Find Madeleine

Norway Massacre: Historic Church Holds Ceremony to Mourn Victims

2011-07-29T00:58:00.000+01:00

The Christian Post > U.S.|Wed, Jul. 27 2011 02:08 PM EDT
By Nia Cheney | Christian Post Contributor

NEW YORK – New York City’s historic St. Paul’s Chapel tolled the “Bell of Hope” today in a remembrance ceremony to mourn and honor Norway’s massacre victims.

New York City's historic St. Paul’s Chapel tolled the “Bell of Hope” on July 27, 2011, in a remembrance ceremony to mourn and honor Norway’s massacre victims. The bell was a gift to New York from the city of London a year after the 9/11 attacks.

Norwegian Consul Aslaug Nygard attended the ceremony to ring the bell in honor of the victims.

The ceremony took place at noon Tuesday outside of St. Paul’s Chapel, located directly across from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. During the World Trade Center recovery operation following the 9/11 attacks, the Chapel had served a half million hot meals to workers and was seen as a place of hope to city workers.

Nygard rang the bell five times to honor those who died during Friday’s attacks in Norway.

"The popular reaction to these tragic, horrific actions has been the reaction of love and compassion and peace and flowers and candles and remembrance," Norway Consul Nygard said before striking the bell. "I think there is a strong connection between what this bell symbolizes and also how people in Norway feel right now.”

"We stand together shoulder by shoulder in the darkest of times we as a nation show our neighborly love and show our compassion for the victims their families their friends and the survivors."

The "Bell of Hope" was a gift to New York from the city of London a year after 9/11. The bell has been rung previously for the bombings in London, Madrid, Mumbai, and Moscow; for the Virginia Tech shooting; and on the 9/11 anniversaries.

Norway attacker Anders Behring Breivik killed 76 and injured dozens more on Friday, July 22. The attack started with a bomb blast in the capital Oslo and continued with an hour-long shooting rampage at a camp for Labour Party teens on nearby Utoya Island.

Breivik is currently in custody in Norway and has admitted to the attacks, and claims to have been in contact with other terror cells abroad. Police in Norway are currently investigating footage of the attack, and combing Utoya Island for clues.

Norway Shooting, Bombing: Police End Search for Utoya Victims

2011-07-29T00:46:00.000+01:00

Friday one of the most horrendous massacres of people, mostly children, occurred in Oslo, Norway. The unspeakable actions of one man have left behind a horde of victims and grieving families as well as a world in shock. The article below was published in the Christian Post on Thursday, July 28.

Following Friday's devastating shooting massacre, Norwegian police have called off the search for bodies and people on and around the small island of Utoya.
Related

The conclusion of the search comes on the same day that the body of a Georgian girl was discovered at the bottom of the lake on the island.

The death toll of the massacre on Utoya stands at 68 of the 76 total victims that lost their lives in the shooting rampage and car bomb attack undertaken by Andres Behring Breivik.

Norwegian police chief-of-staff Johan Fredriksen stated in a press conference, "I can confirm that the search around Utoya has now ended. We will never stop searching if there is hope of finding people."

Fredriksen added, "The number of missing people is very low."

Other police sources alluded that so far only one person had been unaccounted for.

As police work on identifying the bodies, names of the victims will continue to be announced each day at 6 p.m. on the official police website. Many names are expected to be released on Thursday.

As of now, the names of 13 victims have been released.

Meanwhile Breivik, who has confessed to the killings, is in solitary confinement with no access to television or newspapers.

Breivik will be meeting for a second time with police on Friday following a seven-hour session on the day after the attacks. The police have not indicated what information they will be seeking from him.

Police have been condemned for taking too long to reach the scene of the massacre, as it took them upwards of an hour to arrive on the island where hordes of young children were enjoying summer camp.

In response to the criticism, Fredriksen said in a press conference, "I don't think this could have gone faster. I don't see how that would be possible with the distance and with these conditions."

Breivik was arrested within two minutes of police arriving on the island.

Paige Johnson's Mom Wants Daughter's Abductor To 'Do The Right Thing'

2011-07-29T00:32:00.000+01:00

The following information was posted by David Lohr in his blog The HuffPost on AOL news on 7/26/11 03:35 PM. Being from KY I wanted to highlight this sad story in hopes of getting Paige's story out there to even more readers.

The mother of missing Kentucky teen Paige Johnson has a message for the individual or individuals responsible for her daughter's disappearance: "I just wish they would tell us please what happened and where she is at. Have a heart and do the right thing."

In an exclusive interview with The Huffington Post, Donna Johnson of Florence, Ky., spoke of the incidents leading up to her 17-year-old daughter's abduction.

Paige has been missing since Sept. 23, 2010, when she went to hang out with a 22-year-old acquaintance named Jacob Bumpass, of nearby Taylor Mill, Ky.

The night she left, she came in my bedroom and I thought she said she was going to her sister Brittney's with a friend of hers named Jason. I let her go because I know Jason -- he lives upstairs in the same building. He has picked her up before and took her there," Paige's mother said. "My daughter left and I have not seen or talked to her again."

Roughly two hours later, at about midnight, Paige sent a Facebook message to her older sister, Brittany Haywood. Paige wrote, "GIRL. I need To Talk To You IMMEDIATELY!"

Unfortunately, Haywood never got a chance to find out what her sister wanted.

Questioned by police, Bumpass claimed he dropped Paige off at about 1 a.m. near the corner of 15th Street and Scott Boulevard in Covington, Ky., which is across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. No one has seen her since.

Donna Johnson said she is skeptical about Bumpass' story.

"She wouldn't just get out on a dark street corner four blocks from where she was going," she said. "It wasn't even on the same street. She would have had to make a couple turns, and she doesn't even know that area to know where to make the turns in the middle of the night or early hours of the morning," Johnson said.

"None of it makes sense."

According to police, Bumpass' cellphone records show his phone was not in Covington at the time he said he dropped off Paige, and that it had pinged off a tower in nearby Florence.

Cell phone records further indicate that at about 4:13 a.m., Bumpass' phone pinged a tower in Batavia, Ohio, and then again, five minutes later, off another tower near Half Acre Road in Batavia. The last location is close to East Fork Lake, an Ohio state park that is 25 miles east of Cincinnati.

After reviewing Bumpass' cellphone records, authorities decided to center their search on East Fork State Park. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, it is one of Ohio's largest state parks, covering 4,870 acres. The park's terrain "includes both rugged hills and open meadows," according to the state agency's website.

Investigators started their search by clearing the park’s 2,160-acre William H. Harsha Lake, which is more than 100 feet deep in some parts. More than 100 searchers on ATVs and horseback also spread out in the area. Nothing was found during either search.

On Oct. 4, 2010, Bumpass, who is on parole for a theft conviction, was taken into custody for violating his parole because he had alcohol and weapons in his home, authorities said.

For nearly a year, the search for Paige has continued. The Covington Police Department has not returned multiple calls from The Huffington Post, but according to Paige's mother, investigators have told her the case is "far from cold."

Bumpass has not been named as a suspect in Paige's disappearance. He remains behind bars in Kenton County Jail for the parole violation.

Paige's daughter turned 3 years old last month. Donna Johnson said the girl still does not understand what happened to her mother.

"I get her on the weekends," Johnson said. "She will ask where her mom is or say she wants to find her. It is horrible."

Johnson and her mother, Jenny Roderick, do whatever they can to raise awareness, including posting missing person flyers throughout the area -- something that recently caused a bit of a controversy when a Covington police officer asked her not to post the flyers on utility poles because it violates a city ordinance.

Contacted by The Huffington Post, Covington City Manager Larry Klein said a citizen complaint prompted the city to get involved.

"We got a complaint from a citizen about the number of flyers," Klein said. "One of our officers approached the grandmother who had been putting them up and let her know it wasn't permitted."

When local media got wind of the thwarted poster campaign, Roderick gave reporters several interviews, which, according to Johnson, caused the city to lighten up on their posting of the flyers.

"The news got involved [and] then the police chief got on there and said he wouldn't take them down," Johnson said.

While the flyer battle appears to be over, the search for Paige continues. Someone, somewhere knows what happened, and her mother is hopeful they will come forward with information.

"They need to do the right thing and let us know where she is," Johnson said. "She doesn't deserve to be thrown somewhere like a piece of trash. What if it was your sister or your daughter? Put yourself in our shoes. I beg you to tell us, I beg you."

A $3,500 reward is being offered for information regarding Paige Johnson's whereabouts. Anyone with information is asked to call the Covington Police Department at (859) 292-2222 or The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678.

A Sad Farewell

2011-07-12T20:08:00.001+01:00

It is a sad farewell to the Help Find My Child (HFMC) group. This group has worked hard to promote many missing cases and were a shining beacon for missing children worldwide.
We understand that closing the group has been not only difficult but sadly unavoidable due to changes in circumstances.

The Find Madeleine forum would like to say a big thank you to HMFC for their valuable work over the past years.

Help Find My Child - Closing

Unfortunately today I come to you with sad news - Help Find My Child will be shortly closing down. This has been a very difficult decision to take but an unavoidable one due to changes in circumstances. It’s a situation we never wanted to be in particularly so soon, with so much more needing to be done for the missing and those left behind.

Help Find My Child started in a time when social media was not fully utilized in the search for missing children, as a group before and after charity status we pushed boundaries, using technology with online communities to get word out when it was needed where it was needed world wide. We are very proud in what we have achieved and have somewhat lead the way in creating new innovative methods of spreading missing child appeals. Since our conception we have seen some of the larger organisations move in this direction and realise the potential for bringing in information by engaging with the online world.
We will be closing down our pages and referring families where appropriate to other fantastic organisations who can help in the search for their missing loved ones. Donations we will transfer to a selected charity with the same aims to make sure every penny is used as intended and can help other families.
I'd like to pass on my heartfelt thanks firstly to co directors Emma and Helen who have been outstanding in their support, loyalty, dedication and have worked tirelessly for HFMC. Our joint thanks and admiration goes out to our volunteers and supporters.
Our thoughts and prayers are forever with families and the wider missing community.
Kerry

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/article/2011/june/help-find-my-child-closing

Find Madeleine's Featured Missing Children Cases for July

2011-07-04T11:00:00.009+01:00

IVY MARIE LEINEN 11 - Poplar, Montana (USA) - 14/03/10

Case Type: Endangered Missing

DOB: Mar 2, 1999

Age Now: 11

Sex: Female

Missing Date: Mar 14, 2010

Missing City: POPLAR

Missing State : MT

Missing Country: United States

Race: White

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg)

Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown

Case Number: NCMC1143038

Circumstances: Ivy was last seen leaving a relative's home on the afternoon of March 14, 2010 and has not been seen or heard from since. She was last seen wearing a pink dress, white sneakers, and white socks with poodles on them. Ivy may be in need of medical attention.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&LanguageCountry=en_US&searchLang=en_US&caseLang=en_US&orgPrefix=NCMC&caseNum=1143038&seqNum=1

HOUA LEE 12 - Sacramento, CA (USA) - 04/05/2011

Case Type: Endangered Runaway

DOB: Aug 17, 1998 Sex: Female

Missing Date: May 4, 2011 Race: Asian

Age Now: 12 Height: 5'2" (157 cm)

Missing City: SACRAMENTO Weight: 100 lbs (45 kg)

Missing State : CA Hair Color: Black
Missing Country: United States Eye Color: Brown

Case Number: NCMC1173638

Circumstances: Houa was last seen on May 4, 2011. She may still be in the local area.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&LanguageCountry=en_US&searchLang=en_US&caseLang=en_US&orgPrefix=NCMC&caseNum=1173638&seqNum=1

ESTEBAN JOSEPH SAUCEDA 14 - Chino Hills, California (USA) - 02/05/2011

Case Type: Endangered Runaway

DOB: Sep 7, 1996

Sex: Male

Missing Date: May 2, 2011

Age Now: 14

Missing City: CHINO HILLS
Missing State : CA
Missing Country: United States
Race: Hispanic
Height: 5'1" (155 cm)
Weight: 120 lbs (54 kg)
Hair Color:Black
Eye Color: Brown

Case Number: NCMC1172703

Circumstances: Esteban was last seen on May 2, 2011. He may still be in the local area. Esteban has a scar on his abdomen. He may go by the nickname Joseph.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&LanguageCountry=en_US&searchLang=en_US&caseLang=en_US&orgPrefix=NCMC&caseNum=1172703&seqNum=1

BRANDON JEROME FINDLEY 16 - Bendale, South Carolina (USA) - 30/04/2011

Case Type: Endangered Runaway
DOB: Jun 14, 1995
Missing Date: Apr 30, 2011
Age Now: 16
Sex: Male
Race: White
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
Weight: 148 lbs (67 kg)
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Brown
Missing City: BENDALE
Missing State : SC
Missing Country: United States

Case Number: NCMC1172081

Circumstances: Brandon may be in the company of an adult male relative. They may travel to Valdosta, Georgia.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&LanguageCountry=en_US&searchLang=en_US&caseLang=en_US&orgPrefix=NCMC&caseNum=1172081&seqNum=1

NATANI LYNN DAVIS (16) & JAYDEN IZAIEH MILES SULLIVAN (1) - Buena Park, California (USA) - 29/05/2011

Case Type: Endangered Runaway
DOB: Jun 22, 1994
Sex: Female
Missing Date: May 29, 2011
Age Now: 16
Missing City: BUENA PARK
Missing State : CA
Missing Country: United States
Race: Biracial
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Case Type: Endangered Runaway

DOB: Aug 14, 2009

Sex: Male

Missing Date: May 29, 2011

Age Now: 1

Missing City: BUENA PARK

Missing State : CA

Missing Country: United States

Race: Biracial

Height: 2'2" (66 cm)

Weight: 18 lbs (8 kg)

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Case Number: NCMC1173020

Circumstances: Natani is traveling with her son, Jayden Sullivan. They were last seen on May 29, 2011. When Natani was last seen, her hair was dyed auburn but it is naturally brown. Both Natani and Jayden are Biracial. They are Black and White. Natani's nickname is Tani.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=1173020&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=2&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

JACK CAMERON MOORE 9 - Fairbanks, Alaska (USA) - 09/06/2011

Case Type: Family Abduction

DOB: Aug 30, 2001

Sex: Male

Missing Date: Jun 9, 2011

Age Now: 9

Missing City: FAIRBANKS

Missing State : AK

Missing Country: United States

Race: White

Height: 4'4" (132 cm)

Weight: 57 lbs (26 kg)

Hair Color: Sandy

Eye Color: Hazel

Case Number: NCMC1173693

Circumstances: Jack was allegedly abducted by his father, Michael Moore, on June 9, 2011. A felony warrant was issued for Michael on June 16, 2011. They may have traveled out of state.

It is believed that Jack in in the company of his father, Michael L. Moore, pictured below.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&LanguageCountry=en_US&searchLang=en_US&caseLang=en_US&orgPrefix=NCMC&caseNum=1173693&seqNum=1

‘America’s Most Wanted’ ends its long Fox run Saturday, but John Walsh is looking elsewhere

2011-06-17T11:58:00.002+01:00

By Associated Press

Published: June 16

NEW YORK — This week marks the final weekly airing of “America’s Most Wanted” on the Fox network after 23 years and 1,153 fugitives nabbed.

“I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” said John Walsh, the host and driving force of what he turned into a nationwide crime watch. “Saturday when I see the last show — that’s gonna be painful.”

But that broadcast, which airs at 9 p.m. EDT, is billed as the season finale — not the series conclusion — on the “AMW” website.

Not surprisingly, this is the same attitude voiced by Walsh.

“I’m fighting hard to keep this franchise going,” he said. “It’s a television show that gets ratings AND saves lives, and we’ll find somewhere to keep going. We’re not done.”

Speaking by phone Thursday morning, he had just arrived back in Washington from Brazil. There, he was hunting for a pedophile who has been hiding out in Rio de Janeiro for 14 years.

“He’s a fake minister who molested tons of boys in Florida,” Walsh said. “I was working with Brazilian police, and I think I’ll get this guy.”

The case will be spotlighted on Saturday’s show, and, as he spoke, Walsh was headed to “AMW” headquarters to supervise editing the segment.

He said he will make some parting remarks at the end of the show, with the promise, “We’re going to land somewhere else.”

And after that?

“I’m so used to doing what I’ve done every day for 23 years that I’m still trying to sort it all out,” he said. “But I have many, many offers, a long list I’ve got to wade through and see where we go from here.”

One possibility, he said, is News Corp. sibling Fox News Channel, which that network confirms.

Fox News chairman Roger Ailes “has had preliminary discussions with John Walsh and he’s a fan of ‘America’s Most Wanted,’” said Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti, “but nothing has been decided.”

Walsh said he hopes to have a deal in place, probably with a cable network, within two weeks.

This, of course, is the man who mounted a crime-busting crusade in the aftermath of the abduction and murder of his 6-year-old son Adam in 1981. He became an outspoken advocate for tougher laws against sex offenders, more cooperation among law enforcement agencies, and citizen involvement in flushing out fugitives.

His TV show premiered in April 1988 on the fledgling Fox network and, little more than a year later, it was the first-ever Fox program to rank first in viewership in its time slot. It’s been a fixture on the network ever since, and during the 2010-11 season, was seen by an audience averaging 5 million viewers.

So last month Walsh, 65, was “in shock,” he said, on getting the news that “AMW” had been canceled. The show is too expensive to produce, Fox entertainment head Kevin Reilly explained. The network is planning to air weekly repeats of its prime-time entertainment series in the Saturday slot “AMW” has held for so long.

“AMW” isn’t completely disappearing from the network. There will be four, two-hour specials aired next season, Reilly said in making the announcement in May.

So far, Walsh said, there have been no discussions with Fox about how and when the specials will be produced. And they won’t preserve the current “AMW” operation, with its 70-plus staff.

“I’ve got hotline operators, website guys, reporters, writers, graphic artists, engineers — we’re a full-blown news operation,” Walsh said. “One of the most painful things I’ve got to do is cut everybody loose. Now my first priority is to be sure Fox treats these people fairly, which I think they will.”

Besides offering “AMW” employees what Walsh calls a “really fair” severance package, Fox has agreed to maintain the telephone hotline and website, which are both essential for receiving tips on fugitives from the public.

Then Walsh hopes “AMW” will soon be settled in a new TV home.

“It’s very simple,” he said. “I want to catch bad guys and find missing children — and we’re not done.”

___

Online:

http://www.amw.com/

Source: Washington Post 16/06/11

PM: I've reopened Maddie McCann files

2011-06-15T00:01:00.001+01:00

BY: TOM NEWTON DUNN, Political Editor, and ANTONELLA LAZZERI

Published: 13 May 2011

DAVID Cameron has ordered the Met Police to reopen every file on missing Madeleine McCann for a full review of all evidence gathered on her.

The PM acted after the abducted youngster's parents wrote to him in an emotional open letter, published in The Sun yesterday.

Mr Cameron wrote to Kate and Gerry McCann saying he hoped "new action" in the missing Madeleine case would "help boost efforts in the search".

Clearly touched by the couple's plea for help, the Prime Minister held urgent talks on the issue with Home Secretary Theresa May.

And last night it emerged that he has ordered the Met Police to reopen all the files on Madeleine for a full review of ALL evidence ever gathered.

If the probe reveals any fresh leads over how the little girl disappeared from a Portuguese holiday apartment four years ago, a full-blown police investigation will begin.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson was last night pulling together a "sizeable" elite team of detectives for the job.

They will go over every jot of evidence "with a fine-tooth comb", a senior government official said.

A small team of detectives - drawn from the Met's specialist crime directorate - will be dispatched to Portugal as soon as possible, police sources said last night.

A force spokesman said: "We can confirm the Met has agreed, at the request of the Home Secretary, to bring its particular expertise to the Madeleine McCann case. The Portuguese authorities retain the lead."

Kate, 43, and 42-year-old Gerry had appealed to the PM in a poignant open letter, urging him to re-launch the search for Madeleine and press for a full independent and transparent review into her case.

Yesterday, on her eighth birthday, dad-of-three Mr Cameron wrote back to the desperate couple, who he met 18 months ago while Opposition Leader - and whose nightmare he has closely followed.

He said in his reply: "Thank you for your heartfelt and moving letter. Your ordeal is every parent's worst nightmare and my heart goes out to you both."

"I simply cannot imagine the pain you must have experienced over these four agonising years, and the strength and determination you have shown throughout is remarkable. I have asked the Home Secretary to look into what more the Government could do to help find Madeleine."

"She will be writing to you today, setting out new action involving the Metropolitan Police Service which we hope will help boost efforts in the search for Madeleine."

Telling them he sincerely hoped his action would give their hunt "the new momentum that it needs", the PM also promised to stay "in close touch" with the couple throughout.

He added: "I know that everyone hopes and prays for a successful outcome, and our thoughts remain with you and your family."

Madeleine, of Rothley, Leics, was abducted while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007.

Kate, whose book on her daughter - titled simply Madeleine - has been serialised all week in The Sun, admitted this week that the couple's own efforts to trace the missing girl "don't seem to be working".

She and heart consultant Gerry appeared on Sun columnist Lorraine Kelly's ITV1 show yesterday morning, where Gerry said: "We want people to read the book because it puts what's happened to us and what we are doing in context. But more than anything, we want the public to get behind the search for Madeleine like they did in 2007."

We can reveal Home Office officials have been secretly working on re-opening the hunt for Maddie for nine months.

Kate and Gerry spent an hour with Mrs May in August last year to request her help with their fruitless search.

After that, the Home Secretary quietly ordered her officials to liaise with international law enforcement agencies and do what they could in the hope of sparking a new development in the case.

Mrs May told The Sun last night: "We all want to see this beautiful little girl returned to her parents. That's why we have been doing everything we can behind the scenes."

The only British police involvement in Madeleine's case prior to last night's announcement was carried out on behalf of the Portuguese cops.

Leicestershire Police, the McCanns' local force, were the "liaison force" responsible for collating all investigation work by officers across the UK.

The British police, at the request of their Portuguese counterparts, carried out interviews with UK witnesses and also collated sightings reported to police in this country.

All the information was then sent on to Portuguese police. There was never a British investigation into Madeleine's disappearance as her abduction happened in Portugal.

