April Beth Pitzer

I have a best friend who lives in the Mojave Desert near Death Valley. We grew up together and I remember her tales of the fun she and her high school friends had roaming the old gold mine trails, the mountains and the vast expanse of nothing. It takes a tough soul to live there and she is definitely a tough soul. The days of gold mining and borax are long gone, but the area dotted with little towns is still home to families with a strong tie to the harshness and the beauty of the Mojave.

The Mojave is a place that hides many things, remember Charlie Manson and his "family" hid out there for quite some time. It also hides the answers for two little girls and their grandmother who have been searching in mine shafts, behind rocks and under bushes since June 28, 2004.

April Pitzer was preparing to go home again. After a separation from her husband and her family which brought her to the tiny town of Newberry Springs, California, she realized that it wasn't the place she needed to be and arranged to go back to Arkansas to be with her mother. Gloria Denton was anticipating April's return, knowing that the life she was eking out in Newberry Springs was not the life that she was hoping she would find.

The day before April was planning to leave California she talked to her mother several times. Gloria was moving from Texas to Arkansas and taking the last load that day. Not able to be near phones, she tried to reach April for a couple days, calling people April had known in Newberry Springs. When she received a phone call from a man that April knew, asking how she liked having April back with her, Gloria knew something wasn't right. She immediately notified authorities and registered a missing persons report.

Being so far away and only able to make phone calls, she started where most families of a missing person start, calling hospitals and morgues. It was one of these phone calls that brought her to David Van Norman, the coroner for San Bernadino County, and known to many families of the missing as being an angel sent from God. With his help and a detective they were able to determine that there was a possibility that April could have been murdered and dumped into one of the thousands of abandoned mines in the Mojave.

The detective took a team and cadaver dogs to a particular mine that rumors around town said the man who April knew had connections with. During that search, the dogs from a couple search teams all laid down close to the air shaft of a certain mine, indicating the presence of human remains. However, several days later they returned to the same mine and none of the dogs hit again, indicating the possibility that the remains were moved.

Not able to idly sit by any longer, Gloria Denton took off to California to find her daughter, April. While searching in another mine site they found the clothes that Gloria had recently sent to April strewn about, buried, and some burned. It was a poor attempt to cover up evidence. They also found in a desert shack more clothes, duct tape, gauze and iodine, possibly an attempt to "patch" April up. There has been blood found on a sheet and mattress.

The man that April knew, and could be a part of the mystery surrounding her vanishing, has since died. There is another man who some think holds the answers and he is currently in prison on other charges. Authorities say that without a body they really don't have enough circumstantial evidence to file charges against him. So the question of April's whereabouts has yet to be answered.

No mother should have to search for her child like this and no mother should ever have to find evidence of the possibility of her child's demise. April Pitzer has not been found and brought home to her mother and her two little girls. There will be more searches, and until the day that April is found, Gloria Denton will not give up searching for her.



April was last seen in the vicinity of the 30000 block of Caspian Way in Newberry Springs, CA. She indicated she was going to travel to Arkansas to see her mother but never arrived. As of November of 2006, April's case was updated from a missing case to a missing/homicide case.

If you have information regarding the case of April Beth Pitzer, please contact:
San Bernardino Sheriff's Department at 1-760-256-4838 or the Free "No Cops" Tip Line at 1-866-479-LBTH

Please join us at Peace4 the Missing
Network and support for families of the missing and victims of crime.

Faye Aline Self, Monday4 the Missing

What better way to honor her missing mother than being a voice for not only Faye Aline Self, but for many other victims of crime in Louisiana as well.  Please join daughter Karrie and all of us at Peace4 the Missing as we do our best to bring light to the darkness surrounding the case of Faye Aline Self and all the others.



