Anita Hambleton, 53 MSG Since 06/10/08 From Lawrence Twshp, MI [BODY FOUND]

[Grande]

Search Continues For Missing Woman
June 12, 2008

http://i25.tinypic.com/2z6gpk4.jpg

VAN BUREN COUNTY — The Van Buren County Sheriff's Office is reporting 53 year old Anita Hambleton has been missing for more than 24 hours.

Her husband contacted authorities around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, notifying them Anita had been missing since about noon that day.

Mr Hambleton returned home around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and contacted friends and family to try and locate Anita.

K-9 units, Sheriff's Deputies, Lawrence Township Emergency Officials, and the MSP aviation unit have all assisted in the search thus far. The central location is in the 69000 Block of 56th Street in Lawrence Township, Van Buren County.

Heat sensing detection has also been used, but so far, no results.

The last known contact with Anita was through a friend on the phone at around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Anita Lou Hambleton is 53 years old, about 5'4", 180 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Mrs. Hambleton is diagnosed Bi-Polar. If you have any information on her whereabouts, contact the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office at (269) 657-3101.

http://fox17.trb.com/news/061208-wxmi-missingwoman,0,2663973.story

[lost indie]

Thanks Grande...I was just going to report this one...

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8481752

[Grande]

Lawrence woman missing
June 12, 2008 - 1:00PM

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Police and family members are looking for a woman who has been missing since Wednesday.

Todd Hambleton called the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department after he came home to find his wife gone. He was unable to find her after checking with family and friends.

Sheriff's deputies, K-9 units and the Lawrence Township Emergency Services conduced a search of the area. Heat sensing units and an aerial search were conducted, but turned up no evidence of her whereabouts.

Anita Lou Hambleton's personal belongings and vehicle were at the residence. She is described as a white female, 53 years old, with brown hari and hazel eyes. She is about five feet, four inches tall.

If you have any information on her location, please contact the Van Buren Sheriff's Office at 269-657-3101.

http://www.wwmt.com/news/woman_1350323___article.html/missing_lawrence.html

[Faith]

Police searching for 53-year-old Lawrence woman missing since Wednesday
Posted by Rex Hall Jr. | Kalamazoo Gazette June 12, 2008 14:11PM

LAWRENCE -- Police are searching for a Lawrence woman with bipolar disorder who has been missing since Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Anita Lou Hambleton, 53, has not been seen or heard from since about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when she spoke to a friend by phone, according to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office. Hambleton's husband, Todd, who was unable to find her after returning home from work reported her missing at about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, police said in a news release. Hambleton's belongings and her vehicle were at the residence when police arrived.

Sheriff's deputies with a K-9 and heat-sensing equipment and the Lawrence Township Emergency Services searched for Hambleton Wednesday near her home in the 69000 block of 56th Street, but did not locate her. Michigan State Police also searched from the air with thermal-imaging equipment, the news release said.

Police said they do not know what Hambleton was wearing when she was last seen. Police described her as a white female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, and 180 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Police ask anyone who sees or hears from Hambleton, or has information about her whereabouts, to call the sheriff's office at (269) 657-3101.
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/06/police_searching_for_53yearold.html

[Faith]

Police searching for 53-year-old Lawrence woman missing since Wednesday
Posted by Press News Service June 13, 2008 04:29AM

LAWRENCE -- Police are searching for a Lawrence woman with bipolar disorder who has been missing since Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Anita Lou Hambleton, 53, has not been seen or heard from since about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when she spoke to a friend by phone, according to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office. Hambleton's husband, Todd, who was unable to find her after returning home from work reported her missing at about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, police said in a news release.

Hambleton's belongings and her vehicle were at the residence when police arrived.


http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/06/police_searching_for_53yearold.html

[Faith]

I pray she is safe and found soon. :1222423:

[packy]

I pray she is found safe.

[Grande]

No sign of missing Van Buren County woman
Updated: June 16, 2008 05:00 PM CDT
By Joe LaFurgey

PAW PAW, Mich. (WOOD) -- Have you seen Anita Hambleton? It's a question police, her friends and family would like to get an answer to.

There's a quiver in Dana Payne's voice as she approaches the counter of the restaurant in Paw Paw. Clutching a flyer with a picture of Hambleton, she asked the manager if he's seen her.

No, he said. That's the same answer she's gotten at every stop she's made.

"You can't explain how frustrating it is. You really can't," she told 24 Hour News 8. "There aren't words to describe it!"

Crews have searched the woods and fields around Hambleton's Lawrence Township home last week after she went missing sometime Wednesday.