The case review last night won cross-party backing in Westminster.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvonne Cooper said: "We fully back the McCanns' request for information in Madeleine's case to be reviewed.

"Any overlooked piece of this jigsaw could be important. A British child is missing, and the British authorities should do everything in their power to help in the search."

Madeleine's parents have been campaigning for a review for several years. They feel it is "crucial" to finding their daughter, fearing vital leads, sightings and other clues are buried away in Portuguese police files.

They are desperately hoping that a fresh look at the files, similar to a criminal "cold case" review, may discover something that was overlooked in the original investigation.

Gerry said: "The files are not held on a single database. By putting them all together we could discover that vital piece of the jigsaw."

All the files relating to Madeleine's case are held by the Portuguese Judiciary in Portimao - including witness statements and details of sightings.

More than 30,000 pages were released after the Portuguese investigation was shelved in 2008, but some were held back, with police insisting they could not be made public.

Last night Kate and Gerry told The Sun: "We welcome the Government's response. This is clearly a step in the right direction.

"The expertise of the Metropolitan Police is renowned and we are reassured by our government's commitment to the search for Madeleine.

"We would like to thank Mr Cameron and the Home Secretary for committing such a significant resource as the Metropolitan Police to begin the review process. We would also specifically like to thank The Sun, News International, and the general public for supporting the campaign to find Madeleine in the way they have."

t.newtondunn@the-sun.co.uk

Source: The Sun 13/05/11

For more current updates on this case see the News section of the Find Madeleine forum: http://find-madeleine.forumotion.net/t1886-news-room-discussion-11

"I feel guilty every day of my life."

2011-05-21T20:02:00.003+01:00

Woman magazine (paper edition)

In a frank, exclusive interview, Kate McCann tells Siân Merrylees how she and
her family have coped over the four years since her daughter's disappearance

Edition: 23 May 2011, Published: 16 May 2011

This week, Kate McCann, 42, should celebrating her daughter Madeleine's eighth birthday at home in Rothley, Leicester. It's been a long and painful four years for her, husband Gerry, 42, and twins Sean and Amelie, now six, since Madeleine vanished while on a family holiday in Portugal.

About four months after Madeleine disappeared, I dreamt about her. In the dream, someone at her nursery rang to tell me she had been found there and suddenly she was smiling at me and I was holding her. But then I woke up.

Waking crucified me, because holding her had felt so real. At times, I've felt as if I'd embarked on a slow, painful death.

Not knowing where your child is, how she is, who she is with, and when you will see her again is a glimpse of hell.

For the first two years I couldn't let myself relax or do anything enjoyable. I couldn't watch TV, read or go out for a meal. Taking pleasure in anything felt so wrong. With Madeleine still missing, I felt guilty that we weren't spending every second looking for her.

I also felt slight resentment in the early weeks that my husband Gerry seemed able to do normal things, like playing tennis. I couldn't understand how he wasn't totally consumed with grief. But he was just dealing with his despair differently, and now I'm glad that he did.

It wasn't until the summer of 2008, when we went to stay with my aunt in Canada, that I let myself relax. I'd had a run and was soaking in a warm bath with a glass of red wine. For the first time, I felt the full weight of our lives lift. But even as I acknowledged that, I had a wave of guilt.

Four years on, we still don't know what's happened to Madeleine. I just hope
with all my heart she wasn't taken by a child sex offender, although of course I know it's one of the possible scenarios.

In the days after her disappearance, I was tormented with a macabre slide show of images that no sane human being would want in her head. I would see her lying cold and mottled on a big grey stone slab, and awful pictures of her being torn apart scrolled through my mind.

I was desperate to talk to someone about them, and when Gerry and I took a walk on the beach in Portugal, I confided in him. Of course, he'd had similar thoughts, so we could comfort each other and it brought us even closer together.

When Gerry returned to work as a heart specialist in Leicester, in November 2007, I had a lot of time to grieve. I cried every day for 18 months, went to church several times a day and also spent a lot of time analysing our relationship. I was worried that I would never again be the Kate that Gerry had fallen in love with.

Somehow, life goes on

And as it was hard to get those horrific images out of my head, it is not surprising that the idea of sex repulsed me. But I was determined not to let the evil person who had taken Madeleine destroy anything else in our life. I knew sex is important, so I focused on what Gerry meant to me, how special he was, and the beautiful family we'd created together, and gradually worked through it.

We were determined to let everyone realise our little girl was missing but suddenly becoming well-known ourselves was difficult.

I've always been self-conscious, not one to stand out in a crowd, but now I found myself worrying that if I nipped into a shop to buy some fruit, somebody would be thinking: 'They're asking us for money for their fund, but they're buying strawberries in M&S. Why don't they shop at Aldi and save some pennies?'

And when the twins had tantrums, I wondered if onlookers were thinking sympathetically: 'All kids do that,' or judging me and saying: 'Her child looks
unhappy.' It all added to the stress.

Milestones missed

The day Madeleine was due to start school was awful, as she was so looking forward to it. On every one of the twins' milestones, from starting school to celebrating their fourth birthday (and every birthday since), I inevitably dwell on what I haven't had with Madeleine.

The twins often talk about her and we have a keepsake box next to her bed where we put pictures they have drawn, leaves they've collected for her - even the last sweet in a packet. We've been overwhelmed with gifts for her, so her room is now full of teddy bears, hand-knitted blankets and prayer books.

I go in every day to open and close the curtains, and sometimes just sit there thinking of her.

Before all this happened, I remember thinking how lucky Gerry and I were. We'd been through IVF and ended up with three wonderful children. I was so grateful. I know that other families who have lost children go on to have others and although you can never replace a child, I can see the joy can have a slightly healing effect. But for us, having another child would mean IVF treatment, and that would be a very conscious decision. And we'd be under constant scrutiny.

Sean and Amelie have always known their sister is missing, but recently we explained that a man took her. When I told Sean he couldn't stay in the car while I went into the petrol station the other day, he asked: 'Because someone might take me?'

They are very matter-of-fact about it, rather than fearful. Sean suggested we ask
the police to help us find Madeleine.

But shockingly, no official organisation is looking for her. The Portuguese authorities have priority over the case.

They shelved it in July 2008, and no one else is allowed to reopen it or work on it unless requested by them. We're currently lobbying the British and Portuguese governments to review the case, and we continue paying private investigators to
follow up leads. Many, frustratingly, come to nothing but they have to be eliminated.

The search continues

Even when there is only a couple of thousand pounds in the fund, it seems like a lot of money to me.

But when the accountant told us last year that we only had enough to cover six more months of investigations, we organised three fund-raisers. And I hope the sales of the book I've written will help with funds and bring in information.

We have to keep appealing for leads, as someone is carrying around a big burden.

Whoever took Madeleine is someone's son, cousin or neighbour. We have to keep prodding that someone's conscience until if s the right time for them to pass details on.

I've come to accept that taking time out from our search is important so, since writing the book, I am stepping back from the investigation for a bit. It will coincide with the children's summer holidays but, to be honest, I'm not sure what I will do.

I still havea restless, anxious sense that we have to be doing something to find her in every waking moment.

When we do find her, I know it's going to be a challenge, but bring it on!

We'll deal with anything. It's upsetting thinking she might be living a different life and calling someone else 'Mummy'.

And I've stopped speculating on other possible scenarios.

We had such a great four years together with Madeleine, I'm sure there's something that would help us reconnect.

We just need to be given that chance.

The Questions l Ask Myself

'There have been so many questions in my brain and there have been many days when all I wanted was to pull the duvet over my head,' says Kate.

Did the tapas bar booking tip off the abductor?

Although not usual, the receptionist at the holiday resort let Kate and friends book the tapas restaurant near their apartments for the week ahead. Kate noticed in police reports that the receptionist had left a note at the pool reception explaining she'd let them do so because they were leaving their kids sleeping alone in nearby apartments. When she saw the note, Kate was horrified as It was accessible to staff, guests and visitors to the complex, and obviously a risk'.

Who is this man?

'My friend Jane noticed a man carrying a child a few minutes' walk from our apartment the night Madeleine disappeared. A family from Ireland saw him too and all had noticed, despite the chilly night, that the child was barefoot, not covered in a blanket and the man looked as if he was not used to carrying a child.' Kate points out that if he was an innocent father, surely he would have come forward to be eliminated from the investigations.

Why did we leave the kids alone?

The listening service at the resort involved staff periodically checking on sleeping children by standing outside their doors. Kate and her friends chose to leave their children alone, but go one better and check them themselves. This is a decision they 'now bitterly regret and will do so until the end of our days'.

Was Madeleine drugged?

'The day she went missing, Madeleine was pale and tired and asked me to carry her from the pool back to the apartment,' says Kate. 'It was odd as usually she has loads of energy.' Was her daughter tired from holiday activities or had she been given something during that day - or the previous night - to make her sleepy? einforcing Kate's fears is the fact that despite the chaos, lights and screaming that went on after their sister's disappearance was discovered, the twins slept soundly on. Were they drugged too?

Was someone in the room the night before?

The day before she went missing Madeleine asked why her parents hadn't come to
them when she and Sean had cried in the middle of the night. 'I'm haunted by those words,' says Kate. 'I'm convinced someone was in their room to wake them and blame myself for not sitting down with Madeleine and drawing more information out of her.'

Why did we become suspects?

Kate and Gerry became suspects in September 2007 and were not cleared till 10 months later. Kate was incensed that while the police focused on them, the man she thinks took Madeleine was free. 'He was probably smiling and thinking: 'Keep blaming the parents and I'll keep on taking children."

What was the stain on Madeleine's top?

'I didn't think of it at the time but the day Madeleine disappeared I noticed what I thought was a tea stain on her Disney pyjama top,' she says. 'I washed it without thinking but looking back, the children hadnt drunk any tea that day and I can't remember her mentioning that she'd spilt anything.'

Does she miss her Cuddle Cat?

'Madeleine's favourite toy, Cuddle Cat, goes everywhere with me now! And when Sean or Amelie have lost their own toys, they always ask to borrow it.'

Source: Woman magazine 16/05/11

To read more and discuss this story go to our forum at: http://find-madeleine.forumotion.net/

Kate McCann: Kidnapper drugged twins night Madeleine taken

2011-05-13T21:03:00.003+01:00

Posted in the UK's Mail Online on 12th and 13th of May:

* McCanns hope book will raise £1m to be spent on hunt for Madeleine
* Parents say David Cameron has 'suffered his own loss as a father' as they make a personal plea for his assistance in hunt
* Downing Street responds, saying Government will do 'all it can to help'
* Maddie's siblings asked only yesterday: 'How tall is she now?'
* Mrs McCann: 'Kidnapper may have approached the night before snatching'
* She also revealed that she won't have any more children
* Husband says: 'As long as Maddie is missing, we will never give up search'

Kate McCann said the kidnapper who seized Madeleine may also have drugged her other two children, as she launched a new appeal in the hunt for her missing girl today.

Mrs McCann said she had to check that twins Sean and Amelie were still breathing because they did not wake as they began a frantic search for the missing three-year-old.

And the mother revealed she believes the man who snatched Maddie may have approached their Portuguese holiday flat the night before - but fled when he was disturbed.
Kate and Gerry McCann attend a press conference for the launch of Mrs McCann's new book Madeleine about her daughter's disappearance. Today would have been her eighth birthday

Kate and Gerry McCann attend a press conference for the launch of Mrs McCann's new book Madeleine about her daughter's disappearance. Today would have been her eighth birthday

Their pain: Gerry and Kate have vowed never to give up the hunt for Madeleine - and they have called for David Cameron to intervene

She carried out a fresh round of media interviews today as she publishes a new book about her daughter's disappearance, called Madeleine.

Kate and husband Gerry hope sales will raise £1million to provide continued funding for their private investigation.

More...

* Maddie's new outfit may have tempted kidnapper to snatch her, says Kate McCann

Asked if the twins had been drugged, she said on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour today: 'On the night I just remember the twins lying in the cot and not moving - with lights going on and people moving around.

'There was a lot of noise and they just didn't move and I remember several times checking for chest movements. I did feel it was a bit strange that they were not moving let alone waking up.
New outfit: Kate McCann writes that she admired Madeleine in her new pink outfit - but fears someone else did too

'I did consider with Madeleine perhaps she had been given something too.'

Madeleine disappeared from her bed on May 3, 2007, during a family holiday in the Algarve, and has not been seen since.

The mother added the morning before Maddie vanished she had been crying and complained that she had not slept.

Mrs McCann said: 'I just think it is too much of a coincidence but I never thought for one moment that there was anything sinister.'

She added: 'When we discovered she had gone it seemed very likely that someone had tried the same thing the night before.'

Today, as the McCanns mark Madeleine's eighth birthday, Kate revealed that the missing girl's siblings Sean and Amelie asked only yesterday: 'How tall is Madeline now?'

As she held her husband's knee, she said on Daybreak this morning that the family still feel the presence of the missing girl four years on.

She said: 'Madeleine is everywhere, she is with us all the time and it was only yesterday that Sean and Amelie were asking "how tall is Madeline now?".

'I was trying to explain she will be a bit taller than you but a bit shorter than her best friend.'

And in a pre-recorded interview with the BBC, Madeleine's mother, a doctor, said that medics don't stop treating the sick if they cannot diagnose the condition.

She asked: 'Why is it with a missing child you can stop going?'

She revealed this morning that she does not intend to have any more children.

The McCanns fear that potentially vital information given to Portuguese and British police has been ignored, and are calling for an independent review of the case.
Kate and Gerry McCann hope the book, which Kate has written without the help of a ghost writer, will raise £1million to go towards the private investigation

They have written to David Cameron calling for a 'transparent and comprehensive' review of all the information about their daughter's disappearance.

In their letter to the Prime Minister, published in The Sun, the McCanns wrote: 'One call might be all that is needed to lead to Madeleine and her abductor.

'To this end we are seeking a joint independent, transparent and comprehensive review of all information held in relation to Madeleine's disappearance.
'There's no evidence to say that she's dead,' said Kate McCann, with her husband Gerry, in an interview with Lorraine on ITV this morning as they launched a fresh appeal

'Thus far there has been no formal review of the material held by the police authorities.'

This afternoon they made a personal appeal to David Cameron to assist them.

Referring to the tragic death of the Prime Minister's son Ivan, Gerry told a London press conference: 'he has suffered his own loss' as a father.

A spokesman for David Cameron said he would do 'all he can' to assist the McCanns.

'The Prime Minister met Kate and Gerry McCann while he was Leader of the Opposition, and he has followed their plight very closely,' he said.

'He and the Home Secretary want to make sure the Government does all it can to help them'.

A Downing Street spokesman later added: 'We are considering what the McCanns have said and we will see if there is any more we can do. We want to help.'
Four year search: Kate and Gerry held a marathon round of interviews today as they launched a fresh information appeal four years after Maddie, then three, vanished

Four year search: Kate and Gerry held a marathon round of interviews today as they launched a fresh information appeal four years after Maddie, then three, vanished

In her new book, serialised in The Sun, Mrs McCann told of her fear that the ‘lovely’ sight of Madeleine in a new outfit may have tempted someone to kidnap her.

She said the pink smock top and shorts were bought specially for the family holiday in Praia da Luz.

Her final photo of her daughter shows her wearing the new outfit and sitting with Mr McCann, 42, and younger sister Amelie by the pool just hours before she disappeared.

In an extract from the book, Mrs McCann described Madeleine’s Monsoon shorts and Gap smock, saying: ‘A small extravagance, perhaps, but I’d pictured how lovely she would look in them and I was right.’

She adds: ‘I was following her with my eyes admiring her. I wonder now, the nausea rising in my throat, if someone else was doing the same.’

Mrs McCann told The Sun that she and Gerry remain convinced their daughter is still alive, and cannot give up just because she has been missing for four years.

She said: ‘Certainly in my heart I feel she is out there. We’ve never given up on finding her. What parent would give up on their child?’

The McCanns insist there is no evidence to say Madeleine is dead, and so they have to assume she is not.

They have embarked on a marathon round of TV appearances to rekindle worldwide interest, including an hour-long interview with Piers Morgan, televised in the U.S. last night.

Mr and Mrs McCann cling to examples of children being returned home many years after going missing, such as American Jaycee Dugard, abducted at 11 in California and freed aged 18. *Note: This should say Miss Dugard was 28 when found.*

The couple have also drawn inspiration from meeting another girl, Elizabeth Smart, who was snatched from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 14 and found after a year.

Pre-order sales of Mrs McCann’s book mean it has already topped the bestseller list on Amazon.co.uk.

All profits will go to the Find Madeleine fund, which employs a team of private detectives to comb through clues, and funds a hotline to gather information.
Missing for four years: Madeleine McCann

Distraught: Kate McCann has told of her fear that the sight of Madeleine in a new outfit may have tempted someone to kidnap her

Whirlwind: Kate and Gerry McCann speak to Lorraine Kelly this morning as they begin a new round of television interviews on Madeleine's eighth birthday

In her book, Mrs McCann also reveals that her family nearly chose to holiday at Center Parcs in the UK before making the fateful decision to switch to the Algarve instead.

‘It was the first in a series of apparently minor decisions I would give anything to change now,’ she says.

During the CNN interview, the McCanns were asked why they had not hired a nanny to look after their three children while they went out for dinner with friends.

Mr McCann replied: ‘It’s not a question of money. Child abduction is so rare. It didn’t enter our head.’

For details of ways to donate to the Find Madeleine fund, visit www.findmadeleine.com.

McCANNS APPEAL TO DAVID CAMERON IN HUNT FOR MADDIE:

Here is the full text of Kate and Gerry McCann's letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, as published in the Sun:

Dear Prime Minister

As a devoted father and family man, you know the importance of children. Our beloved eldest child, Madeleine, was abducted from Praia da Luz, Portugal, four years ago. Since then, we have devoted all our energies to ensuring her safe return.

Today we are asking you - and the British and Portuguese governments - to help find Madeleine and bring her back to her loving family.

We live in hope that Madeleine will be found alive and returned to us. One call might be all that is needed to lead to Madeleine and her abductor.

To this end, we are seeking a joint INDEPENDENT, TRANSPARENT and COMPREHENSIVE review of ALL information held in relation to Madeleine's disappearance. Thus far, there has been NO formal review of the material held by the police authorities - which is routine practice in most major unsolved crimes.

It is not right that a young vulnerable British citizen has essentially been given up on. This remains an unsolved case of a missing child. Children are our most precious gift.

Please don't give up on Madeleine.

Kate & Gerry McCann

Source: Daily Mail 13/05/11

Read more articles and comments from our forum at: http://find-madeleine.forumotion.net/t2619p30-weekly-news-beginning-9th-may-2011

McCanns Mark Madeleine Disapperance Anniversary

2011-05-04T20:25:00.003+01:00

BBC News Leceister

Published 3 May 2011

Kate and Gerry McCann Kate and Gerry McCann will mark the anniversary with family and friends.

The parents of Madeleine McCann are marking the fourth anniversary of her disappearance with family and friends.

Kate and Gerry McCann are preparing to publish their account of how she disappeared while on a family holiday in Portugal.

Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, was nearly four when she vanished in Praia da Luz, Algarve, in May 2007.

A service is being held in Liverpool, at the Roman Catholic church attended by her maternal grandparents.

Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "It will be a private day marked with family and friends. The anniversary is normally a very low-key occasion at home for them."

He added that there were no plans for them to return to Portugal for the four-year landmark.

The McCanns hope the publication of a book, entitled Madeleine, will prompt people holding vital information about what happened to Madeleine to come forward.

It was originally due to be published last week but publishers Transworld postponed the release date until 12 May to avoid clashing with the royal wedding.

The official Portuguese inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance formally ceased in July 2008 but private detectives employed by the McCanns have continued the search for the missing child.

Source: BBC News Leceister 03/05/11

Madeleine McCann: time to forget?

2011-04-26T18:01:00.005+01:00

The Telegraph

26th April 2011

By Olga Craig

As the fourth anniversary of Madeleine McCann's disappearance approaches - and coincides with a new book written by her mother, Kate - Olga Craig returns to Praia da Luz to see how the Portuguese resort has put the incident behind it.

It is the spiritual sanctuary to which Kate and Gerry McCann return time and time again with each passing year. Usually their visits are in private, occasionally with close relatives. But it is here, in the tiny, white-washed 17th-century church of Our Lady of Light, overlooking the sea in Praia da Luz on the Algarve, where the couple feel closest to Madeleine, their cherished oldest child, who next month will have been missing for four years. Here is where Kate, especially, in the words of parish priest Father Haynes Hubbard, her Portuguese pastor and confidant, “comes back to cling to the hope that their daughter will come home”.

The church has always been where the McCanns and their supporters have gathered, particularly during those dark days following May 3 2007 when Madeleine, then just days short of her fourth birthday, vanished from the family’s holiday apartment in the seaside village. It has been here they have found succour and strength. Here that they still hope one day to return to give thanks and salvation for the safe return of their child, who will turn eight next month.

Yet today, as another agonising anniversary looms for the McCanns, there is, surely, something missing? While the congregation prays daily for Madeleine, the photographs of the little girl, forever frozen in time as the chubby-cheeked, gap-toothed toddler she was when she vanished, are nowhere to be seen. Once, they adorned the walls and pews. “Find Madeleine” posters, replaced when they faded, were pinned near the altar and yellow and green ribbons, symbols of the campaign launched to search for her, adorned the porch. Now there are none.

“There are pictures of Madeleine in the church,” Fr Hubbard says hesitantly. “But you can’t see them, they are hidden. They are not on display. People were hurt and scarred by everything that was said and done and it has frightened them off. Many are now cautious to openly display their hope.”

He is wary; uncomfortable, perhaps. He chooses his words with care. For while he – and many in his congregation – continue to pray in hope rather than in despair, the sad truth is that Madeleine McCann has become an awkward, painful and, perhaps unpalatably, at times taboo topic in Praia da Luz. Tragically, though perhaps understandably, the overwhelming atmosphere here is of a community uncomfortable with its connection to a lost little girl. Some have simply airbrushed her from memory while others, who at the time were highly vocal in the “Find Maddy” campaign, now distance themselves.

