August 2011
1 post
6 tags
Silly, silly spam
I keep getting spam from some company that wants to sell me medical equipment. Here is what I told them: I am a writer. Why would I want to buy MRI machines? Let me make a suggestion. Take your head. Put it into one of your MRIs. Look at the results. Do you see a brain? Is it full of holes?
I am busy fielding messages from all of my Nigerian friends who want to tell me how beloved I am. I also...
July 2011
3 posts
Forbes talks about pedophiles and laws
Here’s writer Kiri Blakeley’s take on laws aimed at helping curb the prevalence and reach of pedophiles:
http://blogs.forbes.com/kiriblakeley/2011/07/21/leaving-little-lieby-a-better-legacy/
9 tags
Project Jason Press Release
North Carolina — July 11, 2011 — Author Carole Moore, whose most recent book is “The Last Place You’d Look: True Stories of Missing Persons and the People Who Search for Them,” wishes to acknowledge the expert assistance provided by Kelly Jolkowski, president of Project Jason. Jolkowski, whose nonprofit organization assists families of missing persons, offered...
8 tags
Looking at missing persons statistics
I’ve been slack these past couple of months, very busy with my book. Now I’m starting to get back in gear. I wrote a guest blog post for Laura Laing. Her book, Math for Grownups, is out shortly. Take a look:
http://mathforgrownups.com/2011/06/30/331/
March 2011
1 post
5 tags
Book now available on Amazon
My book, The Last Place You’d Look: True Stories of Missing Persons and the People Who Search for Them, is now available for delivery on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online booksellers. The book will be in stores in May.
Received positive reviews Kirkus and Booklist, and the book’s being covered this coming Sunday in a story in the Jacksonville Daily News. I’ll link to...
February 2011
2 posts
9 tags
My Valentine's Day Column
This column ran in the newspaper today. I wrote it years ago when my son was a little guy. It’s my all time favorite:
Sometimes the best gifts come wrapped in nothing at all. That was the case one recent Valentine’s Day when my small son came home from school, opened his sweaty little hand and revealed a small pink sugar heart inscribed with the words, “I Love You.” He tossed me a smile...
9 tags
Chinese father finds abducted son after three...
For anyone who doubts the value of social networking, here is the story of a father whose son was abducted in China. Peng Gaofeng spent three years searching for the boy, using social media to help him.
It’s a heart-warming tale, and even more important, a lesson in how social media and the Internet can make a positive difference in these kinds of cases.
Read it here:
...
January 2011
3 posts
10 tags
DNA and Child Trafficking
Last week I wrote a story for The Crime Report, a fine online publication of the John Jay Center on Crime, Media and Justice in New York. The story, which you can find here:
#mce_temp_url#
centers around the University of Grenada’s (Spain) joint initiative with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, DNA-Prokids. The nonprofit (and brainchild of Dr. Jose Lorente)...
7 tags
Florida police find skull in evidence room
Reporter Beth Burger filed this interesting story:
“BRADENTON —It’s a mystery investigators hope to put to rest.
Bradenton Police Department detectives recently found the partial remains of a human skull in an unmarked box with the word “Skull” in caps underlined twice. The box was in the corner of the homicide evidence room at the police department dating back 36 years ago.
...
attheedgeoftheuniverse asked: Hello!
I'm a student in my last year of high school and I'm looking into criminology as my major in college, and I'm hoping to eventually wind up as a detective of sorts for the FBI or CIA. Is there anything you'd recommend I read, take into consideration, or other?
I was happy to discover your blog. Thank you for any time you're able to give me. Hope you...
I'm a student in my last year of high school and I'm looking into criminology as my major in college, and I'm hoping to eventually wind up as a detective of sorts for the FBI or CIA. Is there anything you'd recommend I read, take into consideration, or other?
I was happy to discover your blog. Thank you for any time you're able to give me. Hope you...
December 2010
6 posts
9 tags
A story from The Last Place You'd Look
Helen Aragona’s bright, lively young daughter had it all: Phyllis was in love and engaged to be married to a sweet, caring man, Scott Gasperson. She worked for Scott’s father in one of the many businesses he owned in her North Carolina hometown. Scott and Phyllis shared a place in the country with dozens of rescued animals. Phyllis had a weakness for anything with fur or feathers. But...
7 tags
And now this word from our sponsor
I’m in the middle of proofing my new book, The Last Place You’d Look: True Stories of MIssing Persons and the People Who Search for Them. It will be published in the spring (no exact date yet, but April or May) of 2011.