But they found no trace of the 53 year-old woman.

But Payne, who describes herself as sort of Hambleton's adopted daughter, is not about to give up. She's posting flyers in several Van Buren county communities.

"There really isn't anything else we can do. And that's the frustrating part because you looked. And you don't know what else to do.I mean other than this. And this seems futile. But what else can you do?" she asked, the frustration obvious in her voice.

Last Wednesday, Anita Hambleton's husband told her goodbye as he left for work. She called a friend later on that day. But that was the last anyone's heard from her.

Hambleton has bi-polar disorder. But investigators say she controls it with medication, and did not have a history of running off, or other erratic behavior.

Investigators told 24 Hour News 8 they've found no signs of a struggle in or around the home, nothing that would indicate a kidnapping or other type of foul play.

"Anita has a wonderful husband, a loving son and grandson. She would not walk out and leave them," Payne said. "I don't know what happened. And I don't want to presume, because it's not something you want to think about."

Friends and family are asking the public to please stop and take a look at the flyers.Try to remember if you've seen Anita Hambleton.

And if you have, please call the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department.

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8499674&nav=0RcdbGOk

[TigressPen]

I searched and couldn't find amy updates on Anita. Hope she is found soon. :1222423:

[Faith]

Van Buren Woman Still Missing
Comments 0 | Recommend 0
June 22, 2008 - 3:16PM

http://images.onset.freedom.com/wwmt/gallery/k2vpj3-anita.jpg

VAN BUREN COUNTY ( Newschannel 3) - The search continues for a woman who has been missing since June 11th.



Anita Lou Hambleton,53, has been missing for over a week now and her worried husband talked to Newscahnnel 3 for the first time since his wife disappeared.



The Hambleton's own 20 acres of land in Lawrence, but much of it is dense grass and woods. Searchers have looked over this entire property and others nearby, and found no sign of Anita.



"It wouldn't make sense to me for her to just up and leave," said Todd.



Over the last few day's he's had too much time to think. To sit alone at home without his wife Anita.



"Her cup and everything was right in this area, right here," said Todd as he points to where Anita's belongings were.



When he replays the events of June 11th, nothing makes sense. He came home from work, found garden tools and saw she had checked e-mail. There was no sign of a struggle. Anita had simply vanished.



"I don't want to think she was abducted," said Todd.



But with so many days passing by the mind can wonder.



"How would you feel if you came home and the guilt you would feel for not looking right away, cause I was thinking everything was ok," said Todd.



Since that day, many have looked for Anita. Sheriff's Deputies and firefighters have walked the property. They then jumped on four-wheelers to cover a wider area. More recently, cadaver dogs returned for another search.



"They didn't find her and I told them before it even started, I didn't want them to find her with a cadaver dog, that I'm still hoping, I'm still hoping that we're going to find her ok," said Todd.



But Todd knows she's gone 10 days without her medications. Anita's bipolar and has fought depression.



"I would imagine she's a mess, I imagine she's a real mess," said Todd.



But over the past days, let alone 12 years of marriage, Todd has never thought his wife would just walk away.



"She said when I went to leave that morning, that she was going to be here," said Todd.



Todd and other family members say they'll keep praying that Anita comes home alive.

http://www.wwmt.com/news/buren_1350573___article.html/missing_woman.html

[TigressPen]

I was hoping for an update but one that said she was found and safe.

[Faith]

Police still searching for missing Van Buren County woman

http://media.wsbt.com/images/Anita%20Lou%20Hambleton%200001.jpg
Anita Lou Hambleton, 53, has been reported missing from her Lawrence Township home. (Photo provided)

LAWRENCE, Mich. — Police are still looking for a 57-year-old Lawrence Township woman who vanished from her home on June 11.

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s health in locating Anita Lou Hambleton, who was last seen at her home in the 69,000 block of 56th Street.

Police, firefighters and several volunteers have extensively searched Hambleton’s neighborhood and nearby areas for her. Hambleton reportedly suffers from a bi-polar condition, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department said.

Hambleton has not been seen or heard from since about 1:30 p.m. on June 11, when she called a friend. When her husband, Todd, came home from work about 3 p.m. he became alarmed after checking with friends and family and they all said no one had seen her, according to police.

Her car and personal belongings were still at the house, including her medication to treat her bi-polar disorder.

Hambleton is 5’4" tall and weighs about 160 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel eyes.

If any one has information about Hambleton’s disappearance, call the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office at (269) 657-3101. Or call (269) 343-2100 or Crime Stoppers at (800)342-7867.

