It breaks my heart to report that it is believed that Carol has been found. My sincere sympathies go out to her mother, Margaret, her father, Roger, and especially to the children she so dearly loved. I had the pleasure of meeting them at the CUE Center rally in Whiteville, NC just a few weeks ago, and they are real...real people who now need our support more than ever. May they find peace as they finally know where their daughter and mother will rest.
Remains found in Columbus County
Authorities suspect they are those of missing woman
By David Reynolds
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 9:07 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 11:45 p.m.
Columbus County sheriff’s deputies found remains this week, which they suspect are those of Carol Marie Batten Dowless, a 26-year-old mother of four who disappeared three years ago.
Columbus County sheriff’s deputies found remains this week, which they suspect are those of Carol Marie Batten Dowless, a 26-year-old mother of four who disappeared three years ago.
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Authorities say an informant led them to a wooded area within a mile of Batten Dowless’ home in Columbus County.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and Brunswick Search and Rescue assisted in an eight-hour search that ended with the discovery around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Capt. David Nobles of the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office.
Although police suspect they’ve discovered Batten Dowless’ remains, the bones will have to be tested to know for sure, Nobles said.
The break in the 3-year-old case comes just weeks after The CUE Center For Missing Persons put up a billboard in Whiteville asking for information on the disappearance.
“I know her family was hoping for a better outcome,” said CUE founder Monica Caison. “At least we have some answers now.”
The case
Batten Dowless disappeared Sept. 4, 2005, after she was last seen at her family’s home on Old Pine Log Road near Whiteville, according to the North American Missing Persons Network.
Her burgundy Mitsubishi Elantra was found parked nearby.
Batten Dowless’ father Sherland “Roger” Batten was driving a truck cross country and returned home to find his youngest daughter missing.
In a prior interview, Batten said he’d put up posters and offered a reward but heard little. Still, years after she disappeared, Batten held out hope his daughter was alive. He even kept her name on his bank account with the hope she would draw money from it some day.
The break
Caison, who searches for missing people and supports their families, said that when adults go missing, their cases don’t receive enough attention from police or the media.
But cases like that of Batten Dowless, a mother who disappeared, leaving children behind, should raise everyone’s suspicions, Caison said.
Earlier this month, the CUE Center unveiled a billboard on U.S. 701 in Whiteville, bearing Batten Dowless’ picture.
The plan was to provide a permanent reminder of the unsolved case and an alternative to repeatedly putting up posters only to have them torn down soon after, Caison said.
“We just knew that if we could get something up and it could be permanent, it would be a constant reminder and put pressure on whoever knew her or knew about her case,” Caison said. “It worked because it’s only been up two weeks.”
On Wednesday, Nobles, of the sheriff’s office, said the informant had seen publicity on Batten Dowless’ case that was posted by the CUE Center.
In addition to confirming the identification, Nobles said the medical examiner also will determine the cause of death.
Authorities still aren’t calling the disappearance a murder. “The investigation is still ongoing, and we’re still working,” Nobles said Wednesday. Deputies will “wait and see what the medical examiner can determine.”
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| From Cue Center On the Road Tour 2008 |
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| From Cue Center On the Road Tour 2008 |
1 comment:
'It breaks my heart to report that it is believed that Carol has been found. My sincere sympathies go out to her mother, Margaret, her father, Roger, and especially to the children she so dearly loved.'
Thank you for conveying the sentiment that I feel as well, Delilah. You manage to write in words the things that I believe many of us have on our minds and in our hearts.
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