This book is a labor of love for me. It tells many personal true stories about families who are looking for their loved ones, the searchers (civilian and law...
6 tags
Why you're paying more for that sweater
(Note: I found this posted on some place called “Gather.” A woman named “Lynda F” claims to have written it. She’s a liar. This is my work. If you’re a writer, check Gather and see if you are being ripped off, too.)
Shoplifting’s often the culprit behind pricier retail goods. Merchants lose billions each year through theft and pass the costs on to the...
6 tags
Staying in a hotel? Stay safe
Travelers present an especially attractive opportunity for criminals because they’re in less-than-familiar territory and carry money. One of the best places for thieves to target travelers is at their hotel. You can reduce your chances of becoming a bull’s eye for criminals if you pay attention to details, trust no one and remember a few simple rules:
Crowded lobby? Keep an eye on...
8 tags
Missing man's foot found, but where is Stanley?
Stanley Driver of Freeport, Ill., vanished on Dec. 3, 2007. A homebody and someone who rarely strayed from the circle of his friends and family, no sign of Stanley was found until July 26, 2009, when some individuals came across a foot in the Pecatonica River. Police sent the foot to the lab for testing, where it was positively identified as having belonged to the missing Stanley Driver. But...
7 tags
Three missing boys spotted?
Three missing children — Andrew, Alex, and Tanner Skelton — missing since November after their father told police he handed them off to a woman he met over the Internet, were reportedly spotted by a woman who works in an area donut shop. The woman told investigators that a customer came into the shop with three young boys and ordered donuts. She referred to one of the boys as...
November 2010
14 posts
6 tags
Woman Found Not a Danger to her Children on Trial...
Gail Coontz is on trial for shooting her 14 and 10 year olds and holding a therapist hostage. The defense is going for insanity — something I’ve rarely seen work. The real kicker to this case is that Kentucky child welfare authorities apparently checked on this family prior to the murders and determined Gail Coontz was not a threat to her children. This would be laughable if it were...
4 tags
Study finds more likely serial killers
A Scripps Howard News Service analysis, completed after filing Freedom of Information Act requests with the FBI, concluded that many unsolved homicides and disappearances may be the work of previously undetected serial killers.
Read about this study at: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/nov/20/serial-killings-hidden-trail/#
5 tags
Which US city has the most child prostitutes?
A recent investigation by federal authorities concentrating on child prostitutes resulted in the arrests of 99 pimps and 69 child prostitutes.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says thousands of children work as prostitutes across this country. In other parts of the world, the situation is even more grim. Kids are often sold into prostitution by their own families in...
6 tags
Remains of Missing Man Found
According to the San Mateo County Times, skeletal remains recently found in a remote area have been identified as those of Santa Cruz man, Michael DiVerde, age 34, who has been missing since this past July. He had been living in a mental health facility.
More on the story at: http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_16629348?nclick_check=1
5 tags
When Frances Carriere Was Murdered
“He called out to Frances a few times and then went upstairs. He found her dead in the bathroom, lying between the bathtub and radiator. She was nude, having apparently been surprised as she was preparing to enter the tub. There were bruises on her neck and a V-shaped wound in the center of her forehead. She had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest, the wounds puncturing her heart and one of...
8 tags
Ryan Chichovsky Missing in Laos Since 2006
Ryan Chicovsky, a Washington state resident, first went to China as a study abroad student. He became interested in the culture and language and soon landed a job at a small school in a rural area teaching English. During a break from school, Ryan went backpacking, his travels taking him to Laos. Only a couple of days short of meeting his family in Hong Kong for a visit, Ryan disappeared from a...
7 tags
Putting the Puzzle Together
Oklahoma is the first, but won’t be the last, state to team with the University of North Texas and it’s famous human identification unit to bring the dead home to their families.
The UNT’s famous human identification project, which claims some of the top DNA experts in the country including Dr. Arthur Eisenberg, and its foundation recently kicked off its latest project. First...
tumblrbot asked: WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?
8 tags
Three Missing in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California. Three missing persons in one week. All very different people, very different cases.
Miguel Palacios isa 56-year-old who has had an organ transplant. He suffers from dementia and needs transplant rejection meds.
Teenager Gabriela Guitierrez is a high school student who vanished after her mother dropped her off at school. She has a history of running away.
Sarah Preston...
7 tags
Amanda Knox On Trial Again
Amanda Knox, the American convicted in Italy of killing her British roommate, will go on trial in an Italian court for slander. The slander charge emanates from her accusation against police officials that she was beaten while under interrogation in the case.