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/25617684.html

[Faith]

:bump:

[sarahhod]

ANITA HAMBLETON STILL MISSING

http://www.vanburencountysheriff.com/index.php

Sheriff Dale R. Gribler reports that on June 11, 2008, the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office received a complaint that Anita Lou Hambleton was reportedly missing from her Lawrence Township home.

An extensive search of the property and adjoining areas was conducted by Sheriff's Deputies/Detectives, Fire Department personnel from several departments, several volunteers from the community, as well as Michigan State Police helicopters and K-9 tracking dogs from the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police.

Still, Anita Hambleton has yet to be located.

She is 57 years-old, 5'4" in height and approximately 160lb. She has brown hair and hazel eyes. Hambleton reportedly suffers from Bi-Polar disorder and did not have her medication with her on the day she was reported missing.

Sheriff Dale R. Gribler is requesting that anyone with information regarding Anita Lou Hambleton please contact the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office at (269) 657-3101, 24 hours a day, or call Silent Observer at (269) 343-2100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867.

[Nut44x4]

Woman's Body Found

March 28, 2009 - 11:04 PM
LAWRENCE, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Van Buren County Sheriff's Dept. has found a woman's body in a wooded area near a swamp in the 69000 block of 56th St.

Investigators say the remains are consistent and similar in nature to Anita Hambleton who has been missing since June 11th, 2008.

There was additional concern when Hambleton disappeared because she suffered from a bi-polar condition and depression according to her husband.

Tonight a Van Buren County Detective spoke with Hambleton's family.

They say the body was found by a hiker who was searching his property right across from the Hambleton's home. The hiker says he was looking for shed deer antlers.

Van Buren County Detective Gabrielle Rought told NEWSCHANNEL 3, "The body was found in a pretty bad state of decomposition, partially clothed, but consistent with what someone would have been wearing last June."

Todd Hambleton reported his wife of 12 years went missing back in June. Throughout most of that month, K-9 units and heat sensing equipment were used to search for her body.

Michigan State Police also came in with a helicopter, but Hambleton's body was not found.

Authorities say they do not suspect foul play in this case.

An autopsy on the body will be performed Monday morning in Lansing. The Detective says it will likely require dental records to make a positive I.D.

Sheriff's Detectives are still investigating. Stay with NEWSCHANNEL 3 for the latest information on this case.

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/woman_1360758___article.html/body_lawrence.html

[sarahhod]

Remains found in Van Buren County probably those of missing woman

Posted: 5:34 PM Mar 29, 2009
Last Updated: 11:53 PM Mar 29, 2009

More than nine months have passed since 57-year-old Anita Lou Hambleton went missing. On Saturday, just five minutes walk from her home, the remains of a woman—likely Hambleton’s—were found.

Hambleton was reported missing on June 11 of last year. In the days and weeks that followed, hundreds of people spread out to look for her; canines were brought it; and a helicopter even flew overhead.

On Saturday, a nearby property owner stumbled upon the remains of a body while looking for shed deer antlers.

The remains were found in the 69000 block of 56th Street, in Lawrence Township.

Police do not expect foul play, but the investigation is ongoing. An autopsy is expected -- along with positive identification – sometime this week.

Police say Hambleton suffered from bi-polar disorder and depression. But nothing explains why she simply disappeared that day in June and never came back.

"Usually Anita liked to go for walks, in behind the residence, and this was totally across the street, and down away from the area where she usually don't frequent or go," said Sgt. Scott Schmitt of the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department.

The area, a stretch of more than 40 acres where Mark Bouman often hunts. On Saturday, as he walked along the creek looking for shed deer antlers, he saw a piece of clothing.

He went for a closer look.

"I could barely make a phone call to 911 I was so shook up,” said Bouman.

“I had no idea. The thought that it could be a human body never crossed my mind."

The body, police say, is likely Anita Hambleton – hidden from search patrols and canines since June.

"The searchers last year were very close to her and just didn't see her because the brush is so thick down there," said Bouman.

For the community of Lawrence Township – including Hambleton’s church – Saturday’s find brings closure after months of what-ifs.

"She was a great children's worker, and just had a passion for kids," said Greg Panenfus, youth pastor at Hartford Federated Church.

“Anita had great faith in God and we know that she is in heaven with God now and that’s where the closure becomes easier,” said Panenfus.

In Van Buren County, the seasons changed. Summer faded, leaves dropped from trees. Snow fell.

And still, one painful question hung in the air.

"Always wondering, always wondering, we didn't know,” said Sgt. Schmitt.