A few, one suspects, feel guilty that the locals did not handle the disappearance in a more organised – and less hysterical – manner. As Inez Lopes, editor of the local newspaper, Algarve Resident, points out: “People want to move on, not be forever attached to or identified with Madeleine. Of course we still feel for the McCanns but we want to be associated with a happier place. Frankly, it was an isolated incident that could have happened anywhere in the world. Right now Portugal is in the grip of a financial crisis. In Praia da Luz the feeling is that it has hurt our local economy. Tourism was affected by it, businesses closed. I don’t think the local business community can be blamed for wanting to return to being nothing more than a holidaymakers’ haven.”

Many of the principal characters in the case – which saw the McCanns by turn being comforted and protected by the Portuguese and expatriate communities alike as grieving parents; then vilified and shunned when they were, wrongly, accused of being involved in the disappearance – have moved on. Others want to banish all reminders of Madeleine’s existence and some openly display anger that this once prosperous tourist town is now synonymous with the abduction and possible murder of a child. Just a month ago, fresh posters were either torn down or had paint splattered over them within 24 hours. Reluctantly the McCanns have accepted that their campaign reminders are no longer welcomed by many locals.

And while no one would deny that the McCanns have borne the brunt of the anguish and opprobrium, they are not alone in that suffering. Within weeks of Madeleine’s disappearance Robert Murat, a British expatriate who had made Praia da Luz his home, was under investigation. The villa he shared with his elderly mother Jenny was searched by police and sniffer dogs and its grounds dug up. Mr Murat was questioned repeatedly by police and became the public scapegoat for the international outrage over Madeleine’s abduction. He was vilified in print, spat at in the streets and besieged in his home. In time, he too was exonerated. The scars of his public savaging, however, remain. These days he is rarely seen in public in Praia da Luz. He has since married his long-term girlfriend Michaela (she, too, was wrongly accused of involvement) who eight months ago gave birth to their son, Benjamin.

“No one wanted to know how I felt, or what I was going through at the time,” he says with an understandable trace of bitterness. “From my perspective, I have a new life with my wife and baby son.”

None the less, Mr Murat and his family have found it difficult to return to anonymity. “It’s still talked about here. All the time. But everyone is more cautious, less willing to take events at face value,” says Tuck Price, a close friend of Mr Murat and his staunchest supporter when he was wrongly accused. “Madeleine’s disappearance is an uncomfortable reminder that perhaps we had all become too complacent. Just last week I had my four-year-old nephew and his 12-year-old sister staying. And yes, I was more vigilant. I kept a closer eye on them than maybe I would have before Madeleine disappeared.’’

Mr Murat’s aunt and uncle, Sally and Ralph Everleigh, were also hounded during the spell he was under suspicion. Though they were never accused of any involvement they were harassed and cold-shouldered: for nothing more than being deemed guilty by association. “It was a horrendous time,” Mrs Everleigh recalls. “Our house was bugged, our phones tapped. Of course the McCanns have suffered a tragedy that they will never be able to come to terms with. How could they? But the stress of the whole situation made my husband ill. We suffered in our own way.” Little wonder, then, that each year, as the May 3 anniversary approaches, the couple leave their home and spend a few weeks in Gibraltar to escape the attention.

There are many in the tourism trade, too, whose businesses have been affected by what Ms Lopes describes as the “double whammy of the recession and the Maddy effect”. Several shops are boarded up and closed, and the resort seems a little more shabby, a little more down-at-heel. Restaurant owners mutter or grimace dismissively when asked how they have been affected. “Badly,” is the morose, monosyllabic response of one café owner. “We don’t want to talk about it,” say most. “We want the holidaymakers back.” It hasn’t helped, naturally, that Portugal’s weather is currently unseasonably poor. Last week, Praia da Luz was lashed with torrential rain, its few tourists forced to huddle in cafés clad in sou’westers and gumboots.

Mrs Ruth McCann (no relation) who owned the 5a apartment that was rented to the McCanns through the Ocean Club complex from where Madeleine was snatched, has tried for two years to sell. Though she dropped the price to £255,000 (£50,000 less than similar properties sell for) she didn’t have a single inquiry. The flat has lain unoccupied since the McCanns left it to return to their Leicestershire home in Rothely in September 2007. And it shows. The varnish on its front door has become faded and stripped by the sun; its garden is overgrown and the hedge, in contrast to those adjacent, is unkempt and bedraggled. “I keep asking the Ocean people to cut it,” says Ian Fenn who inherited the apartment above from his mother, Pamela, who died last month.

Mr Fenn, who lives in England, visits the flat monthly and has witnessed its transformation from white-washed holiday home to a ghoulish, run-down tourist attraction. “There are always tourists who stand outside and get their friends to take their photograph outside 5a,” he says wearily. “They find some ghastly attraction in being pictured at the spot when a little girl was abducted. Gerry McCann did come up to apologise to my mother for all the unwanted attention – which was incredibly kind as he has endured a grief and pain that no parent should ever have to withstand.”

There have been subtle changes, too, in the Ocean complex. On the night their daughter was snatched, the McCanns and seven other British couples in their party, dined in the complex, leaving all their children – in adjacent apartments – alone. They did not lock the doors, fearing the children would be trapped should a fire break out. Neither did they pay for a baby-sitting service, saying they didn’t want to leave their children with strangers. Instead, in a decision that will forever haunt the couple, they opted to take turns checking on all the sleeping children at half-hourly intervals. Today, the dining area has been turned into a pizzeria and is no longer open in the evenings. And though the McCanns have received world-wide sympathy, they know that those fateful decisions will always be questioned.

In the complex several British families, hoping to escape what they believed would be brisk Easter weather at home, were holidaying in the Ocean complex last week. Mike and Liz Atwood from Birmingham and their three children – Toby, 12, Lucy, nine, and four-year-old Tom – were among the few who braved the pool during the brief spells when the monsoon-like rains ceased. The family has holidayed in Praia da Luz many times and though Madeleine’s disappearance disturbed them, they have opted to return each year.

“But, of course, we are more vigilant,” Mrs Atwood admits. “This is a friendly, family-orientated resort and the Portuguese are well-known for how lovingly they treat children. But we just don’t let the kids out of our sight. We wouldn’t dream of going out for dinner and leaving them alone. I don’t mean to be critical of the McCanns. All parents can empathise with how grief-stricken they are. How bitterly they regret those decisions. They are paying a dear and heavy price and no one would wish it upon them. It has certainly made us be more attentive.”

On Praia da Luz’s beach, too, parents keep a keen eye on their children. Between heavy showers, as some played in the sand clad in stout boots and raincoats, their mothers shivered on the sea front watching them. “I don’t even want to sit in the café where it’s warm,” one said. “I would rather get wet and cold and know they are safe.”

Among the local Portuguese community too there have been many whose lives have changed immeasurably since Madeleine's disappearance. None more so, perhaps, than Gonçalo Amaral, who initially headed the botched and woefully inadequate police investigation. Since being dropped from the case, he has become a thorn in the McCanns’ side. While Kate awaits the launch of her own book on May 12 (Madeleine’s birthday) in which she tells the story from her perspective, and the proceeds from which will hopefully boost the vastly depleted Find Madeleine campaign, she and husband Gerry face a renewed legal battle with Amaral. They had already clashed over his sensationalised and dubious account of events, cryptically entitled The Truth of The Lie in which he attempted to justify his decision to brand the couple as suspects, which the McCanns called “mistaken” and aired his highly speculative theory that Madeleine died in apartment 5a. When he was barred from publishing it, he set about writing another which is also timed to launch near Madeleine’s birthday.

This weekend, while he refused to comment on his book, his wife Sonia defended his decision to publish a second. “Gonçalo has worked hard on this book,” she said. “He has spent days and nights assessing the evidence. In it he will say his investigation was cut short and he will explain what he would have done if he had been allowed to continue.” The timing of the publication, she insisted, was “coincidental. We are not trying to cash in on the anniversary”.

None the less, the timing will be hurtful for the McCanns who had hoped their court battles had dissuaded him from further comment. “It’s just one more painful thing they must face,” says one relative. “Quite why he wants to hound them when it has been proved definitively that they are completely innocent, no one knows.”

This weekend, while the congregation of Our Lady of Light held traditional Easter services, doubtless many said silent prayers for Madeleine, although she was not mentioned by name. Many will leave the village for the anniversary, others intend to make an appearance at the vigil in the church on May 3. In their home town of Rothely, Kate and Gerry will be steeling themselves to attend their fourth service that marks yet another year without a trace of Madeleine.

Both vigils will be emotion-filled. Prayers will be said, fervent hopes for a happy outcome – which, with the passing of time, becomes ever less likely – voiced. In Praia da Luz, however, quietly and behind the scenes, one man will spend the day remembering Madeleine in a more practical way. David Edgar, the Ulster-born ex-police officer whose Alpha Group Investigations has taken over the search, will hope that the anniversary – and publication of Kate’s book – will jog a long-forgotten memory.

That finally there will be a resolution to what has become an enduring mystery: the whereabouts of Madeleine McCann.

Source: The Telegraph 26/04/11

Four years on, Maddie search hits inboxes

2011-04-09T23:40:00.003+01:00

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tim Barlass

April 10, 2011

Photo: Reuters

THE family of missing English girl Madeleine McCann are aiming to reach 80 per cent of the world's inboxes in two weeks with a viral email and photo reminding people of her disappearance.

The picture shows the distinctive imperfection in her right eye which her parents hope could be the vital clue to her discovery.

Madeleine, aged four at the time, went missing four years ago next month while the family were holidaying in Praia da Luz in Portugal.

Her aunt Phil McCann said: ''I am asking everyone I know to send this as a chain letter as the story is only being covered in Britain, Eire and Portugal. We don't believe she is in Portugal any more.'' Another aunt, Diane McCann, said: ''The purpose of this is to highlight the distinction in Madeleine's eye where the pupil runs into the blue-green iris.'' She said Madeleine's hair could be cut or dyed.

Maddie disappeared from her bed as her parents Gerry and Kate dined in their holiday complex.

Publication of a book about their daughter's disappearance has been delayed to avoid clashing with the royal wedding on April 29.

All proceeds from the book will go to the McCanns' official search fund.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald 10/04/11

It's Been Three Long Years!

2011-04-01T19:17:00.001+01:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

View Amy's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

EX-COP IN MADELEINE MCCANN BOOK BID

2011-03-27T19:17:00.004+01:00

Daily Star Sunday

27th March 2011

By Daily Star Reporter

THE police chief sacked over the bungled hunt for Madeleine McCann is trying to get his once-banned book published in Britain.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Star Sunday, Goncalo Amaral said he is desperate to have his account of the search on sale in the UK.

And he welcomed Kate McCann’s book about her daughter’s disappearance, which is to be released soon.

Mr Amaral claims that Madeleine died in a Praia da Luz holiday apartment in Portugal.

Earlier this month he had an injunction banning the sale of The Truth Of The Lie lifted by the Portuguese courts.

He said: “I have the right to publish any book in the UK and the British people have the right to be able to read and know about what may have happened on the night of May 3, 2007.”

It was then that Madeleine, aged three, vanished from the apartment and has not been seen since.

Last night the McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell said they would be making no comment about Mr Amaral’s plans.

Mrs McCann’s book, simply titled Madeleine, is due out on what would be the child’s eighth birthday, May 12.

Any proceeds will go towards funding the family’s search for Maddie.

Source: Daily Star Sunday 27/03/11

Kate and Gerry McCann's fundraising page

2011-03-22T22:53:00.002Z

Fundraiser: Kate McCann

My page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/KateMcCann2

Thank you for visiting our fundraising page.

It is hard to believe that a whole year has passed since we ran the last Miles for Missing People. We are running this year to remember our Madeleine and all children who are missing. We hope and pray that they come home safely. We are very glad to be supporting the charity Missing People once more, and helping them to continue to be a lifeline when someone disappears.

Miles for Missing People 2011

02 April 2011

Event details

Are you looking for a new challenge? Join hundreds of other runners and families of missing people on this beautiful run around Regents’ Park, London to raise money for Missing People. Miles for Missing People 10k (6.2miles) is a great event for experience runners and first timers alike - there is even a two mile Fun Run for children and families who want to take part together. All proceeds will help Missing People provide a lifeline when someone disappears.

"Miles for Missing People was a great event. It was a fantastic course, really well organised and had a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I will be back next year!"
2010 Participant

Kate's book helps search for Maddie

2011-03-16T17:14:00.000Z

Sunday Express (paper edition)

13th March 2011

'Dead' British woman found alive after 57 years

2011-03-10T23:43:00.000Z

Yahoo! UK News

10th March 2011

A missing woman who was presumed dead has been tracked down and reunited with her family 57 years after she mysteriously vanished.

Florence McLellan, 74, who is originally from the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester was found alive and well in Islington, London by police detectives following her disappearance in the '50s.

Unbeknownst to her family, 17-year-old Florence escaped from Brockhall mental institution in Lancashire and fled 200 miles to London in 1954, changing her name to Diane Roberts.

She had been sectioned by her parents after giving birth to a son out of wedlock, and was forced to give the baby for adoption.

Her extraordinary discovery was made possible when the missing woman's surviving relatives responded to a media appeal for information after suspecting that a skeleton dug up by builders in a car park in Manchester city centre last year could have been Florence's.

According to Greater Manchester Police, DNA tests ruled her out as the body and were able to crack the case after a year-long missing person's investigation leading them to her astonishing finding in the capital.

Florence, a mother-of-two and a grandmother-of-five told the Manchester Evening News: "I was really worried when I got a phone call from the police because I thought I would be sent back to Brockhall. I'm so relieved I don't have to go back. This has all come as such a shock but it has been a weight off my shoulders."

Son Glyn Roberts, 47, added: "Our worlds have been turned upside down by this. I always thought I was my mum's first born. I feel like I'm just beginning to get to know my mum again. There have been tears and cuddles but she is the victim in all of this."

The Roberts family now want to trace son, Joseph, who was put up for adoption 57-years-ago.
DCI Joanne Rawlinson, who is leading the investigation into the murder, said: "Things like this make the job worthwhile. Out of the sad set of circumstances we are investigating there has been a happy outcome for this family."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police told Yahoo! News that they were continuing with their enquiries into the identity of the remains found in the car park.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Major Incident Team on 0161 856 4337 or 0161 872 5050.

Written by Gaby Leslie

Source: Yahoo! UK News 10/03/11

Fresh hope for mother of Ben Needham as British police may investigate 1991 Greek snatching for first time

2011-03-02T22:51:00.002Z

Daily Mail

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 4:23 PM on 28th February 2011

The disappearance of toddler Ben Needham may be investigated by British police for the first time, two decades after he was snatched in Greece.

Prime Minister David Cameron gave his mother Kerry, 39, fresh hope when he lent support for a new investigation.

No trace of the 21 month old was ever found after he vanished from Kos on a family holiday in 1991.

Mystery disappearance: Ben Needham was just 21 months when he was seized in Kos, right. Left is a computer generated image of what he might look like now

Mystery disappearance: Ben Needham was just 21 months when he was seized in Kos, right. Left is a computer generated image of what he might look like now

__________________________________________________________________________________

Kerry, 39, believes that her son was abducted and then sold for adoption. Now South Yorkshire Police could be called in to investigate the two decade old bungled probe.

The mother is also calling for Greek police to re-open the investigation as Mr Cameron signaled to her in a letter that British police could investigate.

Kerry told the Sunday Express: 'I have written to every Prime Minister since Ben went missing and have received run of the mill replies.

'Mr Cameron's response seems the most sincere. His letter felt like he really sympathises me.'

Kerry last visited the popular tourist island in 2008 – but has no intention of going back after being rebuffed by the authorities.

Mr Cameron wrote to her: 'I can promise you that South Yorkshire Police will have the support of the government and our embassy in Greece in pressing for whatever information or co-operation they require.'

A new artists impression of what Ben might look like has been released today that shows what he might look like.

Kerry will mark the 20th anniversary of the disappearance on July 24 this year.

Ben and his mother were staying with his maternal grandparents Eddie and Christine Needham in Iraklise, Kos, when he disappeared.

The toddler was seized within moments of him going to play outside a farmhouse, which his grandfather was renovating in the village of Iraklise.

Kerry was working as a waitress on the island at the time.

She has a 17-year-old daughter Leigh-Anna and married Craig Grist in 2006.

Source: Daily Mail 28/02/11

View Ben's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

----------------------------------------
Please sign the following petition:

We, the undersigned, request that the UK and Greek Governments and Police Authorities work together to re-open and re-investigate all previous and current leads regarding Ben's disappearance.
We request that the UK Prime Minister, Mr David Cameron liases with his Greek Counterpart, Mr George Papandreou to co-operate fully together in ensuring investigations are carried out properly and effectively.

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/42827.html.

Inmate Arrested Over Child Killer 'Murder'

2011-02-23T16:48:00.002Z

Sky News

1:15pm UK, Wednesday February 23, 2011

Jon di Paolo, Sky News Online

A 35-year-old inmate has been arrested on suspicion of murdering child killer Colin Hatch at a maximum-security prison.

Child killer Colin Hatch

Hatch died following an incident at Full Sutton jail near York on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old was jailed for life after being convicted of killing a seven-year-old boy while on parole for a previous child sex attack.

A Humberside Police spokesman said: "Officers from Humberside Police are currently investigating a prisoner death at Full Sutton Prison.

"A 38-year-old male prisoner died in the incident. A 35-year-old male prisoner has been arrested on suspicion of murder."

"Never again must a family have to suffer this experience and never again must Colin Hatch be released back into our community."

Victim's mother Lynn Williams after Hatch was jailed

Jailing Hatch in January 1994, Judge Nina Lowry said he was "highly dangerous" and told him it was not possible to envisage a time when he could be released safely.

Unemployed Hatch, then 21, had smirked when he heard the jury's verdict.

Just over two years earlier, he was jailed for three years for assaulting a boy of eight - and his lawyer warned he could kill when he was released.

Within 11 weeks of being paroled in April 1993, he abducted, sexually assaulted and then choked to death Sean Williams after luring him to his tower block home in Norfolk Close, Finchley, north London.

A postman discovered the youngster's body taped up in bin liners and dumped in a lift.

His conviction prompted a review of parole and probation for those convicted of sex crimes, with Sean's mother and father, Lynn and John Williams, saying others had to take some of the blame for their son's death.

Speaking at the time, Mrs Williams said: "Never again must a child be murdered by a pervert.

"Never again must a family have to suffer this experience and never again must Colin Hatch be released back into our community."

The two-week trial heard fantasies "involving abduction, sexual abuse and the killing of young children" written by Hatch were found in a wardrobe in his mother's bedroom after his arrest.

Hatch had a string of previous convictions from the age of 15 for attacks on six young boys.

At his previous trial for indecently assaulting the eight-year-old boy and choking him until he lost consciousness, psychiatrist Dr Anthony Wilkins recommended that Hatch was a "menace to the public" and should be sent to Broadmoor top security hospital.

But Broadmoor had not considered Hatch dangerous enough at the time, Dr Wilkins said.

Instead he was jailed for three years, as the judge was given no alternative.

Source: Sky News 23/02/11

Mothers United

2011-02-17T19:32:00.002Z

A Character Study Of Psycopaths

2011-02-11T23:22:00.001Z

This post focuses in on psycopaths and how they manage to hide amongst us; people like H. Olaf, the murderer of little Mirco Schlitter. He was known by friends and family as a husband and family man with children of his own! Many times psycopaths/pedofiles can blend in well in society and yet maybe not as well over time with their close family and friends. It is important to recognise these predators living amongst us whenever possible and our guest writer, Sarah Tate, has not only her personal experiences to share with us, but has written two books about them, Web of Lies - My Life With A Narcissist and Renaissance - A Journal of Recovery.

"I’m currently reading Dark Souls by Sarah Strudwick, and I’m struck by the blatant and brazen behaviour of her psychopathic ex, as described in the book. There were definite and tangible ‘red flag’ moments for her which she chose, at that time, to ignore for a range of personal reasons (mainly due to her past history of abuse and low self-esteem at the time she was in the relationship).

It struck me how very different our two exes were, yet at the same time so very similar in their thought processes and behaviour patterns. One is ‘in your face’ the other a ‘slow burner’ but both are equally as dangerous.

In my own relationship, there were also a great many red flags, but they were subtle enough for me to overlook at first. It wasn’t until time had passed and they built up that they became more obvious. There were lies and inconsistencies in the stories told to me, particularly relating to his past, but nothing that was so sensational, that it became instantly unbelievable. It was gradual.

There was nothing brash, brazen, or remotely violent about my experience. There was no anger, rarely a raised voice (from him) and at no point did I feel threatened by, or scared of, him.

At the time I knew nothing about passive aggressive behaviour and I’d never heard of gaslighting, so I inevitably believed that many of the problems were my own, and for the most part blamed myself for the persistent misery in which we lived.

When I look back now, I see my marriage to a psychopath like being in a psychological slow cooker. The ingredients for disaster were all there right from the very beginning, but it took time for the heat to really build up and the ensuing chaos to erupt. Even when it did, he remained calm, distant, cold and unassuming. A psychopath doesn’t need to be wielding his fists or a weapon to be dangerous. I feel that is a common misconception.

I knew I was on the ‘burner’ from very early on though. I could feel the heat building in the form of my own disquiet, and his growing distance and ultimate disdain. But the ‘light bulb moment’ only occurred at the very end when the whole world was crumbling around my ears.

The first ‘moment’ (as I describe in Web of Lies) came when he took money set aside to feed the children and booked a five star hotel to entertain his new girlfriend in. When I confronted him about this, he told me he felt entitled to a ‘break’ in a lap of five star luxury, despite the fact he knew we had no money to feed our kids. Upon realizing what he’d done, it occurred to me for the first time that the man had serious psychological issues. I knew no normal parent could do that to their own children, so it had to be that he wasn’t ‘normal’. This was the first time I considered he might be mentally unstable.

The second ‘moment’ came after the split when he seriously suggested we divide the children between us as though they were ornaments or assets of some sort. In that moment, when he made the suggestion, I looked into his eyes and saw there was nothing behind them. There was no ‘light’ there. And that’s when I knew I was dealing with a person without feeling or conscience. A person who could not love, or be loved.