Italian law precludes claims such as Knox made and implications are that her parents, who live in the U.S. and have echoed her charges to...
4 tags
Doe Network Worth Checking Out
Ever since the Internet became accessible to John E. Public, amateur sleuths have played a part in solving missing persons and recovered unidentified remains cases. One of the best resources for civilians is The Doe Network, which has information related to thousands of missing persons’ cases.
The Doe Network is an all-volunteer website. Check it out at www.doenetwork.com.
5 tags
Two Things Parents Should Teach Their Kids
Here are two things you should teach your kids to avoid stranger abductions:
If your child is on the street and a stranger in a car approaches, tell him to run the opposite direction of what the car is traveling. It takes time to turn around. Have your child scream, “Fire!” over and over as he is running away.
If anyone tries to touch or pick up your child, teach him to yell...
Tumblr. Swallows a Post.
Twice this week I’ve written a long, involved post only to have it disappear when I hit “create post” and get in its place a screen that says the servers are over capacity.
Talk. About. Irritating.
7 tags
Zahra Baker's Prosthetic Leg Found
Police in Hickory, North Carolina, have found missing 10-year-old Australian born Zahra Baker’s prosthetic leg secreted in a house where her stepmom used to live. Zahra, who wore hearing aids and the prosthetic leg as the result of a bout with cancer, was reported missing on October 9th, according to police. Police say they now believe the child is dead and say the girl’s American...
October 2010
14 posts
6 tags
Casey Anthony Wants to Keep Her Jail Records...
Casey Anthony doesn’t want the world to know what’s going on behind bars.
At least that’s what her defense team seems to be saying. They’ve asked a Florida judge to seal jail records pertaining to the woman’s pre-trial confinement. She will go on trial for the murder of her two-year-old daughter, Caylee, whose body was discovered not too far from her...
9 tags
Jeannette Kamahele
Jeannette Kamahele is a beautiful Pacific Islander who disappeared from Santa Rosa, California, on April 25, 1972. The last anyone saw of Jeannette, she was hitchhiking and climbed into a pick-up truck operated by a white man.
I went to high school with Jeannette. She was pretty, lively and very well-liked. Although some believe that she was the victim of a serial killer who operated in the area...
11 tags
The "Missing" Missing
Libba Phillips has been searching for her sister, Ashley, for years. She and her mom find her every once in a while, or they hear she’s been spotted somewhere, but because Ashley has a substance abuse problem, no one seems to care — but them.
Like Ashley, hundreds of thousands of others fit into the “missing” missing category of missing persons. They are homeless and the...
10 tags
Are they victims of the Colonial Parkway Murders?
My book, The Last Place You’d Look: True Stories of Missing Persons and the People Who Search for Them ((due out in April from Rowman & Littlefield) covers cases like that of Keith Call and his date, Cassandra Haily. Call and Haily were on their first date and enjoying the scenery of the Colonial Parkway in Virginia when the two college students disappeared. Their empty car was later...
9 tags
The CSI Effect
You might have heard of the CSI effect: It’s the unreasonable expectation fostered by television shows like CSI. It has forever changed what takes place during trials.
Shows like CSI, NCIS and others like them are like modern versions of Starsky and Hutch, only in addition to silly action scenes, they have also have silly science. While I can live with some of it, much of what happens in...
11 tags
Announcement due Tuesday in Cesar Laurean Case
Remember the case of the Marine who was convicted of murdering his pregnant co-worker and burying her body in his backyard?
Cesar Laurean, a Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was convicted earlier this year of killing Maria Lauterbach and burying her body in the backyard of his home before fleeing to Mexico. The FBI and Mexican authorities eventually located Laurean and he was...
4 tags
What Cops Hate
There’s nothing a police officer hates more than a cop that’s dirty. Yeah, I know — the dirty cops get all of the media attention. The other 99.9 percent of hard-working, ethical police officers constantly have to live under the long, dark shadow cast by that tiny percentage of bad officers who lie, cheat, steal and deprive others of their civil rights.
Good cops know how...
7 tags
Jennifer Kesse -- Missing for Nearly Five Years
On January 24, 2011, beautiful, vibrant Jennifer Kesse will have been missing from her Orlando condo for five years. Her mysterious disappearance has ripped a hole in her loving, close-knit family. Here’s what they know:
Jennifer had just returned from a weekend trip with her boyfriend and was apparently preparing for work when an unknown event interrupted her morning routine. Later, her...