On a spring day, along the bank of a winding creek, the answer.

http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/42084767.html

[annalyzer]

Monday, March 30, 2009

Body Believed to be Missing Woman


The badly decayed body of a woman was discovered over the weekend. The disturbing discovery was made by a man looking for deer antlers off 56th St. in Van Buren County's Lawrence Township.

Investigators believe it may be the remains of 53-year-old Anita Hambleton, who was reported missing by her husband last June 11th.

The clothes and the wedding ring are hers. For now police do not suspect foul play, but an autopsy has been ordered in Lansing to try to determine the cause of death and to verify her identification.

Hambleton lived not far from the spot where the body turned up in a heavily wooded and overgrown area near a creek bed.

http://wkzonews.blogspot.com/2009/03/body-believed-to-be-missing-woman.html

[packy]

It does appear that since the clothes and ring are hers that it is Anita. I am so sorry. I wonder when they brought out the cadaver dogs did they search in that area.

[annalyzer]

He found his neighbor's body in his field

March 31, 2009 - 9:49 PM

VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Investigators are moving closer to finding out what happened to a Van Buren County woman.

Dental records have proved that the remains of a woman's body found over the weekend near Lawrence is that of 53-year-old Anita Hambleton. She'd been missing since July.

After many days of many people searching for Hambleton, one person ended up stumbling across her in the fields in Lawrence. Now that an autopsy has confirmed to family members that it is in fact her, many are hoping to put the ordeal behind them.

While dozens were out searching for Hambleton in June of 2008, Mark Bouman was at his Alamo Township home.

"I remember seeing the story," said Bouman, who found Hambleton's body, "but again it never clicked, I never saw an address. The only reason I looked at the story was because I heard the word Lawrence."

Lawrence caught Bouman's attention because he owns 48 acres there. Bouman's property is just a little down the road from Hambleton's, though the two never met.

"That actual area I probably only make a trip or two through that specific area, that specific spot, this time of year when the snow melts," said Bouman.

It was during just such a rare walk through his property that Bouman did what large search crews couldn't the summer before, he found Hambleton, just a quarter of a mile from her home. Now that dental records have confirmed that the remains are Hambleton's, he hopes it will bring some peace to her family.

"That's all I've got, it's what I cling to, so it's fortunate, and I'd like to talk to him, Mr. Hambleton, in the near future, tell him I'm sorry and put it behind us," said Bouman.

The Sheriff's Office still doesn't know the cause of Hambleton's death, they are hoping an autopsy will be able to shed some light on that in the coming weeks.

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/buren_1360862___article.html/county_neighbor.html

[sarahhod]

Body of woman missing since June found near her Lawrence Township home

By Paul Garrod
04/06/2009

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/Zwire2188/zwire/images/2009/04/story/Anita-Hambleton-missing-ole0_story.jpg

LAWRENCE TWP. - A badly decomposed body found in Lawrence Township last Saturday afternoon has been identified through dental records as that of a Lawrence Township woman who was reported missing last summer, according to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office.
Van Buren County Sheriff Dale Gribler said that from an autopsy conducted in Lansing on Tuesday, dental records confirmed it was the body of Anita Lou Hambleton. An exact cause of death has not been determined.
Gribler said an anthropologist was expected to examine the remains, and investigators are waiting for the results from a toxicology report, which is expected to take eight to 12 weeks to complete.
Gribler said the Sheriff's Office received a call around 1:50 p.m. from a Lawrence Township property owner in the 69000 block of 56th Street, saying he found what appeared to be a badly decomposed female body.
The property owner, who does not live at the site, was hunting for deer antlers (shedding), when he came upon the remains.
Gribler said the area where the body was found was along a winding creek bottom and low- land in a heavily wooded area, southeast of Anita Hambleton's residence. Hambleton, 53, had been missing since June 11, 2008.
Gribler said foul play does not appear to be a factor at this time. The investigation is on-going.
At the time of her disappearance from her residence, 69640 56th St., an extensive search of the property and adjoining areas was conducted by Sheriff's deputies and detectives, area fire department personnel and community volunteers, as well as Michigan State Police helicopters and K-9 tracking dogs from the Van Buren county Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police.
She was reported to have suffered from a bi-polar disorder and did not have medication with her on the day she was reported missing.
The Michigan State Police Crime Lab in Grand Rapids assisted with the investigation.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20293091&BRD=2188&PAG=461&dept_id=414962&rfi=6

[sarahhod]

:1222423::1222423::1222423:

[killerqueen]

I'm so glad she has been found and her family will have some closure. I just wonder if she was depressed enough to have taken her own life or if she may have fallen and been to injured to get back out of the woods.