After that, things started to finally fall into place, as I began to arm myself with knowledge and get therapy for the damage created by years on the ‘slow burner’.

As Dr David Holmes recently said to me about my books ;

“It’s so important to realise that these people do not visit the doctors and be diagnosed. They have to be identified and exposed by those close to them, which is hard, and anything that makes it easier will limit the damage done”

This is exactly why sites such as Waking You Up are needed to help men and women in relationships with these people to spot the red flags, and enable them to have their ‘light bulb moments’ before it’s too late. These men and women do not walk around with ‘I am a psychopath’ written across their foreheads. Only by learning how to spot the signs, and sharing our experiences, can we raise awareness of this problem in our society.

In some cases, these ‘light bulb moment’s come when we recognize our own frailties and weak points, and realize that we have become a magnet for a certain type of personality. Only by recognizing this in ourselves can we make the changes required to ensure we never allow another one of these people into our lives.

In other cases (like mine) the devil is literally hidden in the detail, and it can take time on the slow burner before we finally acknowledge and accept what we’re dealing with. As I said, the psychopath does not need to necessarily be a physical threat to pose a formidable danger to our well-being . The slow burners are equally as dangerous.

Wake up."

Safer Internet Day, Tuesday 8 February

2011-02-07T23:23:00.005Z

7th February 2011

It’s more than a game, it’s your life – that’s the message to youngsters as South Yorkshire Police gives its support to Safer Internet Day.

Most children and young people growing up today experience the Internet in a positive and creative way. With over 500 million active users of Facebook and over 13 million players of online games such as World of Warcraft, the Internet has become a place for learning, playing and socialising.

Unfortunately, the internet can also be used negatively for bullying or threatening behaviour. This is why South Yorkshire Police (SYP) is supporting the '2011 Safer Internet Day’, which will take place on Tuesday 8th February across the country.

The ‘Safer Internet Day’ is organised by INSAFE, who promote safe, responsible use of the Internet and mobile devices to young people and the message this year is ‘it’s more than a game, it’s your life’.

Children and Young People's Officers will be visiting local schools to deliver Internet safety advice to young people to help them stay safe while using the Internet for homework, playing games and staying in touch with friends.

Advice from South Yorkshire Police is:

• Never give out personal details over the Internet such as mobile phone numbers.

• If using chat rooms use a nickname to protect your identity.

• Never arrange to meet anyone you have met online.

• Remember, it is not necessary to put your full details on social networking sites such as Facebook and always alter your privacy settings to allow only your friends to view your profile.

• Most importantly, it is vital to report anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Police also advise parents to try to keep the computer in a communal area, where you can easily monitor what your children are viewing.

Source: South Yorkshire Police 07/02/11

R.I.P little Mirco may the angels look after you

2011-01-29T20:38:00.048Z

You may recall my article on this blog called :

Madeleine vs Mirco - so close, and yet so far away

In this article I explained the story of a little missing boy Mirco, aged 10, and how the investigation was progressing in the search for him. I found it very disturbing, and came to the conclusion then already, that these things happen on my doorstep.

Almost 5 months of non-stop investigating and searching, 146 days after Mirco went missing, the tragic news of his death and the circumstances surrounding his death, has been announced, as well as the arrest of a suspect. During these entire 5 months, I had the feeling this case was not going to end well, but I kept my hopes up. A child doesn´t just disappear; he had to be somewhere ! Even the chief policeman, Ingo Thiel, had promised the boy´s parents, that he would find him, and he did.

Little Mirco´s body was found, after the suspect admitted to the crime and finally told the police where his body lay. The story is quite complex, as to how the investigaters puzzled the case together, having had over 9000 tip-offs from the public, and especially one witness who gave the most important information, having seen the perpetrator stop on the side of the road, wait for Mirco to drive past him, stop him and force him into the car. This witness could describe the car in which Mirco was taken, easily.

From then on, a VW Passat of a particular model was being looked for, and over 1500 of those type cars were searched, to no avail. Not a lot more information was given out to the public, in order not to jeopardize the ongoing case. However, a third piece of clothing was found shortly after the car type was announced, and in December Mirco´s mobile phone was also found.

For a long time after, it was silent, and nothing more was said about the case at all, until this last Wednesday 26^th January 2011.

An arrest was made at 6am on Wednesday morning, and by lunchtime of the same day, Mirco´s body was also found. A 46 year old family man of three children, was arrested. Nobody knew who he was or where he was from at that point; all I knew was that Mirco´s body had been found, and I felt a very strong pang of sadness….. I had so hoped……

This man apparently seemed relieved when the police arrived to take him away; he´d obviously been waiting for it to happen, as the psychologists explained that a person committing such a crime is too coward to own up, although according to neighbours where he lived, he appeared to be well integrated in his family life, just nobody had the slightest idea that he could have been a murderer ! There is even a local policeman who lives next door to him, who had discussed the disappearance of Mirco at a party, and did not have a clue !

After this man ( he has been named Olaf H. ) had been heard and Mirco´s body found, the replay of events of the 3^rd September 2010 came to light,and these are shocking ! Olaf H. claims that occupational stress motivated him to seek someone weaker than himself and give him the feeling of control , after his boss had rattled him that afternoon on the phone. He drove around aimlessly for a long while, until at around 10pm he came across Mirco riding alongside the road on his bicycle. He overtook the bicycle and stopped ahead and waited until Mirco rode by. This is the point the bicycle was found, and where the important witness noticed the car.

Olaf H. drove approx. 12 kilometers until he came to a forest; undressed the boy and sexually abused him. Realizing he could not just let the boy go, he strangled him and left the naked body lying in the undergrowth. He then drove off and on his way dumped some of the clothing in one place and more elsewhere, and threw the mobile phone out the car window again elsewhere. He then drove home in the early hours of the morning of the 4^th September. His wife and children at home did not have a clue; they had been told he was doing important work that had to do with his job.

It has also now come to light , as to how the police “found” the VW passat they were looking for. It was a leased company car, driven by Olaf H. until the end of October 2010, and was then replaced when the lease expired. The car was then to be sold and taken off the German registration system, and was traced as being on it´s way to Russia. That deal however never went through, and it was bought up by someone in Luxemburg. When it was registered there, the reg details popped up on the German system, and was tracked down at Frankfurt airport. It´s new owner had gone off to Bali on holiday and parked it there.

It is understood, that the car was searched and DNA was found which corresponded to Mirco´s DNA, but that it was not the only piece of evidence, causing the arrest to be made last Wednesday. I don´t think we will find out how Olaf H. was found, because some parts of the investigation have to remain secret. Ingo Thiel, chief of the police department, has said that sadly Mirco will not be the last child to go missing and murdered under the same circumstances ! He also went on to say that he doesn´t care how much all this has cost to unravel; he made a promise to Mirco´s parents that he would bring their little boy home and he has held to that; unfortunately not alive, but they can at least now have closure and grieve for their child.

The biggest shock for me, came on Thursday 27^th, when the public were told where Olaf H. lived: pictures of his house were shown on TV and a shiver ran down my spine when I recognized the street on the video…. It´s just a few roads down from my doorstep…… my worst nightmare came true, and before I became actively involved in missing children, I never would have dreamt it were possible so close to home ! And no matter how vigilant I have become, this goes to show it is still possible to have a murderer in one´s own vicinity without knowing at all !

View Mirco's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

McCanns appeal to Portuguese people

2011-01-28T20:01:00.003Z

Algarve Resident

Updated: 28-Jan-2011

Kate and Gerry McCann have made an appeal to the Portuguese people for them to support their petition calling for a review of the case of their missing daughter Madeleine.

Since its launch in November 2010, more than 40,000 people have signed the petition, which asks for the authorities in Portugal and the UK to conduct an independent and transparent review of all the information regarding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Gerry McCann said: “We need the authorities to do more. Our goal is to reach 100,000 signatures that would represent 100,000 people who want a review of the facts and suspects found at the time of the investigation. “Reports and information received by the PJ during the first phase of the investigation may not have been reviewed in the best way, which meant that the data from the investigation was not reviewed correctly.”

Kate McCann added: “We know we can only ask for the case to be reopened if we have new facts but given that the official investigation has now stopped it will be almost impossible for us to find these new facts that could lead to the reopening of the case.

“Therefore we appeal to the authorities, both Portuguese and English, to reassess the entire process so that we can find our daughter.”

Source: Algarve Resident 28/01/11

A Story Of Hope And Joy - Girl Found After 23 Years

2011-01-21T23:50:00.004Z

Daily Mail

'I never gave up looking for her': Mother's joy as she is reunited with daughter who was kidnapped as a baby in 1987

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:09 PM on 20th January 2011

A mother's 23-year nightmare is finally over after she was reunited with her daughter - who was kidnapped as a baby in 1987.

Carlina White, now 23, was last seen by her parents when she was just three weeks old at Harlem Hospital in 1987, where she was lying ill with a 104 degree fever.

Her mother Joy was just 16 years old at the time. When she went to see her baby the next morning, Carlina was gone.

Found: Carlina White, now aged 23, who has been reunited with her mother after she was kidnapped as an infant in 1987

______________________________________________________________________

Lost: Carlina as an infant in 1987 before she was snatched from a Harlem hospital

Now mother and daughter have been reunited in a case charged with so much emotion that it will give hope to the parents of other missing children - such as those of missing British girl Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in 2007.

'We ate and talked and got to know each other... I feel great,' Miss White said.

'I can sleep! I can definitely sleep now because this has been on my mind for so many years', she added. 'I never gave up looking for her.'

Tears: Carlina's mother Joy, who was just 16 when
her daughter was kidnapped, breaks down as she
describes the moment they were reunited

Carlina, who was raised as Njedra Nance, had suspicions growing up that she was not biologically related to the family that raised her in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She said she had never been able to find her birth certificate.

The young woman now living in Georgia was confounded enough to look on the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children website where she found a photo of a girl called 'Carlina Renae White'.

She contacted the organisation and on January 4 they contacted Miss White, forwarding her a photograph of Carlina taken when she was still a baby by the family she had been brought up by.

Miss White said she recognised her daughter instantly.

'I was screaming, I was so excited,' she said. 'As soon as I saw those pictures I said, "That's my daughter," I saw myself in her'.

Ms White was tested to see if she was Carlina's biological mother and Carl Tyson was swabbed to see if he was the missing woman's biological father.

DNA test results confirmed yesterday that they are related and have finally found their missing daughter.

Mr Tyson said he did not need a DNA test to prove the young woman he fathered at 22 years old was his child.

'I already knew in my heart that this was my daughter', Mr Tyson said. 'All I could do is shed tears'.

Miss White said a woman dressed as a nurse tried to comfort her as she worried about her sick baby in August 1987.

'Don't cry. Everything's going to be alright', the woman said to the 16-year-old.

But it was actually a ruse and the woman dressed all in white disappeared with the infant.

Although a $10,000 reward was offered and a Baltimore woman was questioned, no arrests were ever made in one of NYPD's most baffling cases.

Authorities said that the woman had been seen loitering around the hospital for several weeks before the kidnapping.

Ms White and Mr Tyson won a lawsuit against Harlem Hospital in 1992 and received a $750,000 settlement.

The couple ended their relationship a year after their daughter disappeared and both went on to raise separate families.

But they never forgot about Carlina.

Although happy to be reunited, Miss White was devastated to find her daughter did not have a happy childhood. Carlina's kidnapper was apparently a drug-user who once beat her with a shoe.

'She didn't really raise her', Miss White said angrily. 'She neglected her and let other people raise her'.

To take somebody else's baby and neglect it and not take care of it - you have to be a sick person', Miss White said. 'Carlina told me she never had someone to say "I love you" or hug her'.

Charges could still be brought against those who took baby Carlina as there is no statute of limitations for kidnappings of children under the age of 18 as long as the child is still alive.

Source: Daily Mail 20/01/11

View Carlina's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

The week four people vanished – and only one made the news

2011-01-18T23:21:00.008Z

The Independent

Joanna Yeates disappeared one month ago today. But what of the similar cases at the time that the public never heard about?

By Mark Hughes and Sarah Morrison

Ciara Richards, Natalie Bailey and Joanna Yeates

When Joanna Yeates disappeared from her Bristol home on 17 December, her parents suffered the anguish of not knowing what had happened to her, but fearing the worst. This explains why they described the news of the discovery of Ms Yeates's body eight days later as "a relief".

For the families of Nathan Tomlinson, Ciara Richards and Natalie Bailey, there is no such "relief". All three went missing on or around the date that Ms Yeates disappeared, exactly one month ago today. But, unlike Ms Yeates, their cases have attracted little or no publicity, and what has happened to them is still unknown.

Mr Tomlinson, 21, was last seen in the Mitre Bar, Manchester, at around 10.15pm on 17 December – the same night Ms Yeates went missing. She was later filmed on CCTV walking towards Salford but has not been seen since. Ciara Richards is 14 and has run away from home five times before. She has not been seen since 11 December after leaving her home in Hounslow, Middlesex.

Natalie Bailey, a 34-year-old paranoid schizophrenic from Jamaica, has been missing from Dartford in Kent since 13 December. She escaped from the care of a nurse while on day release from a mental health unit. The question of why the majority of missing persons cases fail to merit mention but that of Ms Yeates dominated the news became particularly pertinent earlier this month when celebrities used their Twitter accounts to highlight the case of Serena Beakhurst, a 14-year-old girl who had been missing since 15 December but attracted no media attention. Miss Beakhurst was later found.

While cynics suggest that Ms Yeates's case has attracted publicity because she was a middle-class, photogenic young woman from a wealthy area of Bristol, there are several other reasons her case has received widespread coverage. Firstly, it is now a murder enquiry. But, even before her body was found on Christmas Day, Ms Yeates had been missing for eight days – which was widely reported.

The police don't always alert the media to missing people. Detectives categorise missing people into three categories – low, medium and high risk, and only those in the high-risk category are generally selected for publicity.

The Yeates case was immediately categorised as high risk because the police believed that Ms Yeates had come to harm because she had told nobody of having any plans that evening and had left her mobile phone and personal belongings at home. Assistant Chief Constable Philip Thompson, the spokesman on missing persons for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "We ask ourselves what the specific risks are around each individual. In the Joanna Yeates case, an investigator identified at a very early stage that it was an unusual disappearance. She was missing for the first time. That was a high-risk case.

"Someone would also be high risk if they had mental health issues or if they had a medical problem, or if they were particularly young or if they disappeared in an emotional state. Similarly, we look at other issues – has the person gone missing before? Where were they found? And sometimes people are reported missing when they are technically not missing.

He continued: "If someone is staying in local authority care, for example, and they fail to return on time, the person responsible for their care has a duty to report them missing. We often have calls during which someone will say 'I know exactly where he is, but I have to report him missing.' That is obviously not going to be a high-risk case.

"That said, we have to take every call seriously. But we also need a ranking scale. We cannot treat everything as high risk because we would paralyse ourselves. Similarly, if everything was low risk we would be neglecting our responsibility."

Approximately 200,000 people are reported missing every year in the UK. In the Metropolitan Police district 40,525 people were reported missing last year alone.

In Ciara's case, this is the sixth time she has gone missing since last year. The last time she was not seen for eight weeks before returning. Her mother Kerry Richards said: "I can't describe how I feel. It is like I have been ripped apart. The police are so limited in what they can do because kids nowadays have so many rights. Some people know where Ciara is, but they don't have to tell me."

Mr Tomlinson's brother, Paul, 26, said: "This is so out of character. Obviously we are worried and we have heard absolutely nothing. If he was somewhere now we would get a phone call, so we have got to think something has happened."

Natalie Bailey has no family in the UK, which is hindering the search for her. Sergeant Joseph McDonald explained: "We have tried to contact the press quite a lot: local press, internet appeals, and we have distributed her poster to women's refugee centres, in hospitals and in council buildings. There has not been one recorded sighting."

However, very few cases are publicised by the police, let alone appear in the pages of national newspapers or on television, and this lack of coverage is difficult for family members. Martin Houghton-Brown, chief executive of Missing People, said: "It is really challenging to provide coverage for every family of a missing person.

"Even if we wanted to, we cannot control what the media writes, which is why social media is becoming so important for us. We try to emphasise to families how they can harness the power of websites like Facebook and Twitter to search for their loved ones. But I know many families get frustrated by the lack of publicity and they ask us why there isn't more."

Sometimes it is an operational decision by police to keep the media appeals small, as Mr Thompson explained: "If we take an appeal national, with the best will in the world someone in Aberdeen will swear blind that they have seen someone who went missing in London – and we know from experience that it is unlikely, because most people who go missing tend to be found in that same area."

Some families simply do not want media coverage. Joe Apps, the manager of the National Policing Improvement Authority's Missing Persons Bureau, explained: "There are a number of families who think it is a private event or that the person will turn up. They might also worry about the potential embarrassment it brings for the family.

"People don't generally go missing for nothing. There is always a reason behind it. It depends how much they [families] want what happens in their family life to be pried into by the police and the media."

Missing: Three cases that failed to attract publicity

Ciara Richards

The 14-year-old schoolgirl has been missing from Hounslow, Middlesex since 11 December. It is the sixth time since July that she has gone missing – the last time she was not found for eight weeks. Three days later she had disappeared again, and is still gone. Her mother, Kerry Richards, 33, said: "We are all baffled by it. Ciara is extremely intelligent, doing brilliantly at school and has lots of friends. When she came home last time, I was just relieved that she was still alive."

Nathan Tomlinson

The 21-year-old was last seen just after 10pm on Friday 17 December by a friend at a work Christmas party in the Mitre Bar in Manchester city centre. He was spotted on CCTV walking past Manchester Cathedral and heading towards Salford, but has not been seen since.
His brother Paul Tomlinson, 26, said: "This is so out of character. Obviously we are worried. If he was somewhere now we would get a phone call so we have got to think something has happened."

Natalie Bailey

The 34-year-old has been missing from Dartford, Kent, since 13 December. She suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and has been in a secure mental health unit since 2009. She had been visiting a man she said was her uncle in Lewisham when she escaped from the nurse accompanying her. Sergeant Joseph McDonald, from Lewisham police, said: "She has no family in this country we can get hold of, she is originally from Jamaica. We are very worried about her safety."

Source: The Independent 17/01/11

Sex Gangs Grooming Children As Young As 10Yrs Old

2011-01-17T15:20:00.004Z

Daily Mail

Children as young as TEN are 'being used, abused and thrown away by British sex gangs'

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:02 PM on 17th January 2011

Children being sold for average of £16,000
Abuse of teens missed as social workers focus on younger children

Priority: Barnardo's says the debate must focus on the victims (file picture)

Sexually exploited children as young as 10 are being used bought, abused and thrown away by sex gangs in Britain a leading children's charity said today.

Barnardo's has called on the government to appoint a minister with specific responsibility for the escalating issue of organised on-street grooming gangs.

But child trafficking goes beyond sexual abuse, according to a second report out today, with European children being sold into UK criminal gangs for an average price of £16,000, and being forced to steal.

The call for a minister with direct responsibility comes as the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) revealed the extent of the crime, with 21 of its 22 of its teams across the country having uncovered evidence of organised grooming and trafficking.

Earlier this month Abid Mohammed Saddique and Mohammed Liaqat were jailed for their part in organising a Derby-based gang thought to be the biggest sex-abuse ring ever discovered in Britain, involving up to 100 young girls - mostly aged between 12 and 18 - for sex.

Barnardo's says it is currently working with more than 1,000 children who have been groomed, abused and trafficked for money, but that the number represents only 'the tip of the iceberg'.

The charity also warned that the grooming of teenagers was being overlooked as social workers were preoccupied with younger children.

Ceop has begun a study 'to identify any patterns of offending, victimisation or vulnerability' but is keen for the debate to focus on the welfare of the victims.

Anne Marie Carrie, Barnardo's new chief executive, said the children had 'been forgotten as discussion has focused on the ethnicity of perpetrators in high-profile cases.

'Children are being passed from man to man, home to home, city to city.

'It's the domestic trafficking of children for money.

CCTV: Footage of Mohammed Liaqat and Abid Mohammed Saddique cruising the streets of Derby prior to their convictions.

'This problem is getting worse in that it is getting more organised, certainly the grooming is becoming more organised using technology.

'The children are as young as 10.

'These children are being used, abused and thrown away by organised gangs of men.

'Without a minister with overall responsibility the government response is likely to remain inadequate.'

The Department for Education (DoE) said it was committed to action.

'Child sexual exploitation is an appalling crime - it is a form of child sexual abuse and must not be tolerated,' said a spokeswoman for DoE.

'This is a complex problem and we are determined to tackle it effectively by working collaboratively right across government and with national and local agencies.'

In a report released by Europol, which co-ordinates intelligence on child trafficking across the EU, the body states that children are also sold into criminal gangs in the UK and forced to steal, as well as being abused.

The children, who are believed to be worth up to £130,000-per-year to the gangs, are subjected to 'extreme forms of violence, such as sexual abuse and torture.'

The trafficking and exploitation of these children is a lucrative business, with the children being routinely sold between different criminal gangs and the "price" based on the child's money-earning potential,' said the Europol report.

Scotland Yard's Operation Golf, which look specifically at Romany child trafficking gangs, has calculated that average price of a child in the UK is £16,000.

THE TELL-TALE SIGNS A PARENT SHOULD FEAR

The Children's Society has issued advice to parents to help detect whether their child is being preyed on by grooming gangs.

Penny Nicholls, director of children and young people at the charity, said gangs 'shower vulnerable children with gifts and lure them to be horrifically exploited, sometimes for years on end' and offered advice on warning signs.

'First of all, children get gifts they couldn't possibly pay for on their own - they're given mobile phones and various things, they're taken out, they're treated [with] things,' she said.

'Secondly, that children begin to be a bit more quiet and secretive about their friends.

'And thirdly, that they have very suspicious sleep-overs. Suddenly, sleep-overs become more prevalent.'

Source: Daily Mail 17/01/11

Database to identify child abuse threat Sunday Post

2011-01-12T19:28:00.000Z

Sunday Post

Images of runaway kids will be cross-checked (paper edition)

09 January 2011

EXCLUSIVE by John Paul Breslin

FACES of runaways and missing children could be cross-referenced against a national database of child abuse images to find out if they are being harmed.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) has used facial recognition software to scan for some missing children in its database of videos and pictures of abuse.

