"We know there is at least one person out there who knows what happened to Jamie and knows where she's at," Police Chief Bob Bane said. "We want to plead to them to come forward so the family can have closure to this, or locate her."
Though tips are still being received by area police officers involved in the investigation, Rantoul police Sgt. Jeff Wooten said as time passes it becomes more difficult to follow up on leads.
"People tend to forget things ... and unfortunately as time goes by, any signs that she may have been at specific locations, we lose that evidence," Wooten said. "We lose the potential of tracking her or finding her the longer this takes."
Wooten said the Rantoul Police Department, the primary agency investigating the disappearance, is aggressively pursuing all leads. Tips are still being received periodically, and he still hopes police will find Harper alive.
http://media.news-gazette.com/photos/story/news/20080308-231839-pic-156218273_th.jpg (http://www.news-gazette.com/news/photo.cfm?photoID=6469)
Jamie Harper
He said there has been a fairly consistent flow of information that would indicate Harper's disappearance was not voluntary but would not disclose if police have any suspects.
Because there are no specific locations that police intend to search, Wooten said there are no immediate plans to bring in the Texas EquuSearch Team for assistance in finding Harper. The search team successfully recovered the body of missing Sadorus woman Naomi Arnette last October.
However, "if additional information came in that would lead us to a specific location," police would call the Equusearch search team, Wooten said. "For situations like that, the more resources, the better."
In response to a tip, police most recently searched a private property and the banks of the Middle Fork River near Armstrong in Vermilion County last October.
In April, police and volunteers also searched an area in Ford County southeast of Paxton known as Dogtown, using boats, sonar equipment and dogs to search water-filled gravel pits around the secluded wooded area.
A search had previously been conducted in Champaign County at the place Harper was last seen – a residence in Rantoul – as well as roads and bodies of water in an area between Paxton and Rantoul, Wooten said.
Harper was last seen leaving a party in Rantoul during the early morning hours Saturday, March 10, 2007, and has had no contact with family or friends since. She left her mother's house with a male companion and traveled to the party the evening of March 9. Police have said the male companion is not a suspect in Harper's disappearance.
Harper, a Caucasian, stands 5 feet tall, weighs about 130 pounds, has brown hair and eyes, wears a "tribal" tattoo on the small of her back and a nose ring in her left nostril. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white jacket, sandals and carrying a black handbag.
Anyone with information about Harper's whereabouts is asked to call the Paxton Police Department (379-4315), Rantoul Police Department (892-2103), Champaign County Crimestoppers (373-8477) or the Ford County Crimestoppers hot line (784-4173). Crimestoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward.
Bane said his officers constantly think of the missing woman.
Wooten said he sympathizes with Harper's family.
"(Harper's mother) has had a pretty tough time, and certainly understandably so," he said. "We certainly would like to get this solved for her."
www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/03/09/police_remain_vigilant (http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/03/09/police_remain_vigilant)
Knowing that this was the one year anniversary of Jamie's disappearance, I went looking for updates.
Needless to say I was pleased to find this one.
PP
By Will Brumleve
Sunday, March 9, 2008 12:27 AM CDT
PAXTON – One year ago today, 20-year-old Jamie Harper left her home in Paxton for a party in Rantoul, never to be seen by her family again.
After a year's worth of extensive searches in a three-county area, police still have hope they will find the missing woman, but they need the public's help.
"We know there is at least one person out there who knows what happened to Jamie and knows where she's at," Police Chief Bob Bane said. "We want to plead to them to come forward so the family can have closure to this, or locate her."
Though tips are still being received by area police officers involved in the investigation, Rantoul police Sgt. Jeff Wooten said as time passes it becomes more difficult to follow up on leads.
"People tend to forget things ... and unfortunately as time goes by, any signs that she may have been at specific locations, we lose that evidence," Wooten said. "We lose the potential of tracking her or finding her the longer this takes."
Wooten said the Rantoul Police Department, the primary agency investigating the disappearance, is aggressively pursuing all leads. Tips are still being received periodically, and he still hopes police will find Harper alive.
http://media.news-gazette.com/photos/story/news/20080308-231839-pic-156218273_th.jpg (http://www.news-gazette.com/news/photo.cfm?photoID=6469)
Jamie Harper
He said there has been a fairly consistent flow of information that would indicate Harper's disappearance was not voluntary but would not disclose if police have any suspects.
Because there are no specific locations that police intend to search, Wooten said there are no immediate plans to bring in the Texas EquuSearch Team for assistance in finding Harper. The search team successfully recovered the body of missing Sadorus woman Naomi Arnette last October.
However, "if additional information came in that would lead us to a specific location," police would call the Equusearch search team, Wooten said. "For situations like that, the more resources, the better."
In response to a tip, police most recently searched a private property and the banks of the Middle Fork River near Armstrong in Vermilion County last October.
In April, police and volunteers also searched an area in Ford County southeast of Paxton known as Dogtown, using boats, sonar equipment and dogs to search water-filled gravel pits around the secluded wooded area.
A search had previously been conducted in Champaign County at the place Harper was last seen – a residence in Rantoul – as well as roads and bodies of water in an area between Paxton and Rantoul, Wooten said.
Harper was last seen leaving a party in Rantoul during the early morning hours Saturday, March 10, 2007, and has had no contact with family or friends since. She left her mother's house with a male companion and traveled to the party the evening of March 9. Police have said the male companion is not a suspect in Harper's disappearance.
Harper, a Caucasian, stands 5 feet tall, weighs about 130 pounds, has brown hair and eyes, wears a "tribal" tattoo on the small of her back and a nose ring in her left nostril. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white jacket, sandals and carrying a black handbag.
Anyone with information about Harper's whereabouts is asked to call the Paxton Police Department (379-4315), Rantoul Police Department (892-2103), Champaign County Crimestoppers (373-8477) or the Ford County Crimestoppers hot line (784-4173). Crimestoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward.
Bane said his officers constantly think of the missing woman.
Wooten said he sympathizes with Harper's family.
"(Harper's mother) has had a pretty tough time, and certainly understandably so," he said. "We certainly would like to get this solved for her."