11 tags
The Story of Jodi Huisentruit
Jodi Huisentruit was a cute blonde morning anchor in Mason City, Iowa. A twin cities transplant from Minnesota, Huisentruit generally arose at predawn hours to do the morning news at the station where she worked.
On June 27, 1995, Huisentruit’s producer called her to remind her she had to go to work. She had overslept and promised her producer she was on the way. But she never arrived...
1 tag
The Legacy of Little Adam Walsh
Adam Walsh was only six years old when he was abducted from a Florida mall. Later, fishermen found a portion of Adam’s remains in a canal. The medical examiner says the child died from asphyxiation. Notorious serial killer Ottis Toole later confessed to the murder. Toole died in prison in 1996. He was never tried in connection with Adam’s slaying.
Although he was only a little boy,...
1 tag
Jason Jolkowski -- Missing Since 2001
Jason Jolkowski is a family type of guy. Despite the fact that he was only 19 in 2001, he didn’t party or stay out late or run with a crowd. Jason is a quiet kid, close to his much younger brother and his parents. And he never caused them a minute’s worry.
Then, on June 13, 2001, Jason was called in to work early. His car was in the shop and he was catching a ride from a coworker who...
1 tag
Kaylee Anthony versus Jada Justice
I recently wrote a guest blog post for my publisher, Rowman & Littlefield, which in April will release my book, The Last Place You’d Look: True Stories of Missing Persons and the People Who Search for Them. In that post, I talked about two toddlers — Kaylee Anthony, whose name is immediately recognizable to anyone who follows the news and Jada Justice, whose name is recognizable...
1 tag
NamUs Connects the Dots
If you have never heard of NamUs before, you have a good reason: It’s fairly new. NamUs is an organization that combines civilian input with that of medical examiners and law enforcement officers all across the country. The objective:To help identify the thousands and thousands of Jane and John Does who are unidentified, recovered human remains.
For years, medical examiners had no way to...
1 tag
Missing 10-Year-Old Zahra Clare Baker
I’ve been busy for the past year writing a book called The Last Place You’d Look: True Stories of Missing Persons and the People Who Search for Them. It will be released in April by my publisher, Rowman & Littlefield. Over the next few months, I am going to talk a lot about missing person investigations, the families involved and the latest scientific tools out there.
But closer...
July 2009
1 post
Florida Slaying Arrests
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department officials have now put seven in jail on charges related to the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings, the adoptive parents of a dozen or so disabled children, and natural parents of four grown kids.
The Billings were slain in their home during what authorities have described as a home invasion. And while prosecuting the defendants will probably take...
June 2009
6 posts
Fighting Back
When a man armed with a shotgun walked into a bar at closing time and told the customers to get on the floor, the bar’s owners and three patrons jumped him. After taking his shotgun away, they beat the would-be robber so badly he required 19 staples to close the wounds in his head. Police frowned on the enthusiastic pulverizing the bar’s clientele gave the ill-prepared bandit, calling...
7 tags
My Cell Phone's Been Stolen!
Cell phones, once large and bulky, are smaller and more useful than ever. What hasn’t changed is their attractiveness to thieves.
While losing your phone to theft can be expensive, that’s not the worse part. Thieves who steal your cell phone can spend days calling friends around the world and you’ll have to foot the bill. Don’t believe it? Ask the recent victim who reported being billed $14,000...
7 tags
Would you know what to do if you're attacked on...
What would you do if someone grabbed you on the street? Fight back? Maybe, but what if he had a gun or a knife? What then?
Not all circumstances are the same, but if you’re accosted you should know the odds of getting out alive lessen in certain situations. Thwart attackers by having a defensive plan.
The first thing you can do to fight back is not to become a victim in the first place....
8 tags
Preparing Your Home for Vacation
f you plan to be away from home over the holidays or take a vacation, be certain to take up the welcome mat. Your absence provides prime pickings for burglars and thieves, but there are thing you can do to minimize your chances of becoming a target, no matter where you live:
Don’t tell anyone who doesn’t have to know that you’ll be gone. Casual conversation could put that information into the...
6 tags
Five Things You Should Know If You Are Sexually...
No matter how you dress, where you hang out or what your past holds, sexual contact without your consent is a crime. There are things you can do to reduce your chances of becoming the victim of a sexual assault, but if the worst does happen, here are five tips to remember:
It may be difficult, but focus on your attacker: How he smells, what he says and how he says it, how he looks, his...