However, it is now considering expanding this to look for all runaways and missing kids in the UK.

It could even search material after children have been reunited with their families to ensure they didn't run away to escape abuse.

Martin Houghton-Brown, Chief Executive of charity Missing People, said CEOP is already searching for "a significant number of children who have been missing for over a year".

However, he wants the organisation to go further and check for all runaways.

"It's clear that some young people are targeted for sexual exploitation, and the first indication of that can be that they're running away from home," he said.

"One of the mediums that potential exploiters and abusers will use is the Internet.

"There should be a national resource where pictures of missing children can be cross-checked against online child abuse images.

"We need to be robust in the way that we prevent these incidents from happening and investigate them, and CEOP's expertise would be valuable in doing that."

Every year, 9000 children go missing in Scotland. The figure is closer to 77,000 in the UK as a whole.

CEOP's database contains hundreds of thousands of photos and videos of abuse that have been seized in child sex offender investigations.

Using facial recognition software to search the database for all runaways and missing children could help save more youngsters and bring their abusers to justice.

CEOP asked members of the public who were in Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine McCann's disappearance to send them images of their holiday.

The organisation said it wanted the images to "build a larger intelligence picture".

However, a spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann said he would not discuss whether or not CEOP has searched its database for the little girl.

"CEOP has worked closely with the McCann's to assist the search for Madeleine," he said.

"Kate and Gerry have been pleased with the work that CEOP has done on their behalf over the last three and a half years.

Scupper

"But they will not discuss, for operational reasons, any detail of the technical work that has been carried out.

"Of course, Kate and Gerry would welcome anything and any development in technology that would allow child sex offenders to be brought to justice."

Charities are worried that Government proposals to merge CEOP within a new National Crime Agency would scupper the organisation's facial recognition plans.

Former chief executive Jim Gamble, two senior managers and a group of specialist Internet investigators have already quit CEOP over the proposed merger.

The Association of Chief Police Officers and Shadow Home Secretary Alan Johnson have also said they want CEOP to remain a standalone body.

'Sickening' Paedophile Gang Members Jailed

2011-01-10T23:45:00.002Z

Sky News

10:47pm UK, Monday January 10, 2011
Adam Arnold, Sky News Online

The leader and two female members of an online paedophile gang that sexually assaulted young children and shared the images have been jailed.

IT consultant Colin Blanchard, 40, was given an indeterminate sentence and was told he would serve a minimum term of nine years in jail.

The judge's decision means he will not be released until the parole board are satisfied he no longer poses a risk to the public.

Blanchard, from Rochdale, led what prosecutors have described as "one of the most sickening paedophile rings this country has seen".

Four women were in the gang, and two of them, mother-of-nine Tracy Lyons and community care worker Tracy Dawber, have been sentenced alongside Blanchard.

Lyons, of Portsmouth, was jailed for seven years while Dawber, from Southport, was given a four-year prison term.

Mother-of-two Vanessa George, of Plymouth, and single mother Angela Allen, from Bulwell, Nottingham, were given indeterminate prison sentences in December 2009.

(L-R) Colin Blanchard, Tracy Dawber and Tracy Lyons

The judge, Mr Justice Royce, said to Blanchard: "Your influence over four separate women so they engaged in sexual abuse of children in such tender years is frightening.

"It is more extraordinary when one appreciates you never actually met three of them face to face.
"It is beyond the ken of decent people how any of you could stoop as disgustingly low as you did."

The paedophile ring was smashed when a work colleague of Blanchard found child sex abuse images on his computer in June 2009 and called police.

The net closed in on the rest of the gang and detectives identified Lyons, Dawber, Little Ted's nursery worker George and ex-prostitute Allen as being the other members.

Vanessa George and Angela Allen were sentenced in December 2009

Blanchard met the women over the internet and convinced them to sexually assault young children and send him the perverted images.

George abused young children at Little Ted's nursery in Plymouth, as did Allen and Lyons, who both assaulted youngsters to please Blanchard.

Unlike the other women, Dawber actually met Blanchard and was in a year-long relationship with him.

She sexually assaulted a child and allowed Blanchard to take pictures of the abuse on his mobile phone.

Blanchard, George, Allen and Lyons had pleaded guilty to a string of charges of sexual assault and making and possessing child pornography.

The final member of the ring to be convicted was Dawber, who was found guilty in October after a re-trial.

Source: Sky News 01/10/11

Texas Teen Vanishes Into Thin Air Days After Christmas

2011-01-09T18:43:00.005Z

Hailey Darlene Dunn

Hailey Dunn was said to be spending the night at a friend’s house on the evening of Monday, Dec. 27, 2010. But when the 13-year-old didn’t come home the next morning, Billie Dunn – Hailey’s mother – knew something was wrong. Cops say she immediately filed a missing persons report after learning Hailey’s friend wasn’t even expecting her as a visitor.

“From the start, our department and our colleagues from other law enforcement and judicial agencies that have joined our effort have treated Hailey’s case as one of a missing person,” said Colorado City Manager Pete Kampfer. “We’ve made no assumptions as to what occurred, intentionally focusing on rapidly collecting facts and using these facts to guide our work.”

Cops say 13 year old cheerleader Hailey Darlene Dunn
vanished on Monday Dec 27 2010 The girl was believed
to be staying at a friend's house that evening but never
showed up.

Police say alerts were also distributed to both the NCIC and TCIC systems, computer networks established to link law enforcement personnel across the country and throughout Texas, respectively.

“We’re applying all personnel and other resources necessary and appropriate to our work in finding Hailey, with no plans of letting up,” Kampfer said. “This is a night-and-day endeavor for us all.”

Now the Colorado City Police has even enlisted the help of the Texas Rangers to help locate the missing 13-year-old cheerleader. Cops tell AMW that they are also conducting a thorough and ongoing investigation of people and places in the immediate area of Hailey’s house, including all registered sex offenders in the city.

But, cops still need your tips in the baffling disappearance of the Texas teen.

Cops: Insufficient Evidence To Issue AMBER Alert

Police say Hailey Darlene Dunn is a student and cheerleader at Colorado City Middle School. They say the 13-year-old girl was last seen wearing navy blue sweatpants, a short-sleeved light-colored T-shirt, flip flops and red hoop earrings. They say Hailey’s upper left ear is also pierced, and she stands at 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs around 120 pounds. She has hazel eyes and light brown hair with blond highlights.

Cops can’t say for sure if Hailey was abducted or ran away, but they consider the circumstances of her disappearance suspicious. Unfortunately, Hailey’s case has not yet met the requirement for issuance of an AMBER Alert for this reason. They say they have made three separate requests for a posting of the missing child alert but have been turned down each time.

“In each of the three requests, we’ve been told that there is not enough information currently available about Hailey’s disappearance to issue an AMBER Alert,” said Colorado City Police Chief John Bivens. “The minimum standard for creating an AMBER Alert is knowledge of a suspect, a description of a vehicle involved in an abduction and/or a route and direction of travel.”

Cops tell AMW that they will not be deterred and are hoping the national attention the case is now receiving will help bring Hailey home safely.

“This community and, in particular, the family and friends of Hailey Dunn can be absolutely confident that we will continue to pursue the issuance of an AMBER Alert with each additional piece of evidence we uncover until such a time as we meet the minimum standards established by the AMBER Alert system in Texas,” Chief Bivens added.

Remember: You can remain anonymous.

Have you seen missing child Hailey Dunn? If so, do the right thing and call our Hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV. Remember: You can remain anonymous.
- Jenny Allen, AMW Staff

If you’ve seen 13-year-old Hailey Darlene Dunn or have any information about her disappearance, do the right thing and call our Hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV.

Resource: America's Most Wanted, http://www.amw.com/missing_children/case.cfm?id=76136

View Hailey's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

More Missing Children Found

2011-01-03T22:36:00.025Z

Some of our found cases this time are tinged with sadness!!!
The majority of our "Found" missing children have been recovered safely and returned to their families or placed in a safe place. We have one case of a sibling found alive while her brother was found deceased at the hand of his own father! We also have a baby found alive and well but his mother was not afforded the same outcome!!

CHELSEA SMITH - FOUND!

TAMEA KHARE DRUMGOOLE - FOUND!

AMARVIR VIRDEE - FOUND!

ME'KYLA LYNETTE WICKER - FOUND!

ALICIA MARIE ARTER - FOUND!

EMILY ANN WICKS - FOUND!

AMAYA MARIE PERNELL - FOUND!

HEAVEN MARIE SMITH - FOUND!

LAURA JONES - FOUND!

MARK CHURCHILL - FOUND!

SAMANTHA HANSON LAND - FOUND!

HAYLEY EVANS - FOUND!

HASSAN MUSSE-ALI - FOUND!

CIARA RICHARDS - FOUND / MISSING AGAIN!

JEAN MARIE BERLINGHOFF - FOUND!

ANTHONY CEJA-DIAZ - FOUND!
Sadly his mum, Ana was found deceased.
ANA LILA DIAZ DECEJA R.I.P.

DANYELA PERISIC - FOUND!
Sadly her Brother, Deyan was not found alive.
DEYAN PERISIC - FOUND DECEASED!

Amy Fitzpatrick

2010-12-30T22:53:00.075Z

Missing for Three Years on 1st January 2011

Can you believe that it is 3 years since we started to pray for Amy’s well-being and recovery? Three long years for her parents, family and friends. Three years without clues or answers.

Amy moved from Clarehall in Dublin to the Costa del Sol with her mother, Audrey, in 2004. Her step-father, Dave McMahon, is an estate agent in the Spanish resort. Her father (Christopher) and extended family still live in the Irish Republic. With a unified and common purpose, they all continue to search for Amy.

Amy was aged 15 when she disappeared, at approximately 10pm on 1st January 2008, after saying goodbye to her close friend Ashley Rose. On New Year’s Eve, the girls had been baby-sitting Ashley’s brother at her friend’s house in Mijas Costa (Spain) and Amy stayed over-night. She called her Mum on the morning of 1st January to wish her Happy New Year. At 10pm that evening, Amy left her friend’s home and set off to walk to her own home on the Urbanisation Riviera del Sol. This should have taken about 10 minutes as it was only a short walk away. But, she never arrived.

Hundreds of people assisted the Spanish Civil Guard and joined in the search to look for Amy but nothing was found. There is speculation about her being abducted or having run away, but there are no concrete clues about her disappearance.

All we know is that Amy Fitzpatrick is still missing.

DESCRIPTION WHEN LAST SEEN

- Thin and pale

- 1.65 metres tall (approximately 5 feet 5 inches)

- Black hair

- Wearing brown crushed velvet tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt with the word ‘Diesel’ on the front

AREA OF SPAIN WHERE AMY WENT MISSING

(click on maps to enlarge)

Now is not the time to speculate about information posted on blogs and forums or indeed, repeated in the press. Now is the time to remember a vulnerable young person who is still missing. All members of Amy’s family need our help, support and prayers.

As a New Year begins and we all celebrate with our families, perhaps a thought can be spared for Amy’s family. A family that is still grieving for a teenager who is missing without trace. When you hug your child, remember that there are parents who can’t do that, so squeeze and hug a little but harder in thanks.

Please remember Amy Fitzpatrick

REPORTING INFORMATION

Do you know anything about Amy’s disappearance?

Did you see anything unusual happening in this Spanish locality around the time of Amy’s disappearance?

Do you suspect someone else knows something?

- Contact your local police or law enforcement

- Spanish Guardia Civil +34-636-079-619

RESOURCE SITES FOR AMY

http://www.searchforamy.com/

http://www.bebo.com/helpfinda

You can follow Amy Fitzpatrick’s thread in the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

The Inspector of the Madeleine Case Accuses London of Pressurising Portugal

2010-12-29T00:03:00.000Z

ABC.es

23-12-2010 / 16:30 h

Lisbon, 23 dic (EFE).-

The Portuguese ex – inspector who investigated the Madeleine case, Goncalo Amaral, is convinced that London pressurised Portugal in order to remove him from his post in 2007 and to avoid accusations against the girl’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.

In statements made to EFE, Amaral underlined that the conversations “at Ambassador level” between the US and the UK held days before he was forced to abandon the investigation and which were revealed by WikiLeaks “do not leave doubts” about the “interferences”.

Amaral led the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine on 3rd May 2007, when she was about to reach her fourth birthday and was removed in October of the same year.

In 2008, when the case was closed, he published a book, which was banned by legal action from the McCanns, in which he suggested that the couple was implicated in a presumed accidental death and the concealment of the girl’s body.

Portugal has a “weak government which is servile and submissive faced with the English “friends” and the archiving of the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Madeleine McCanns constitutes a shame for our country and for the Portuguese justice system”, Amaral laments.

This is how the ex – inspector comments on the report elaborated by the then American Ambassador in Lisbon, Al Hoffman, with details about a meeting with his British counterpart, Alexander Wykeham, in September 2007, two weeks after the McCanns were declared official suspects in the case.

In this cable, Hoffman tells how the British Ambassador informed him that his country’s police has investigated the evidence existing against Madeleine’s parents, which contradicts the version previously known that attributed doubts about the couple’s innocence only to the Portuguese officers.

Amaral remembers that he was removed from duty in October 2007 and that it was on those dates that the Portuguese Prime Minister, José Sócrates and the British PM, Gordon Brown “mentioned the Maddie case” during a European meetings.

“In joking terms, or perhaps not, there are those who say that the UK signed the Lisbon Treaty at the cost of my head”, the now retired ex officer comments ironically, referring to the difficult re-negotiation of this historic European document during the Portuguese presidency of the EU.
In his opinion the information released by WikiLeaks is not a novelty, although it does reflect “that the news at the time were false, created within the headquarters of the “McCann couple support staff”.
They had the aim, he adds, of creating a “climate of mistrust between the Portuguese and British politicians” and to discredit the Portuguese officers.

Amaral is confident that the case will end up by being cleared up totally, but considers that it is necessary to re-initiate the police investigation and revise the case process.

"Madeleine McCann deserves justice to be done. Her probable death and mysterious disappearance can not only depend on political will", he insisted.

Amaral and the girl’s parents maintain a legal battle despite the fact that the Madeleine case was officially closed more then two years ago without the naming of guilty parties and due to lack of evidence.

The lawyers for the British couple have appealed the lifting of the banning of sales of the ex – policeman’s book “Maddie: The Truth of the Lie” and want him to sued for damages and harm to the parents, who have always declared themselves to be innocent.

But for the moment a Portuguese appeal court has agreed with the ex - policeman, in a statement made last October and the circulation of the book is again legal.

According to the McCanns, the book has caused great harm to their ongoing efforts to find the girl.

With respect to the millions in damages that the parents of Madeleine could obtain, Amaral says that the legal confrontation with the British couple has already left him and his family “in ruins, surviving at the cost of family and friends”.

However, despite the problems that the case has brought him, the ex – inspector, who decided to retire upon being removed from the investigation, confirms that he continues to analyse all the evidence and information about the case “in search of the truth”.

Original source: http://www.abc.es/agencias/noticia.asp?noticia=635191

Translated From Spanish by Ines: http://themaddiecasefiles.com/topic9841-5640.html

Lauryn Dickens Still Missing

2010-12-28T07:32:00.007Z

The following is reprinted from Victim's Heartland:

Post by artgal16 on Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:40 pm

Mother admits she gave away baby

Posted: Sep 20, 2010 9:23 PM
Updated: Sep 21, 2010 2:59 PM

By Kontji Anthony

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - Police say a Memphis mother has admitted to giving her baby to a stranger, and not reporting the incident for ten days.

Police believe one of the baby's parents, Lauryn Dickens, knows where she is, and the convoluted situation may be a case of "custodial interference."

Family law books define custodial interference as "the taking or keeping of a child from the custodial parent with the intent to interfere with that parent's rightful physical custody."

Monday, jail records said baby's father, Benjamin Norfleet, was in jail on a building burglary charge. He told police he knows nothing about the baby's location.

But according to an incident report, the baby's mother, Shakara Dickens, told police she talked with Norfleet on September 7 about "the welfare of the child and her not being able to care for the child properly."

The report said Norfleet told Dickens to, "give the child to an unknown female-white."

Dickens said the woman came to her Raleigh apartment complex that day. She allegedly gave the baby to the woman, and has not seen her daughter for about a week and a half.

The woman who allegedly took the baby was described as a white female, 40 to 50 years old, who wears eyeglasses and has gray, shoulder-length, straight hair with a center part. The woman was last seen wearing a buttoned blouse, khaki Capri pants, and white, closed to sandals.

Lauryn Dickens, was last seen wearing a brown onsie with one pink flower and pink dots. She is one-foot, nine inches tall, and weighs just 17 pounds.

Monday, Shakara Dickens did not want to comment for this story. Police haven't issued an Amber Alert, because the mother consented to handing over the baby.

If you know where Lauryn Dickens may be, call Missing Persons at 901-636-4479.

Source: http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13185835

View Lauryn's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

McCann Couple Make New Appeal to Maddie's Abductors

2010-12-22T14:17:00.001Z

Record

(Translated)

Kate and Gerry McCann left a new message for the abductors of Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in May 2007 from Praia da Luz in the Algarve. Quoted by the “Daily Star”, the couple said that they hope that “whoever has Maddie would be treating her with love and respect, as she deserves” and appealed to the world to remember “the children who will not be with their families this Christmas”. The McCanns lament however, the “unfounded allegations” about the involvement of the couple in the disappearance of their daughter that were released by the WikiLeaks site.

http://www.record.xl.pt/fora_campo/interior.aspx?content_id=625590

Translated by Ines: http://themaddiecasefiles.com/topic9841-5450.html

WikiLeaks Publish New Info on McCann Case

2010-12-17T21:47:00.004Z

Countdown to Christmas - Focus on 12 Missing Children

2010-12-14T00:28:00.005Z

Missing Children - Help Find My Child

· Countdown to Christmas campaign,

· 12 Days of Christmas - Missing Children Campaign

· Focus on twelve missing children from the UK

· Using Social Networking – Facebook and Twitter

December 13th marks the launch of a new Twitter and Facebook campaign by Help Find My Child (HFMC); a registered charity committed to the search for missing children Worldwide. HFMC specialises in combining the latest technologies with the incredible power and reach of online communities such as Twitter and Facebook.

Our Countdown to Christmas campaign, starting on the 13th December and culminating on Christmas Eve, will focus on twelve missing children from the UK, each having one of the 12 days of Christmas dedicated solely to them and their story.

We will update our Facebook page each day and on Twitter each morning at 8.00am we will send out a link to the blog of the missing child featured that day. The Tweet will also be sent to celebrities who will be asked to re-tweet, using their considerable influence to increase the profile of the child, the campaign and the issue of missing children.

The Christmas period has been chosen for the Twitter campaign as it’s such a traumatic time for those whose children are missing: Instead of a time of joy and happiness these parents face a huge void and soul-crushing pain. Kevin Gosden Father of missing teenager Andrew Gosden describes his experience:

It’s a pain most of us thankfully will never know. The biggest gift we can give these parents and their children this Christmas is to take a few minutes to memorise their precious child’s face and look for them as we do our Christmas shopping. We can take a few moments to encourage others to pass on the Countdown to Christmas link and to re-tweet. It could possibly lead to a family being reunited and a child being back where they belong.

“We still have gifts left for our son in 2007; unopened, untouched. We will go to church but there will be an empty space on the pew beside us. We will sit down to dinner with an empty place at our table and one less cracker to pull. We will open our gifts and enjoy giving them but inside will wish we had an extra one to give to the most special of people.

We will light a candle and wonder if it really can signify hope after so long. We will hug one another and still ache inside because we cannot hug one more much loved person. I don’t think we really know what to do with Christmas any more in our house. Not since Andrew went missing. “

1. Help Find Missing Children provide a service parents hope they will never need. For parents of a missing or abducted child it’s perhaps the worst nightmare anyone can endure they need our support and a rapid response. Help Find My Child (HFMC) are here to raise awareness for missing children by using the latest online technologies to get alerts out fast. Further information see our website : http://www.helpfindmychild.net/

2. The 12 children focused are listed below with links:

12. Donna Keogh - Missing aged 17, Cleveland 1998
http://www.helpfindmychild.net/donna-keogh

11. Daniel Entwistle - Missing aged 7, Norfolk 2003

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/daniel-entwistle

10. Hayley Evans - Missing aged 17 - London 2010

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/hayley-evans

9. Mohammed Serok - Missing aged 16 - London 2010

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/mohammed-serok

8. Paige Chivers - Missing aged 15 - Blackpool 2007

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/paige-chivers

7. Charles Watkinson - Missing aged 8 - London 2006

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/charles-watkinson

8. Leanne Foreman - Missing aged 15 - Staffordshire 20
http://www.helpfindmychild.net/leanne-foreman

5. Jordan Ratcliffe - Missing aged 16 - Manchester 2008

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/jordon-anthony-ratcliffe

4. Holly Bringan - Missing aged 2 - North Ayrshire 2009

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/holly-bringan

3. Ruth Wilson - Missing aged 16 - Surrey 1995

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/ruth-wilson

2. Damien Nettles - Missing aged 16 Isle of Wight 1996

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/damien-nettles

1. Andrew Gosden - Missing aged 14 - Doncaster 2007

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/andrew-gosden

3. For media interviews please contact:

Name: Emma Telford
Phone: 07780 997960
Mail: Emma@helpfindmychild.net or media@helpfindmychild.net

Twitter: @helpfindmychild

Charity No.SCO41522

Download Countdown to Christmas Press Release in PDF Form

View Countdown to Christmas Press Release on Scribd

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/Countdown-to-Christmas-Campaign

More Good news

2010-12-10T00:19:00.004Z

I am delighted to say since I last posted we have had some more good news in the missing section of our forum!! We wish all these children well and hope that they have a bright future!

CHRISTOPHER CORY CARIOSCIA - FOUND!

ILYAS JAJI - FOUND!

JAMAR BRENDAN ANDERSON - FOUND!

UK's The Missing Kids Website

2010-12-05T19:34:00.009Z

Having featured the US site for missing and exploited children, I felt it was important to also feature the UK's services for missing and exploited children. Both systems are similar as the UK site was built with the help of the US center. There are many organizations in the UK that work together to create a network to help find and recover missing and exploited children. The following was taken directly from the UK's Missing Kids website.

A police website dedicated to finding missing and abducted children.

This is the only Internet site containing details of missing children approved by the Association of Chief Police Officers in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Home Office. It is managed by the NPIA Missing Persons Bureau and is a partnership with the following organisations:

	CA hosts the website, and donates technology and on-going services as part of its Commicmec.orgunity Relations programme.
	The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, provides support and works with international agencies to create a global network of partners.
	Parents & Abducted Children Together, actively promotes the website and sponsors the distribution of posters. PACT's patron is Cherie Blair. The international charity was founded by Lady Meyer, the wife of Sir Christopher Meyer, who was the British Ambassador to the USA.

One of the most important services listed on this website is the Child Rescue Alert. It is the equivalent of the Amber Alert system in the US and gets information out on an abducted child via the media with expediency.

Featured Services

Child Rescue Alert 2010

Further information is available on the fact sheet page of The Missing Kids website as shown below:

Fact Sheet

It is estimated by the charity PACT that there are approximately 100,000 instances of children going missing in the UK every year. Some of these children have gone missing on more that one occasion. Further details of this research are contained in the reports Every Five Minutes and Beyond Every Five Minutes which are available on this website.
Speed is critical in locating missing and abducted children. Modern technology offers a unique way in which the public, police, NGOs and the private sector can work together better to protect our children.
The Missing Kids Website was originally created in the USA by the National Center of Missing & Exploited Children
The website is an extremely secure one fully protected by a complex security system. It is controlled by the police service and only trained police officers' and staff can place information on the site.
The Website displays photographs and descriptions of missing children. By viewing the Website, the public can help the Police bring these children home safely.
The US Website receives 2.8 million "hits" a day. To date one in every six children featured on this site is recovered as a result of someone recognising that child's photograph and calling authorities with information that has directly led to recovery.
The Missingkids Website has already been introduced to 15 countries with the help of Computer Associates (CA).
Each participating country enters its own missing children's cases, tracks leads, and reports progress in a centralised location for law enforcement, families, media, and government agencies to carefully monitor. Only the Police can input information on the UK site.
These national sites are linked to a global network with easy worldwide access. Over 3,000 children's cases are posted.
The technology includes age-progression techniques that have been successful in identifying and retrieving children years after their disappearance.
The Website also allows the downloading of posters of missing and abducted children.
In the United Kingdom, it is managed by the NPIA Missing Persons Bureau, and it is promoted by the charity PACT.
The UK Missingkids Website is the only site of this kind which is approved by the Home Office, ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) and ACPO(S) (Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland).
This state-of-the-art, searchable database can be viewed throughout the world 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Posters of missing children featured on the website, are displayed in Tescos' stores throughout the country.
"This work is important in creating an effective safety net for our children. The problem of missing children does not recognise borders - in fact borders can make the problem of finding and recovering missing children more difficult. This website helps the police work across those borders more effectively."
Assistant Commissioner, Richard Bryan, ACPO lead on Missing Persons.

Resources:

http://uk.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PublicHomeServlet?LanguageCountry=en_GB

Portuguese President Cabinet reply to "A Voice for Madeleine" Petition

2010-12-05T11:01:00.000Z

2 December 2010

Posted by Joana Morais

The email header

Portuguese President Cabinet reply received by email, on December 2, 2010

The email contains a reference text, the petition text in Portuguese and a PDF attachment [see below].

Please find enclosed letter No. 7382 of November 29, 2010.
DSDA - Office of Correspondence of the Portuguese Republic Presidency

Hon. Sir/Madam

I acknowledge the receipt and thank you for sending the exposure made by Your Excellency, requesting the reopening of the case concerning the disappearance of the minor Madeleine McCann.

Albeit understanding the reasons that motivate the referenced exposure, which, in the ambit of principles, reveals a highly commendable concern for the fate of a minor, I hereby inform you, that the matter in question does not fall within the competence of the Portuguese Republic President, a legal and constitutional framework that enshrines the separation of powers, that is, the independence of the

judicial function and the autonomy of the Public Ministry.

Yours sincerely.

The Chief of Staff to the President

José Manuel Nunes Liberato

Petition text [sign here, read here]

http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2010/12/portuguese-president-cabinet-reply-to.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Portuguese President Cabinet Reply for Uma Voz para Madeleine Petition

Was it all in vain? I certainly hope not. Joana has stated in the comments on her blog that the petition has already been sent to the Public Ministry, and also to the Ministry of Justice and to the Portuguese Parliament.

Joana, we appreciate your efforts and hope that one day there will be justice for Madeleine McCann, who remains to this day a missing child and look forward with interest to seeing the replies of the other recipients of this petition.

More Good News On The Forum

2010-12-02T20:23:00.009Z

I am delighted to say since last posting we have had some more good news in the missing section of our forum!! We wish all these children well and hope that they have a bright future!

YETNAYET TEKESTE - FOUND!

COLEENA ANTONOVA - FOUND!

EMILY GONZALEZ - FOUND!

ARMANI LAUREN MOORE - FOUND!

IBRAHEEM SHAH - FOUND!

GRACIE MCCARTHY - FOUND!

SARAH URRY - FOUND!

US Statistics On Missing And Exploited Children

2010-11-30T23:28:00.011Z

There is so much talk about missing and exploited children by our forum I started to wonder what the actual statistics are and found them on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website. Their site is extensive but I'm sure that we don't have completely accurate numbers because so many children are afraid to report their experiences. I have reprinted their frequently asked questions page with their permission.

How many children are reported missing each year?

The U.S. Department of Justice reports:

797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of time studied resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.
203,900 children were the victims of family abductions.
58,200 children were the victims of non-family abductions.
115 children were the victims of “stereotypical” kidnapping. (These crimes involve someone the child does not know or someone of slight acquaintance, who holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom, or intends to keep the child permanently.)

How many cases of missing children has the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) helped resolve? Since 1984, NCMEC has assisted law-enforcement with more than 168,000 missing-child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 157,720 children.

How many calls does the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's hotline (1-800-THE-LOST^®) handle?

In the last quarter of 2010, the Hotline handled an average of 262 service-related calls per day. Since its 1984 inception, the toll-free Hotline has handled more than 2.5 million calls.

How many children have been recovered through AMBER ALERTS?

Since 1997, the Amber Alert program has been credited with the safe recovery of 523 children. To date there is a network of 120 AMBER Plans across the country.

Where can I find statistics about missing and/or exploited children in a particular state?

State-specific statistics are available through state clearinghouses. Click here for a list and contact information .

How many children are victims of online sexual exploitation?

According to the latest online victimization research,

Approximately one in seven youth online (10 to 17-years-old) received a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet.
Four percent (4%) received an aggressive sexual solicitation - a solicitor who asked to meet them somewhere; called them on the telephone; or sent them offline mail, money, or gifts.
Thirty-four percent (34%) had an unwanted exposure to sexual material -- pictures of naked people or people having sex.
Twenty-seven percent (27%) of the youth who encountered unwanted sexual material told a parent or guardian. If the encounter was defined as distressing - episodes that made them feel very or extremely upset or afraid - forty-two percent (42%) told a parent or guardian.

How pervasive is the problem of child sexual exploitation?
Research indicates that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized before adulthood.

[D. Finkelhor. “Current Information on the Scope and Nature of Child Sexual Abuse.” The Future of Children: Sexual Abuse of Children, 1994, volume 4, page 37.]

How many reports of child exploitation have been made to CyberTipline?

CyberTipline has received more than 972,600 reports since it was established in March 1998.
Reports to CyberTipline involve the possession, manufacture and distribution of child pornography, the online enticement of children for sex acts, child prostitution, child sex-tourism, child molestation (not in the family), unsolicited obscene material sent to a child, and misleading domain names.

How many victims of child exploitation have been identified through the Child Victim Identification (CVIP) Program?

Through September 2010, CVIP has information on more than 3,100 child victims from around the world seen in sexually abusive images.
Through September 2010, CVIP Analysts reviewed seized child pornography collections from more than 25,000 investigations across the country, through the Child Recognition and Identification System (CRIS).
CVIP has reviewed and analyzed more than 40,829,500 pornography images and videos.

Resource:

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2810

Predators In The Hood

2010-11-30T20:36:00.009Z

Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Police appeal to locate a man who may be a danger to the public (Forcewide)

Avon and Somerset Police need help in locating this man.

I really don't know how they could lose him in the first place though.

His bail condition was that he lived in Worcester..............are there no children there???

*******************************************************************************

Police in Avon and Somerset are appealing for information to trace a man charged with 26 sexual offences.

Wanted man Robert Hands

Roberts Hands, 53, was last seen in July of this year. He has since failed to appear at Bristol Crown court on the following charges committed between 1999 and 2009:

• 4 counts of rape

• 6 counts of sexual activity with a child with penetration
• 3 counts of sexual activity with a child no penetration
• 3 counts of indecent assault of a girl under the age of 13
• 3 counts of indecency with a child
• 2 counts of inciting sexual activity with a child
• 5 counts of making indecent images of children

He is described as white; around 5ft 9 inches tall, of a heavy build, with shoulder length brown/greying hair which is sometimes tied in a pony tail. He has a grey beard, sometimes in a goatee style and sometimes full face, blue eyes, and scar on left side of abdomen.

He is known to considerably change his appearance.

Robert Hands was last seen in Worcester where he was living as part of his bail conditions. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, and numerous attempts have been made to find him in areas he has previously been linked. These include the West Midlands, West Mercia, Humberside, and Devon & Cornwall Police. He is also connected to addresses in the Worcester, Droitwich, Bilston, Hull, and Teignmouth area.

Mr Hands is potentially a danger to the public. Anyone who may know his whereabouts is asked to call Avon and Somerset police on 0845 456 7000 or contact your local police if not in the Avon and Somerset area.

http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/LocalPages/NewsDetails.aspx?nsid=22141

Watkins Missing Children

2010-11-28T15:52:00.000Z

Stephen Watkins is a member of Peace4 the Missing and recently left the following info on our network ... sharing here as well in hope that his boys may soon come home to him ...

“Watkins Missing Children” in the 4th Annual Mashable Awards NEWS Article by: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/300628

Sara Huizenga

Founder of Peace4 the Missing

http://peace4missing.ning.com/

To vote for the Watkins video:

1- GOTO - http://mashable.com/awards/votes/category/8?c=8

2 - LOG-IN Using - FaceBook / Twitter

3 - NOMINATE LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ6ixtePgyI

4 - CATEGORY - Best Web Video

Good News Update

2010-11-25T14:17:00.014Z

We have had some good news in our Missing section of the forum in the last couple of days!!
It gives us all a lift knowing that these children have been located and returned to a safe place!!

- JONATHON CASEY - 1 - FOUND!

- JACOB DILLARD MARTIN - 15 - FOUND!

- SUNDAS ADAED - 14 - FOUND!

- DAJUAN FREEMAN - 13 - FOUND!

- THERIS ANN JORI - 14 - FOUND!

- EMILY DELGADO-BALLARD - 14 - FOUND!

- MADISON RYLEIGH RAUSCHER - 7 - FOUND!

A Voice For Madeleine

2010-11-20T22:49:00.007Z

Joana Morais Blog

15 November 2010

Posted by Joana Morais

Maddie's olfactory memory was washed off from her favourite plush toy, cuddle cat -
image based on a real photograph from the Process Files Volume VIII, page 2098

The McCann couple wants to review the case? Well, let's help them, not merely to review the case, but to reopen it!

Surely, the McCann couple's ultimate goal with their 31 000 plus, unverified, easily hacked and multiple signed petition is to have the case of Madeleine, their missing daughter, reopened?

Undoubtedly, the couple's latest interviews alleging that their private and costly rent-a-cops are «the only ones looking» for Madeleine - where they have also complained over the «depleted» fund, at least, in the UK media and «not so quite depleted» in the Portuguese media - have the ultimate goal of pressuring the authorities, specifically, the only Police that has jurisdiction and the permission to investigate criminal cases in the sovereign country of Portugal - the Portuguese Judiciary Police - to continue the search for their daughter?

Unquestionably, the fact that the McCann couple are writing a new book to fill the private limited company fund coffers, a book that is to be published in April 2011(?) of which they have already received an «advance» shows in their own peculiar 'McCann way, that the couple are truly willing to do something more active than the usual media spins - who knows, they might even be willing, this time, to answer the questions left unanswered back in 2007 or to finally do an official reconstruction as asked by the police, so the criminal investigation into their daughter's disappearance can be resumed.

So, let's help the McCann couple, let's help them by asking, as it is our right, for the Portuguese Public Ministry [the Attorney General] to reopen the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance - not for them. For their daughter!

How? Let us use the power that we have as citizens, our voices together in a real petition, united for a real purpose, with real and validated signatures, intended to do one thing alone: to reopen a missing child's case. A case that was archived due to the poor cooperation of some people, namely the child's parents and the child's parents' friends; and due to the political and economic interference and interests, of certain people from both the United Kingdom and Portugal.

Three and a half years ago, a couple left three young children with a combined aged of seven, alone in an apartment whilst they went out to have dinner with other seven adult friends in a restaurant about 100 meters away; from that restaurant none of the group of nine people, pictured above, could keep their children safe in sight, nor hear them, nor help them in case of an emergency; - a three year old child, soon to be four, mysteriously disappeared in consequence of those irresponsible, and criminally punishable actions.

Three and a half years later, the investigation case files are well known to many - to those who took the time to read them; and so are the diligences that a hasty archival prevented the Judiciary Police of concluding.

It is our right to demand the reopening as tax paying and as law abiding citizens, who share a common public interest - to stop the farce that has been affecting both our countries' relations, in spite of what an oblivious demissionary Ambassador has said and a non-demissionary one has written; a perverse mockery of Social and Justice systems, of shared common values and ethics, something that certain unscrupulous people would rather see dismissed under a big carpet; and also to prevent other children being abused by Team McCann PR spins and a equally abusing world wide voracious media - I recall the deceased Mari Luz Cortés and her family as the most damning example.

Above all, it is our right to demand the reopening of Madeleine's case, simply because it is inadmissible for a missing child case, independently of colour, religion or nationality, to be archived when the Police clearly believes that there are further steps to be taken!

It is time to speak for those who can't. It's time to speak up for Madeleine.

Take Action! Sign the petition: A Voice For Madeleine · Uma Voz Por Madeleine · Une voix pour Madeleine · Eine Stimme für Madeleine · Una Voz para Madeleine · Een Stem voor Madeleine·

[All emphasis - emboldened and underlined - is attributed to the original author: Joana Morais]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read the McCann's petition HERE!

10,000 UK paedophiles 'named and shamed' on CHRIS website

2010-11-18T09:31:00.000Z

The Telgraph
Internet vigilante publishes database naming 10,000 paedophiles

7:30AM GMT 05 Nov 2010

Campaigner Chris Wittwer, 35, posted names, pictures and details of sex offenders across Britain on his site CHRIS (Children Have Rights In Society).

He said he had spent ''every waking hour'' for three years gathering police mugshots of registered sex offenders to compile the gallery of sex offenders.

It means anyone can see who has been convicted of a sexual assault in their area.

But the site was criticised by police who said the information may push paedophile rings underground as they move away from areas in a bid to conceal their identity.

There are also fears that vigilante groups may target those named and photographed for reprisals.
Mr Wittwer, of Exminster, Devon, has spent years creating his comprehensive database, which went live yesterday and said parents have the right to know where registered paedophiles live.

Father-of two Mr Wittwer said: ''It is not just about naming and shaming but also to provide support for all survivors of abuse.

''It has taken three years of research and another six months to get the site set up.
''I feel really proud. It's quite an achievement and if it helps people spot sex offenders living in their area who are a known risk to children, I've done a good thing.''

Mr Wittwer compiled details of convicted sex offenders by checking local newspapers and court records before cross-referencing them against the national sex offenders' register.

The ex-Army chef had previously tried to list paedophiles on a Facebook site, which was closed down by police.

But warehouse worker Mr Wittwer was able to start again after showing he was not breaking any laws by presenting information already in the public domain.

The website is expected to receive in excess of 250,000 hit today (Friday) after going online for the first time last night.

He says he will keep adding to his website until it features details of all all 180,000 convicted paedophiles in Britain.

Mr Wittwer said: ''Child abuse is a problem in this country that nobody seems to want to tackle head on.

''I certainly don't want to encourage or condone violence against these offenders, but people need to be aware of dangerous paedophiles living in their area.

''We are predicting so much traffic to the site that we needed to get a special server. It's a massive project, but totally worthwhile.''

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said it already followed nationally recognised protocols to manage sex registered sex offenders, which had proved ''effective''.

He said: ''The open disclosure of the details of registered sex offenders, such as that on the CHRIS website, is not a process that Devon & Cornwall Police encourages.

''It is felt this disclosure may actually make it more difficult to manage these individuals, as they become reluctant to keep authorities updated with their living arrangements and they become more difficult to track and manage.

''The website as it stands is not breaking any laws as all the information has previously been published in the public domain.

''However, it is felt the collating and publishing of this material raises awareness of where these individuals are living and ultimately may inhibit people's safety rather than protecting it - the offenders may seek to move on without updating authorities.''

* Mr Wittwer' website was due to go live on Thursday night.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8111124/Internet-vigilante-publishes-database-naming-10000-paedophiles.html

McCanns Sign Missing Madeleine Book Deal

2010-11-16T16:57:00.000Z

Sky News

Jo Couzens, Sky News Online

Monday November 15, 2010

Kate and Gerry McCann have signed a deal to write a book about their daughter Madeleine's disappearance and their efforts to find her.

Kate and Gerry McCann have already started writing their book

After a major bidding war, Transworld has won the rights to the couple's account of how the youngster vanished on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007.

All proceeds from the book will go to the McCanns' official fund to search for Madeleine, which had been in danger of running out next year.

The details of the publishing deal have not been released but it is believe to include a "substantial" advance and "enhanced royalties" giving the McCanns a bigger share of the sales profits.

The book, which will be called Madeleine, will be published on April 28 next year to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the young girl's disappearance.

Our hope is that it may prompt those who have relevant information - knowingly or not - to come forward and share it with our team. Somebody holds that key piece of the jigsaw.
Gerry McCann on the book deal with Transworld

Mrs McCann, 42, said: "My reason for writing is simple - to give an account of the truth.
"Publishing this book has been a very difficult decision and is one that we have taken after much deliberation and with a very heavy heart.

"However, in the last few months, with the depletion of Madeleine's Fund, it is a decision that has virtually been taken out of our hands.

"Every penny we raise through its sales will be spent on our search for Madeleine.

Nothing is more important to us than finding our little girl."

Madeleine McCann went missing in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007

Her husband, also 42, added: "We are hopeful that this book may help the investigation to find Madeleine in other ways, too.

"Our hope is that it may prompt those who have relevant information - knowingly or not - to come forward and share it with our team. Somebody holds that key piece of the jigsaw."

Transworld has acquired the rights to publish the book - which is already partly written by the McCanns - in the UK, the Commonwealth and Europe.

Former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral accused the McCanns in his book

The west London-based publisher is home to best-selling authors including The Da Vinci Code writer Dan Brown, fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, are fighting a legal battle against former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral over his book alleging that Madeleine died in the apartment and that her parents faked her abduction - something they strongly deny.

The appeal court in Lisbon last month overturned an injunction obtained by the couple banning publication of Mr Amaral's work, Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie

http://tinyurl.com/34ax7e7

The End of My World: The shocking true story of a young girl forced to become a sex slave

2010-11-15T21:49:00.003Z

by Emma Jackson

ISBN-10: 0091930529
ISBN-13: 9780091930523
Format:Paperback
Publisher: Ebury Press
Published: 4/2/2010
£6.99

‘I’d never have guessed that when your world’s tumbling down you can carry on as usual. But it wasn’t like I had a big sign on my back saying “I’ve been raped.” Nobody noticed a thing.’

Emma was just 13 when her happy childhood came crashing down. She had no idea the young lads she and her friends met every Saturday in the shopping mall weren’t all they seemed.

The boys were part of an organised gang targeting innocent young girls, grooming them for prostitution. Captivated by the ring leader, Emma didn’t see the first brutal rape coming. From then on, her life was never her own …

This is the harrowing true story of how a nice girl from a good home found herself drawn into a trap of degradation and violence, frightened for her life and not knowing where to turn. But it is also the story of finding the courage and inner strength to risk everything, and escape.

http://www.eburypublishing.co.uk/viewbook.asp?isbn=0091930529&searchtxt=&searchopt=

What the critics say...

Emma's account is both heart-wrenching and convincing in every detail
Independent on Sunday

Read the reviews on Amazon...

This is a deeply disturbing book that I read in the first instance out of curiosity. How is it possible for a thirteen-year old girl from a warm and loving family, still at school and living at home, to become enmeshed in the sex trade?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/End-My-World-shocking-Shocking/dp/0091930529
Truly amazing book, the best true story i have ever read, cant believe how these things happen and are still happening.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0091930529/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

A boyfriend or a pimp??

2010-11-14T16:27:00.015Z

This picture is posed by model

There is a growing problem both in the UK and worldwide: a culture of abuse that sickens those people brave enough to find out more about it; a culture of sexual exploitation.

Children (mostly girls, but not always) as young as 10 years old are groomed, trafficked and sexually exploited by older men. When I say ‘older men’, I don't mean 50-60 year olds, I mean men in their mid 20's - young enough to make the excuse of being a boyfriend.

The victims are offered drinks, cigarettes, drugs etc. but later are made to repay the favours by having sex with friends of the man concerned. This in many situations is the beginning of years of sexual abuse.

The link to a story in the Daily Mail from earlier this year tells of horrific abuse to a young girl who was prostituted out by a group of Asian men. Sadly this is not a ‘one-off’ by any means.

According to the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) approximately 35 accused go through the legal system each year under charges of human trafficking.

Barnardos quote a figure of approx 75 victims of trafficking a year with as many as 1,000 victims falling prey to pimping or prostitution.

The problem is, from what I can understand from the Crown Prosecution Services, that because it is so difficult to get a conviction for charges of human trafficking it is more common to try for a lesser conviction of rape. This of course masks the true extent of the problem and leaves the accused with a much more lenient sentence and able to return to their disgusting activities within months of the court case.

Although this problem is rife in parts of Northern England it does happen all over the country, victims are alienated from their families and find it incredibly difficult to rebuild their lives if they are lucky enough to escape from the culture of abuse.

Sources:

http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/our_projects/sexual_exploitation.htm

http://www.cropuk.org.uk/what3.htm

http://www.soca.gov.uk/about-soca/about-the-ukhtc

Police think they've found NC girl's remains

2010-11-12T22:08:00.016Z

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

By MITCH WEISS

The Associated Press

Friday November 12, 2010

HICKORY, N.C. — Investigators said Friday they believe they have found the remains of a disabled North Carolina girl who was reported missing about a month ago.

Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said investigators matched a bone found a couple of weeks ago with 10-year-old Zahra Baker's DNA.

"I've been dreading this moment from early on in the investigation," Adkins said. "We have recovered enough physical evidence to think we have found Zahra."

Police also found a child's remains earlier this week in western North Carolina in an area near where Zahra's stepmother once lived. The remains will need to be tested to make sure they also belong to Zahra, Adkins said.

The freckle-faced Zahra, who had bone cancer that forced her to use a prosthetic leg and hearing aids, was reported missing by her parents Oct. 9. They said she was last seen in her bed at their home in Hickory, about 50 miles northwest of Charlotte.

A couple of weeks later, her prosthetic leg and the bone were discovered in some brush, about five miles away from where the other remains were found buried.

"Investigators, agents, officers and staff who worked on this case are devastated that we were not able to find Zahra alive and bring her home safely," Adkins said.

Adkins did not take any questions at the news conference and police have not said how they think Zahra died.

Zahra was born in Australia and moved to North Carolina about two years ago after her father, Adam Baker, met his soon-to-be wife, Elisa Baker, online. Zahra's friends and relatives in Giru, Australia, described her as an outgoing, happy girl despite the cancer, and said she didn't want to come to the U.S.

Soon after Zahra was reported missing, investigators cast doubt on accounts given by Zahra's father and stepmother. Police had trouble finding anyone other than Zahra's parents who had seen her alive in the weeks before her disappearance, and a suspicious early morning fire occurred at the family's home several hours before she was reported missing.

It was then that police discovered a ransom note addressed to Adam Baker's boss on the windshield of Baker's car. Police went to that man's house, and found him and his daughter to be fine. Elisa Baker, 42, admitted writing the bogus ransom note and has been charged with obstruction of justice. She is still being held in jail.

Adam Baker, 33, was arrested on charges unrelated to Zahra's disappearance and is free on bail. He is facing one count each of assault with a deadly weapon and failure to return rental property, two counts of communicating threats and five counts of writing worthless checks, authorities said.

Neighbors and relatives have said that Elisa Baker had a short temper and was abusive toward her stepdaughter. Caldwell County Department of Social Services investigated the family because Zahra went to school with bruises and a teacher alerted school officials, who have said they are prohibited by law from discussing the case.

Zahra's friends and family in Australia were less than thrilled when she moved away, especially since her medical treatments were free there. Kim Wright, who came something of a surrogate mother to Zahra in Australia, told The Associated Press they became friends four years ago at a cancer fundraising event. She was sitting in a chair waiting for her head to be shaved to raise money when Zahra approached, took her hand and told her not to be scared.

Zahra was diagnosed with bone cancer about five years ago. She had her leg amputated and a few months later, doctors discovered tumors in her lungs. She had chemotherapy, but the treatment led to a partial hearing loss. Still, she remained upbeat, attending a camp for children with cancer and inspiring her fellow campers by taking part in all the physical activities.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/police-think-theyve-found-738673.html

View Zahra's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

275,000 Missing Britons every year to face government cuts

2010-11-07T15:56:00.003Z

The Independent On Sunday

Missing persons services at risk as funding is slashed
National charity to lose all its government cash as police admit their work on the issue will also be hit

By Brian Brady, Whitehall Editor

Sunday November 7, 2010

How 'The Independent on Sunday' last year highlighted

the crisis facing the charity, Missing People

George Osborne's multibillion-pound spending cuts threaten to sever a national "lifeline" that helps tens of thousands of missing people and the families they leave behind.

Britain's biggest missing persons charity has been plunged into crisis after ministers confirmed it will lose all of its £500,000 government funding. Missing People, which helps more than 100,000 callers a year, warns that the cut will cause "catastrophic" damage to its work supporting "mispers", runaways and their families...

A miracle in Missouri

2010-11-06T13:56:00.001Z

There are so many sad cases regarding missing children that we wanted to share one that was actually joyful. This article chronicles the disappearance and discovery of five-year-old Joshua Lane Bender. Joshua is more than your typical five-year-old, he is from a Mennonite family and community and has Down's Syndrome. The latter made it harder to find him since he is mainly non-verbal but the former made it more possible to find him as the entire Mennonite community of Knob Noster, MO and the surrounding areas turned out to look for him when he came up missing on Saturday, 3 October, around 5 pm.

By Sunday morning nearly 200 people were searching for Joshua on his family's property on foot and ATVs. This number also included soldier air crews from nearby Whiteman Air Force base. Also, van loads of Mennonite families from throughout Missouri showed up to assist with the search. Even the Greater Kansas City Down Syndrome Guild came to the search area to provide the family and searchers knowledge of typical places those with Down syndrome might wander to. It would seem almost everyone that heard about Joshua wanted to be a part of his rescue in some fashion.

It must have seemed like the longest night of his mother's life as the temperatures dropped and Joshua was still nowhere to be found. He was described as having on a long-sleeved sweatshirt, but a heavy coat would have been the appropriate attire for a small boy out in the night.

As the morning dawned, the searchers never stopped their steady pace of looking for him and it paid off. Joshua was finally found by someone searching on foot about 100 yards from his family's farmhouse in a huge crop of soybeans on the 240-acre farm. Ironically, the same area had been searched before in the night but Joshua remained invisible to the searchers at the time. His father said when he was found he was cold and wet and had blue feet but there was no lasting damage to Joshua physically.

As for what happened to make Joshua lose his way, his grandfather, Glenn Bender, says Joshua is very interested in what his siblings are doing and he was convinced Joshua followed one of his brothers and got lost along the way. Joshua's grandfather also suspected that he might have gotten scared and fallen asleep, which was why he wasn't found during the night. "What he'll do when he gets scared is he'll sit down on the spot, start crying and stick his thumb in his mouth. After a while, he'll go to sleep."

His grateful parents were talking about putting a tracking device on him to prevent another occurrence like this one. They said that it is worth it to keep him safe at any cost.

View Joshua's thread on the Find Madeleine forum Here!

Sources:

http://www.kctv5.com/news/25260289/detail.html
http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/missouri/police-searching-for-missing-5-year-old-boy

Channel 4 Interview with the McCanns

2010-11-04T12:51:00.003Z

3rd November 2010

Part 1

Part 2

Madeleine McCann's parents seek support for London and Lisbon to review the case

2010-11-03T01:08:00.006Z

The parents of British girl Madeleine McCann today called for support to ensure that the British and Portuguese governments will jointly review the case and "do more" to find their daughter, three and a half years after her disappearance whilst vacationing with her family in the Algarve Portugal.

In a letter, Kate and Gerry McCann urged people to support the search for "Maddie" by signing a petition seeking to pressure the British and Portuguese authorities to carry out "a transparent and independent review of all information connected with the disappearance of Madeleine".

Please sign their petition here

----------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the full text of the letter urging people to support the McCanns’ petition, taken from the Liverpool Echo.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As I write, it is exactly three and a half years since our daughter Madeleine was so cruelly taken from us.

Three and a half years without her seeing her brother, her sister, her Mummy, her Daddy or her best friends.

We are still searching for her. Our small team continues to review all available information, even though we STILL don’t have access to ALL of the information that the UK and Portugese authorities have. Our team has interviewed hundreds of witnesses, received over 1,000 calls, dealt with over 15,000 emails and maintained a computerised database of all information they have received. Despite the difficulties resulting from lack of official assistance, they "follow up" all new leads to try and get fresh information into the investigation.

It is incredible to think that for the last two years and three months NO police force has proactively been doing anything to help us find Madeleine. Crucially, there has been NO formal review of the material held by the police authorities - which is routine practice in most countries, and especially when a key piece of the "jigsaw" may have been overlooked.

We have tried in vain to get the authorities to play their part but our requests have seemingly fallen on deaf ears. It is simply not acceptable that they have, to all intents and purposes, given up on Madeleine. We need the authorities to do more.

However we know we are not alone. We have the tremendous support of family, friends and of course you the public. A lot of this support comes in the form of people saying to us, "if there’s anything we can do, just let us know" or "I’d like to help but I don’t know how". To these people, and indeed yourself, my plea is simple.

We need your support to continue to lobby the British and Portugese governments to undertake a joint or independent review of Madeleine’s case.

How can you do this?

Simply visit: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/madeleinemccann_case_review/ and sign the petition to call on the UK and Portugese authorities to conduct an independent and transparent review of all information in relation to the disappearance of Madeleine. And in turn, please spread the word and encourage as many others to do the same. Together we can, and will pull all of the loose ends of Madeleine’s case together and find her.

Thank you

Internet chats and its dangers

2010-11-01T20:14:00.006Z

I am aware that this subject does not headline missing children, however there are many children and young adults who go missing and are sadly later found dead due to the dangers internet chats can lead to and the latter meet up with these chat partners. Some of them are found again, alive, with a traumatic story to tell.

Others are “groomed” over the net, and are brainwashed over months or even years. Some come back home and through counseling can manage to lead a normal life after that, others are not so strong, and even take their own lives due to frustration about the past, and see no way forward.

I would like to use a recent case from here in Germany to highlight the problem of chatting over the internet and then meeting up without a clue WHO they´re meeting with; a case of a young girl called Melanie , aged 23 years. Unfortunately she was killed in an horrendous manner, and had she followed a few simple rules of internet chats and how to do so safely, she may still be alive today.

Melanie had made a new friend in cyberworld, a man who used an “internet username” by the name of 'SARAH', so Melanie was under the impression that she was chatting to a girl. He managed to get her to trust him to the point where they made an agreement to meet up. On Tuesday evening 26^th October 2010, they met up at a Fastfood café, and for the first time Melanie realized what had happened. Too late ! She was brutally murdered and her body was hidden in the woods. A search began immediately; dogs sniffed her as far as a riverbank, and there it ended. However, the police searched Melanie´s computer and managed to get enough information to enable them to make an arrest and the culprit showed the police where he had hidden the body.

Traces on Melanie´s PC led to her murderer

Benjamin F did not sexually abuse Melanie

I will admit to also meeting up with “cyber friends “; people I had never met in my life before, only people I had chatted to on the internet. However, I had known these people for a great length of time; we had exchanged photographs of each other as well as chatted using a webcam. Only after that did we exchange telephone numbers and literally spoken with each other every now and then. I will also admit to then still feeling rather cautious as I had to fly to another country in order to meet up! My plan was to have a back-up and my family knew where I was going and also had contact with the person I was meeting at the other end. I had a lovely weekend and everything went as well as planned !

Anybody who chats on an internet site/social network , and it is suggested to meet-up personally, there are a few rules which have to be applied BEFORE doing so:

Make sure you know exactly who you are chatting to by using a webcam.
Exchange photos to enable you to make sure you have the correct person on the other side of the line. Webcams are best for that. It´s a live picture !
Make sure you have known this person for a longer period and collected enough information about them to make you feel at ease.
When a personal meet-up takes place, ensure you do not go alone the first time ! If it is a genuine person you are meeting, he/she will not mind if you do so.

An excellent story to read about “grooming” is this :

IN LOVING MEMORY OF KRISTIN DANIELLE HELMS – a young girl who fell victim to an internet sexual predator.

Kristin began chatting to a man at the age of 14. Two years later, after helping the police to arrest this same man, Kristin took her own life.

Please do not hesitate to add a comment. I am sure there may be more rules we can put out there or suggestions to help prevent this LARGE and WORLDWIDE problem in the future.

In Memory Of Hser Ner Moo

2010-10-31T01:06:00.008+01:00

A learning centre in Hser’s name brings joy to refugees.

Just over two years ago, 7 year old Hser Ner Moo disappeared on March 31, 2008. She was part of an immigrant community – a member of a family looking for a new life in America. However, tragedy struck and reverberated around that community when Hser Moo was abducted, assaulted and murdered.

When she disappeared, an Amber alert was issued. Why that was done, we will never know because Hser Moo did not meet the criteria for an Amber alert. The involvement of a vehicle was never established nor suggested.

Hser Moo was later found murdered in a nearby apartment. According to Utah police, Esar Met, 21, admitted to authorities that he killed her before trying to hide her body. He admitted to attempting to hold the child "by force" and she died, according to a Salt Lake County statement.

Whilst we await a conclusion to this child’s tragedy, a centre created in Hser Ner Moo’s honour now brings joy.

The centre bears the name of Hser Ner Moo and is full of life. Like Hser Ner Moo, all the children are immigrants and, between them, they speak 27 different languages. They meet daily for help with learning – including how to speak, read and write English – as well as participating in other activities. They also eat dinner together.

The centre is a success story. It is no more than an apartment donated by the owners of the complex where Hser Ner Moo lost her life. It is not far from where she was found - but it is a centre of hope for a better life and bright future in their new country.

Since the Hser Ner Moo Centre was opened, donations, grants, and the United Way and South Salt Lake have kept it going, and growing. Currently, more than 70 children attend on a daily basis. Parents also attend English classes during the morning hours.

Anyone who wants to share in that success by volunteering their time or providing school supplies can contact the center at: 801-466-3238

You can find out more about the Hser Ner Moo Centre on:
http://www.ssl.state.ut.us/recreation/hsernermoocenter.html%20

View Hser's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hser Ner Moo’s fuller story can be read, courtesy of The Salt Lake Tribune:

A refugee family's journey in America

A MISSING PEACE

The stories of Hser Ner Moo and Esar Met in 4 chapters with photographs - click on links below:

CHAPTER 1: Stolen hope: Daughter’s death comes after years of fear, running for a Burmese family

CHAPTER 2: Parents face delays, confusion in a slow wait for justice

CHAPTER 3: After an uneasy start in Utah, parents devastated by daughter’s death

CHAPTER 4: Fleeing grief A mother worries “We may not be able to regain the strength we had before.”

http://extras.sltrib.com/thailand/index.html

Quangos to be reviewed by the government

2010-10-30T21:53:00.002+01:00

URGENT: Lobby your MP on behalf of Missing People

The charity Missing People is asking everyone with an interest in missing persons to use the below email template and ask their MP to attend a Parliamentary debate on Tuesday, October 26, which will challenge the Government’s decision to cut 100% of the charity’s statutory funding.

This is a critical time for missing persons. As it stands, Government funding cuts mean that, in one blow, the entire national investment into missing persons could cease, and critical services lost. This includes the work of Missing People, which searches for and supports tens of thousands of people each and every year.

Missing People is asking that as many people as possible contact their MP today to request that they attend this important Parliamentary debate. Attendance is vital, as the Government must be shown just how much support – and indeed need – there is for missing person services.

If you would like to be part of this important campaign, Missing People has prepared a template email for MPs which contains full details of the debate. This can be found below, and you can either cut and paste this into an email or use it as a model for your own message. The email will be most powerful if you can tell your own story and – if you have been touched by the issue of missing persons – feel free to make special note of any help you have received from the charity or any other agency that has supported you.

Find out who your MP is and how to contact them by clicking here, and please send your message marked as high priority and with your address so that they can see that you are one of their constituents.

Missing People needs as many MPs to attend the debate as possible, so once you have sent your own email, please pass on this weblink to any other friends and family who may also get involved.

With your help, we can ensure that Missing People can long continue to be a lifeline when someone disappears. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact Holly Towell, the charity’s Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer at holly.towell@missingpeople.or.uk or on 020 8392 4566.

TEMPLATE EMAIL:
Dear NAME MP,

As one of your constituents, I urgently ask you to attend the debate on the future of services to missing persons at 1:00 – 1:30pm on Tuesday 26 October in Westminster Hall.

Every year, 250,000 people are reported missing to police forces across the United Kingdom. Many of the vulnerable children and adults that this astonishing figure represents also leave behind families who suffer both emotional and practical impacts whilst they wait for news of their missing loved one. Yet funding cuts to missing persons mean that, in one single blow, the entire national investment into this vital issue could be ended, and critical services lost.

This includes the UK charity Missing People.

As you will know, Missing People provides a lifeline when someone disappears, by providing support to those affected by missing persons around the clock. Just last year, its staff and volunteers took over 114,000 calls for help from runaway children, vulnerable adults and their families. It provided emotional support for more than 900 families, and helped to close almost 340 missing person cases. Sadly, however, more than 1,000 cases remain open.

I realise just how critical the services provided by Missing People are, and so I ask you to represent me by attending Tuesday’s debate to show your support for both Missing People and the continued investment in missing persons. I understand that this is taking place when there is little other Parliamentary business scheduled, and so I hope that your diary will be able to accommodate this.

With your help and support, we can ensure that thousands of families every year still have this lifeline when a loved one disappears.

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to your reply.

Best wishes,

NAME

Happy Birthday Ben Needham - 21 Years Old On 29th October 2010

2010-10-28T22:10:00.025+01:00

An item on the ITV1 ‘Lorraine’ programme this morning caused a sharp intake of breath amongst some of us. Ben Needham will be 21 years old tomorrow! The programme item, entitled The search for Ben Needham reminded us about the little 21 month old child who disappeared on the island of Kos in 1991. His disappearance sparked a huge but ultimately unsuccessful police hunt. His mother faced hostility from the local people and police who accused her of being a negligent parent.

Ben had been taken to Iraklise so that he could spend time with his maternal grandparents, Eddie and Christine Needham. When he went missing on 24 July 1991, Kerry was planning to move to Kos permanently and had even secured herself a local, part-time job. On the day of his disappearance, Ben had been left in the care of his grandparents while his mother went to work at a local hotel. He had been playing near the doorway of the family's farmhouse home whilst the adults were having lunch. His grandmother is reported to have taken her eyes off him for just a few minutes when it was discovered he was gone. This was sometime around 2.30pm in the afternoon.

It is the belief of the Needham family that Ben was kidnapped with the intention of either being sold for adoption or taken by child traffickers. However, there is no evidence to support this theory and some observers consider an accident to be a legitimate alternative scenario.

Kerry Needham-Grist, his mother, has never given up hope, nor the search for her son. Ben has a younger sister, Leighanna, whom he has never even met. In October 2007, Kerry was reported to say: “All I want is to see Ben again so that he knows the truth. I want him to know that I am his mother and he wasn't abandoned or anything like that."

Currently, Kerry is writing a letter to David Cameron to beg him to let Ben's case be looked at by British police as she feels Greek police have abandoned the search for her son. Although South Yorkshire police have been helpful, she has been told that she can only have a liaison officer. Kerry feels very strongly that because UK officers flew out to investigate Madeleine McCann's disappearance that Ben has been treated differently.

As this is Ben’s 21^st birthday article, it isn’t appropriate to discuss the speculation and suspicion surrounding his disappearance. It is a time to remember him and hold him in our hearts. This is a child who disappeared – without answers. That is enough for today.

Kerry, his mum, intends to mark Ben's 21st birthday with a gathering of close relatives at the family home in Sheffield.

Happy 21st birthday Ben – from all at the Find Madeleine Forum.

View Ben's thread on the Find Madeleine forum Here!

ITV1, the ‘Lorraine’ programme (presented by Kate Garraway), 28^th October 2010 : http://www.itv.com/lorraine/joinintheconversation/kerryneedham/

'A Day for Daniel' – 29th October 2010

2010-10-24T13:52:00.003+01:00

Daniel Morcombe – aged 13 years - missing since 7^th December 2003

The family of Daniel Morcombe have asked for a day of remembrance and awareness on 29^th October this year. The Daniel Morcombe Foundation was established in 2005 by Daniel's parents, Denise and Bruce Morcombe, and has organised the annual awareness Day for Daniel to promote helping to make the world a safer place for our children.

As well as the annual awareness day, the Foundation continually promotes child safety. In 2008 Denise and Bruce Morcombe travelled to schools and other organisations across Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. They met with police, politicians and principals to talk about the work of the Foundation they established in their son’s name after his abduction. They also spoke about the child safety message and protective behaviours all children can adopt in an effort to ensure no other family suffers the loss they have. The Foundation is also used to help families and children who have been victims of crime.

Daniel Morcombe was abducted from a bus stop at the Kiel Mountain Road overpass, on the Nambour Connection Road, Palmwoods, Queensland (2km north of the tourist attraction the Big Pineapple) on Sunday 7th December 2003. Daniel was to catch the 1.30pm bus to the Plaza Shopping Centre in Maroochydore but failed to arrive. The bus which should have collected Daniel was running late after a break-down and the driver was instructed not to pick up any further passengers so he ignored Daniel’s ‘hailing’ signals but radioed to the following shuttle bus driver to say that there was a young boy who needed to be picked up. When the shuttle bus arrived at the bus stop just a minute and a half later, Daniel was no longer there.

Two men were seen near to Daniel at the bus stop. They were standing beside an old, blue car parked just metres away and one was closely watching the teenager. This man was unkempt in appearance, is described as aged between 25 and 35 years, with lean to muscular build, about 175cm tall, with a gaunt face and dark brown wavy hair. The police released sketches of the man at the time but did not lead them anywhere.

The Day for Daniel is even more important this year as the Coronial Inquiry into his disappearance opened on Monday 11^th October 2010. Although Daniel’s body has never been found, his parents are hoping that the inquest will provide some answers.

The inquest, which is being held at the Maroochydore Coroner’s Court, was arranged at the request of Daniel's parents, who have fought determinedly to solve the mystery of their son's disappearance. Dozens of people who could hold the key to cracking the case will be questioned during the hearing. This will include ‘persons of interest’. The inquest is to investigate whether Daniel is still alive. If not, authorities are hoping to determine how, when and where he died, and what caused his death. The inquest will also examine the adequacy of the immediate police response to the report that Daniel was missing, and the subsequent investigation. As a result, the inquest may make general recommendations relating to community safety or police processes.

Bruce Morcombe, Daniel’s father, was the first to give evidence at the inquest. He told the hearing when his son had not returned home at 5.45 that evening the family knew something was amiss. He said the boy had caught the bus from the same location numerous times and would phone home when he was running late. Mr Morcombe also told the inquest he and his wife went to the police at 7.30pm that night but at that stage officers were very casual about the boy’s disappearance and did not think it was necessary to report the teenager as a missing person.

Mr Morcombe and his family have conducted their own searches of bushland out of desperation for clues about Daniel's disappearance. They have followed numerous leads. He told the coroner that he was given a bag of clothes that were allegedly worn by Daniel after he had been abducted. When he took the bag of clothes to Maroochydore Police Station, Mr Morcombe says “it was not greeted with enthusiasm”. He says an officer said to him words to the effect: “Do you expect me to examine every piece of clothing you bring in here?”

Detective Senior Sergeant Tracey Barnes outlined strategies used by police during the seven-year investigation. She said almost 18,000 job logs had been created in that time, each representing a piece of evidence or information relating to the case. Detective Snr Sgt Barnes said extensive forensic examinations of the abduction site had been conducted, more than 10,000 people had been interviewed throughout Australia, 35 persons of interest identified, and help had been sought from the FBI, which sent an agent to the Sunshine Coast to review the investigation process. The coroner's court has heard more police resources have been invested in the Morcombe investigation than any other in the state's history, with some strategies never tried before.

So far, the police will follow-up on one new lead that has come to light during the inquest. The police will search a Sunshine Coast bus company's phone records to identify a mystery woman who called about a missing child about an hour before Daniel Morcombe's parents realised their son had disappeared. Mrs Morcombe has confirmed that she did not make that call, so the coroner has asked for further investigation of the phone records.

As well as failing to follow-up on the phone call to the bus company, it would appear that the police also ignored an FBI agent's advice on how best to deal with a prime suspect. In February 2006 Special Agent Beasley had reviewed evidence from a series of interviews conducted with a key suspect known as Person of Interest 1, or P1, and found a number of "conflicting accounts". Agent Beasley then made specific recommendations on what detectives should focus on when the suspect was re-interviewed. P1 was not interviewed again until nearly 2 years later during a Crime and Misconduct Commission hearing in November 2007. The inquest heard that P1 is currently in jail and has given inconsistent evidence in the seven-year case.

At least 35 persons of interest have been identified, plus dozens of other associates of those people. P5 was placed under surveillance almost as soon as the investigation into Daniel’s disappearance started. He was released from jail on November 7, 2003, one month before Daniel disappeared. P5 is now behind bars for an offence against his sister. P20 committed suicide three days after being interviewed by police. Police say that he was not elevated as a suspect. An associate of P20, his daughter’s former partner P21, was also investigated because he was said to have an old blue sedan that has never been able to be located. P23 and P24 had driven to Maroochydore and Alexandra Heads to look at young boys, particularly at surf clubs. Another man accompanied them from New South Wales, and all were members of an internet paedophile chat room whose purpose in coming to the Sunshine Coast was looking for young boys. None of these were elevated as a suspect either.

The good news arising from the long-awaited inquest into the suspected abduction and murder of Daniel is that police have received more than 100 pieces of information since the coronial inquest into his case began. The surge in calls to police comes almost seven years after the investigation started. The website set up for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation crashed twice last week, apparently because of a huge increase in traffic resulting from the inquest.

The inquest has been adjourned for a week and is expected to continue next Monday.

View Daniel's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

Please remember Daniel and all other missing children on 29^th October. Consider how you can do something extra that day to promote the plight of missing children and their families.

More information about the Daniel Morcombe Foundation can be found at the following website: www.danielmorcombe.com.au/index.html

Remembering Somer Renee Thompson - 1 Year On

2010-10-22T05:14:00.005+01:00

The 19th October 2010 marked the first anniversary of Somer Thompson’s disappearance. What began as a typical day exactly one year earlier turned into one of Clay County’s most tragic when the 7-year-old child went missing. The news triggered an intense, community-wide search that ended two days later when Somer’s body was discovered in a South Georgia landfill.

Since then, Jarred Harrell (25 years) who has a history of possessing child pornography, has been charged with Somer’s abduction and murder. He has been sitting in a Clay County jail since February when he was charged in the case. Harrell has pleaded not guilty, and is awaiting his next hearing scheduled for January 2011.

The 19th October could have been a day of gloom and doom under the circumstances, but the closely-knit community decided to celebrate Somer’s short life rather than focus on the tragedy of her loss. About 400 children, teenagers and adults gathered on the Orange Park Junior High School campus on Tuesday night to remember Somer They lit candles and walked a quarter of a mile to a collection of memorabilia displayed outside the Thompson family’s Grove Park home.

The evening’s events included songs performed by Molly Hatchet and a purple balloon release - Somer’s favourite color - that prompted her mother to shout out regularly, "Justice for Somer!" Between speakers, an onstage butterfly release brought smiles and created soft moments of levity with adults as well as children.

The people of Orange Park unified for a common purpose when Somer was missing. They clung to hope yet feared the worst. Now, Somer’s tragedy continues to pull the community together. They have committed themselves to protecting children and raising awareness of predators. That commitment has been fostered by Somer’s mother, Diena, who has made numerous TV and public appearances across the country on behalf of the Somer Thompson Foundation she established with Bobby Ingram who lives in Lake Asbury and is the lead guitarist for Southern rock band Molly Hatchett. Within days of Somer’s abduction and murder, local mothers created a new group, called MAP (Moms Against Predators).

Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler summed up the message and mood of the vigil when he addressed the gathering: "It’s time for these predators and monsters to start being afraid of us instead of us being afraid of them." Everyone at the event (sponsored by the newly formed First Coast Neighborhood Watch ) erupted into shouts and applause.

Whilst the last year has clearly been painful for Diena, Somer’s mother, she has valued the enormous amount of support she has received for herself and her other three children. She took solace from the success of the anniversary event and said: “As long as we keep her name out there, I can make this foundation work. It’s something I have to do."

So those of us in the Find Madeleine forum support Diena, her family and the community of Orange Park by reminding you about Somer Renee Thompson. A child who loved to hug everyone but was tragically lost far too soon. May she rest in peace with the angels and may her name save other children and parents from a similar fate.

View Somer's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

Further information about the Somer Thompson Foundation can be found at: http://www.somerthompsonfoundation.com/

Further links to MAP can be found at: http://te-in.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48578133621

Madeleine vs Mirco - so close, and yet so far away

2010-10-20T17:34:00.008+01:00

Madeleine McCann disappeared on May 3rd 2007. It´s been more than 3 long years since she disappeared without a trace. It seems like such a long time to me, especially having watched the case since day one, hoping and praying that this little girl would be found and brought back home. Up until that time in May 2007, I had hardly recognized the fact that so many children went missing or were abducted either by strangers or by people they know. I would call it rather naïve of me to have thought it didn´t happen that much, and surely this world couldn´t be all that bad, and that children would be safe. Also, of all the missing children I have read about and seen either being found again or have remained missing, or unfortunately have turned up no longer with us, none of it has happened nearby to where I live.

I have changed my mind since then, and reality has hit me in that not only are children not as safe as I thought they were, but children ARE going missing right here where I live. It´s not all just happening “somewhere else”, but in front of my nose !

So for all of those who have not yet heard of the case I am about to tell you about, here it is :

There are quite a few news articles on the forum, however they are all badly translated, and I shall try to put this case into a better perspective by describing it in my own words, and although I am literally 15 miles from where it happened, and only 4 miles from where the SOCO police have their offices, I am not any better off with information than anybody else reading the news.

This is the story of a little boy ; Mirco Schlitter, aged 10 at the time of his disappearance, who went missing on the evening/night of September 3rd 2010, near Grefrath in Norththeinwestfalia, Germany. It was a Friday afternoon, and Mirco had met with some friends at a skating area in a nearby village. When he failed to returm home at a given time and it began to get dark, his mother called him on his mobile phone and asked him to come home as soon as he could, since it was getting rather late and dark. Once she had completed the call and knew he was on his way back, she popped into the study to let Mirco´s father know he was on the way, and said she was going to bed. The father misunderstood her, and continued with his computer work and then also went to bed.

Meanwhile Mirco had never reached his home again. Something happened to him on his way back after dropping off one of his friends at home first. Mirco´s bicycle was found the following day, thrown in a ditch, next to a path he used on route to his home. It was the next morning before Mirco was found to be missing, since both parents had assumed he was tucked up in bed. ( I do find it strange that a 10 year old child lets himself in at night and goes to bed on his own, but then some children are independent from an early age ).

A search was underway very quickly once the report went in that this child was missing, but the news here only started coming in from Saturday evening / Sunday morning. I had heard helicopters flying and circling around above, but it didn´t seem unusual to me, as this often happens on normal weekends. But the sound of fighter jets overhead in the middle of the night using special cameras was rather unique to me and quite eerie.
There is and was only one photo of Mirco that was sent out to the public, and there were hundreds of callers with information, once it was known where he disappeared from and where his bicycle was found. To me, it all went pretty quickly, and so it should, when a child is missing, The first hours are crucial.

Grefrath is a small town surrounded by many small villages which lead to each other by rural paths and surrounded by a lot of forest and corn fields and little rivers running by, so of course plenty opportunity to commit a crime and have it well hidden. Also the border to the Netherlands is not very far at all. There were hundreds of searchers out in those forests and fields day in and day out, to no avail. The rivers have been searched too. Some witnesses have said they heard a child's screams in a particular direction, which have also been investigated.

One by one Mirco's clothing was found in a garbage bin at a parking bay off one of the main roads, which also led into forest. A third article was found a little later in another area nearby; the police are not revealing what this article is, but foreign DNA has been found on this article as well as other traces around the same place. This has taken weeks to diagnose, while the SOCO police continue trying to fit the puzzle in the background. They say they do not have one lead, but SEVERAL, and have laid many “mouse traps” in which they feel confident the offender will fall into ! The police profilers are saying the offender comes from that region, and is living nearby as a normal inhabitant, and are asking the public for any information, especially those living nearby. The offender will have acted strangely before and after the crime; possibly booked off sick, or disappeared for a length of time. Now that the DNA has been identified, the police are trying to find all the people who may have been in that area at the time or before the crime, and then will go on to do a DNA test on everybody in the region.
I am confident that our police force is doing everything they can to solve this case and find Mirco.

All still ongoing……. And yet, oh so similar to what was investigated in most other cases, partly kept silent so as not to jeopardise the investigation and to safeguard the child in the case that he may still be alive. We hope and pray…… and continue to take our children to school and back, with that feeling of :.... IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANY OF US, EVEN RIGHT NEXT DOOR!!!!!!!

View Mirco's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

£1.5 Million Reward - Unclaimed!

2010-10-19T14:56:00.005+01:00

Madeleine Beth McCann disappeared on the evening of Thursday, 3 May 2007, while on holiday with her parents and twin siblings in the Algarve region of Portugal The British girl went missing from an apartment, in the central area of the resort of Praia da Luz, a few days before her fourth birthday.

In Septemeber 2007, the News Of The World newspaper offered its readers the sum of £1.5 million for anyone giving information that leads to the safe return of Madeleine. That reward has so far gone unclaimed. Despite 'sightings' all across the world, none have been confirmed as being a positive sighting of Madeleine McCann.

Where is Madeleine McCann? Why has nobody come forward with information and claimed the £1.5 million reward offered by the newspaper? Does money really talk? Not in this case it hasn't! In fact, in the words of John "Johnny" Lester Nash, 'THERE ARE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS'. But why is this case fast becoming one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in modern times? Just how much money does it really take to make people talk?

£1.5 million could be yours!!!

33 Miners Lost For 17 Days Then Found - 70 Days To Be Recovered Alive From Chilean 'Hell Hole'

2010-10-13T21:54:00.006+01:00

It's a workingman I am and I've been down underground
And I swear by God if I ever see the sun
Or for any length of time, I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down underground

The 33 miners trapped deep underground for more than two months in northern Chile have all now been rescued.

Chile let out an almighty roar on Wednesday when the first miner reached the surface after 69 days. The Catholic nation tolled the church bells to signal this momentous occasion. Families and friends have been camping out in 'Camp Hope' for weeks, waiting for news about their loved ones. Finally, the waiting was over. Cheers resounded around the world as the first rescued miner, Florencio Avalos, reached the surface after being winched up a shaft 624m (2,074ft) long. What a fearful and interminable journey that must have been. All hopes were pinned on the fete of engineering and his bravery to lead to way.

The 33 men were trapped by a rock fall at the mine near Copiapo, about 725km (450 miles) north of Santiago, on 5th August 2010. Rescuers had almost given up the search when they located them 17 days later. Contact was made on 22nd August when a rescue team’s drill probe broke through the miner’s sheltered area, about 700m below the surface. The men attached a note saying: “All 33 of us are well inside the shelter.” Chile was euphoric - but then the planning had to start.

Since then, people around the world have been joining forces in thoughts and prayers, to watch and pray as history was in the making. Our forum members were no exception. The plan to rescue the miners was so audacious that it seemed impossibly ambitious. This has truly been one of the biggest rescue efforts in mining history, a brilliant piece of engineering teamwork in order to save lives

On Wednesday, we joined hands across cyberspace - each watching the news unfold in their own country. We celebrated but shared fears in equal proportions across the internet. Our members share concerns about missing children every day of every week, and we do our utmost to help. On this occasion, we recognised the value of fathers, husbands, brothers and sons who had been missing but had been found - found but not yet rescued. Those of us who could pray prayed hard; those who were not comfortable with prayers held the miners, their families and the engineers in their thoughts.

The miners themselves, always had faith that somehow they were going to be out of there - that somehow they were going to be rescued. We had to hold the same faith. It was almost our duty to read the news and watch the live-streams from the major news agencies. If we didn’t watch or read then we felt we might have let them down. We had to keep them close to us in our thoughts.

So, on Wednesday, we found ourselves joining across cyber space: from the UK to Ireland; from Germany to the USA. We also joined in the chant “Chi-chi-chi-le-le-le, los mineros de Chile”” whenever a miner reached the surface. We shed tears as the families embraced. We were moved by the stories associated with each individual:

MARIO GOMEZ, 63 - the oldest miner who has worked in the mines since the age of 12 years was thinking about retiring in November.

JIMMY SANCHEZ, 19 - the youngest miner who has only 5 months mining experience.

VICTOR ZAMORA, 33 - only went into the mine on the day of the accident to repair a vehicle. He has already survived one natural disaster - the earthquake which hit Talcahuano in February and destroyed his original workplace.

ARIEL TACONA, 29 - became a father on the 40th day of being trapped. His wife Elizabeth Segovia gave birth to a girl on 14th September. He asked her to name their daughter Esperanza which is Spanish for hope.

ESTEBAN ROJAS - told his girlfriend of 25 years: “When I get out of here we’ll buy you a wedding dress and get married in church.”

The last time our forum members joined together in real-time over a recovery story which had grabbed our hearts was when Shannon Matthews was found. We did a cyber conga around the forum. One of our forum members was due to do her third day of volunteer ‘search and rescue’ in Yorkshire on the Saturday but, gladly, she was not needed.

So, on Wednesday, we partied all night again! They are different scenarios - but our joy was the same. Whether it is one child who is found safe or 33 men, the joy is euphoric.

And what can be said about those 6 rescue workers who placed their lives on the line to bring out the trapped miners? They are ‘super-human’; ‘earth angels’ or really special human beings. They went down into the hell-hole to give the miners a chance to make the claustrophobic journey back to the surface and to their families. What a selfless act.

Who could have failed to shed a tear when Luis Ursula (shift foreman, 54 years) approached the Chilean President and said, “I hand over my shift to you”? Sebastian Pinera, also with great emotion, accepted the gesture and hugged the man who had led a great team. President Pinera spoke, afterwards, about the value of commitment, teamwork, trust and faith. None of these values is more important than the other.

Our forum takes a new lesson from this formidable experience. We have to keep working on the cases of the missing; we have to do whatever we can - and at all costs, we have to have faith and hope.

Jozlynn Mari Martinez

2010-10-12T11:26:00.011+01:00

Jury finds Jeffrey Malmberg guilty of second-degree murder in death of 2-year-old Jozylnn Martinez

Jeffrey Malmberg has been found guilty of second-degree murder today following a Kent County Circuit Court jury deliberating for about three hours.

The verdict was just returned and Malmberg now faces up to life in prison on the conviction for killing 2-year-old Jozlynn Martinez on Feb. 22.

Malmberg admitted putting his knee on the chest of the girl, the daughter of his live-in girlfriend Connie Martinez.

During the five-day trial, he argued that Jozlynn’s death was an accident as he tried to calm her temper tantrum.

Assistant Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker worked to convince the panel that Malmberg should have known the risk of injury or death was likely when a grown man puts his body on a child.

Becker said there was no excuse for the response by Malmberg, who bagged Jozlynn’s body and threw it in a Dumpster near their 915 Nagold St. NW apartment.

Jurors also found him guilty of felony larceny from taking Connie Martinez's tax
return money and tampering with evidence, stemming from disposing of the girls.
body.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/10/jury_finds_jeffrey_malmberg_gu.html

Jozlynn's body was never found!!

View Jozlynn's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

Missing Zahra Claire Baker

2010-10-12T10:32:00.019+01:00

Time was running out Monday in the search for a shy but upbeat 10-year-old whose battles with bone cancer left her with a prosthetic leg and hearing aids in both ears, the police chief said. It's unclear when she was last seen alive.

The father and stepmother of 10-year-old Zahra Clare Baker told police that they discovered she was missing on Saturday and that one of them had seen her sleeping in her room hours earlier. Yet Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins cast doubt on their accounts during an afternoon news conference.

He said investigators were having trouble finding anyone else who had seen the home-schooled girl alive in the last few weeks.

"We don't know the last time anyone saw her," he said. "We're having a difficult time establishing a true timeline."

Zahra's father, Adam Baker, said during an earlier TV interview that it was possible his wife could be involved in the disappearance, which was reported hours after a fire in the home's backyard. Elisa Baker was arrested Sunday on about a dozen charges unrelated to the girl's disappearance.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/chief-unclear-when-missing-676253.html

View Zahra's thread on the Find Madeleine forum HERE!

Zahra Clare Baker: Dogs smell human remains at missing girl's home.

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-national/dogs-smell-human-remains-at-home-of-missing-north-carolina-girl-zahra-clare-baker-video

Find Madeleine

Norway Massacre: Historic Church Holds Ceremony to Mourn Victims

Norway Shooting, Bombing: Police End Search for Utoya Victims

Paige Johnson's Mom Wants Daughter's Abductor To 'Do The Right Thing'

A Sad Farewell

Find Madeleine's Featured Missing Children Cases for July

‘America’s Most Wanted’ ends its long Fox run Saturday, but John Walsh is looking elsewhere

PM: I've reopened Maddie McCann files

"I feel guilty every day of my life."

Kate McCann: Kidnapper drugged twins night Madeleine taken

McCanns Mark Madeleine Disapperance Anniversary

Madeleine McCann: time to forget?

Four years on, Maddie search hits inboxes

It's Been Three Long Years!

EX-COP IN MADELEINE MCCANN BOOK BID

Kate and Gerry McCann's fundraising page

Kate's book helps search for Maddie

'Dead' British woman found alive after 57 years

Fresh hope for mother of Ben Needham as British police may investigate 1991 Greek snatching for first time

Inmate Arrested Over Child Killer 'Murder'

Mothers United

A Character Study Of Psycopaths

Safer Internet Day, Tuesday 8 February

R.I.P little Mirco ** may the angels look after you **

McCanns appeal to Portuguese people

A Story Of Hope And Joy - Girl Found After 23 Years

The week four people vanished – and only one made the news

Sex Gangs Grooming Children As Young As 10Yrs Old

Database to identify child abuse threat Sunday Post

'Sickening' Paedophile Gang Members Jailed

Texas Teen Vanishes Into Thin Air Days After Christmas

More Missing Children Found

Amy Fitzpatrick

The Inspector of the Madeleine Case Accuses London of Pressurising Portugal

Lauryn Dickens Still Missing

McCann Couple Make New Appeal to Maddie's Abductors

WikiLeaks Publish New Info on McCann Case

Countdown to Christmas - Focus on 12 Missing Children

More Good news

UK's The Missing Kids Website

Portuguese President Cabinet reply to "A Voice for Madeleine" Petition

More Good News On The Forum

US Statistics On Missing And Exploited Children

Predators In The Hood

Watkins Missing Children

Good News Update

A Voice For Madeleine

10,000 UK paedophiles 'named and shamed' on CHRIS website

McCanns Sign Missing Madeleine Book Deal

The End of My World: The shocking true story of a young girl forced to become a sex slave

A boyfriend or a pimp??

Police think they've found NC girl's remains

275,000 Missing Britons every year to face government cuts

A miracle in Missouri

Channel 4 Interview with the McCanns

Madeleine McCann's parents seek support for London and Lisbon to review the case

The parents of British girl Madeleine McCann today called for support to ensure that the British and Portuguese governments will jointly review the case and "do more" to find their daughter, three and a half years after her disappearance whilst vacationing with her family in the Algarve Portugal.

In a letter, Kate and Gerry McCann urged people to support the search for "Maddie" by signing a petition seeking to pressure the British and Portuguese authorities to carry out "a transparent and independent review of all information connected with the disappearance of Madeleine".

Please sign their petition here

Internet chats and its dangers

In Memory Of Hser Ner Moo

Quangos to be reviewed by the government

Happy Birthday Ben Needham - 21 Years Old On 29th October 2010

'A Day for Daniel' – 29th October 2010

Remembering Somer Renee Thompson - 1 Year On

Madeleine vs Mirco - so close, and yet so far away

£1.5 Million Reward - Unclaimed!

33 Miners Lost For 17 Days Then Found - 70 Days To Be Recovered Alive From Chilean 'Hell Hole'

Jozlynn Mari Martinez

Missing Zahra Claire Baker

R.I.P little Mirco may the angels look after you