Fight For The Victims, March 30!
written by daughter, Karrie

As you all know, My family has been begging the Red River Sheriff's Department for justice for nearly 26 years. March 30, 2009, will mark the 26th years I have been without my mother. I grew up in the shadow of a phantom mother and with the vivid imagination only a child can have. It took my child like mind six years to actual conjure up the thought, she might be dead. With this in mind, I still do not know where she is, or where her remains lay. I desperately want to bring Justice to Louisiana since finding my mother has never been a priority. If it were just her case, I would think it were an anomaly. But, it is apparently the standard by which most cases are handled in the state. Below is what I am using as a cover letter to send to every Federal and Louisiana Authority I can think of. Please join me in being a voice for the countless victims in the State of Louisiana. You may contact any agency directly, or send your notes: whokilledthem@yahoo.com.

I have also attached a list of victims from Louisiana, This in no way encompasses every unsolved case in the state, however, it is a sobering look at the daily reality a victims family lives through daily.

Thanks ahead of time for your compassion and help for the victims!


I am appealing to you to help those in your state that can no longer help themselves. I am referring to the staggering number of unsolved missing and murdered cases in the state of Louisiana. My mother, FAYE ALINE SELF, disappeared from Red River Parish March 30, 1983. As the letter that follows explains, we tried desperately to bring closure to her case, but have been met with resistance from the local Red River Sheriffs department to the Louisiana Attorney General's office. In the years I have spent researching my mom's case, I have come across countless cases that could very well be my own. Judy Gary, vanished in 1988, and her family was also denied the opportunity to file a missing persons report. This in itself is not a crime, though it certainly should be. I have been told many times that there is no one has jurisdiction over police. And, I must first prove that the local police committed a crime. The loss of evidence and other things listed in my letter are not illegal as of yet. It has been told to me, that it is a shame, but incompetence is not illegal and in the smaller parishes this sometimes happens! It was further explained to me that when the smaller parishes can not afford to hold a murder trial, it is easier to call a case a 'suicide' or 'self defense' to save Parish funding.

I kindly remind you that Jesus, Our Savior was moved to compassion for the masses. I am only asking that you and those of us with murdered and missing loved ones stand together to combat the air of corruption that has surrounded the state of Louisiana for so long.

I humbly ask that you look at the list of unsolved cases I have included here and pray for guidance in the laws and procedures that need to be changed for the betterment of the citizens of Louisiana. This list in no way encompasses all of the unsolved missing and murdered, but it is a sobering look at the reality that so many of us face daily.

I eagerly await your reply.

Respectfully,

VICTIM LIST


1956, Audrey Moate, St. John the Baptist Parish1996, Lurline H DeWitt, De Soto Parish1997, Syble Brumley, De Soto ParishConstance Anderson, De Soto ParishDeshanna Gray, De Soto ParishAlicia Strathers, Livingston Parish1992, Wilda Mae Benoit, Cameron Parish1987, Vicki Carriere, Jefferson Parish1991, James Cary Smith, Jefferson Parish1993, Walter Lee Brown, Jefferson ParishHeather Renee' SkarinaCory RubioLynn Chaisson, Jennings, LA.Ernestine Marien DAniel Patterson, Jennings, LA.Kristen Gary Lopez, Jennings, LA.Laconia Shontel Brown, Jennings, LA.Crystal Shay Benoit Zino, Jennings, LA.Hannah Griffith, Red River ParishBrittney Gary, Jefferson ParishMisty Lynn GuilloryBabette Alberti Philips, Jefferson Parish1988, Judy Ann Gary, 1986, St. Martin's Parish1988, Rebecca Pauline Gary,Baton Rouge, LA.1983, Faye Aline Self, Red River Parish1983, Wanda Faye Hudson, Red River Parish1980, Katherine Hays, Red River Parish1984, Perry Casen1984, Corey Gilbert, Jefferson Parish1995, Johnny Babino, Jefferson Parish1998, SAndra Yvonne Strickland, Jefferson Parish1986, Londa Young, Calcasieu Parish1996, Anthony J. Cavet, E Baton Rouge Parish1991, Flora Tobin, Jefferson Parish1993, Tina Ledet, Jefferson Parish1996, Virginia Hollingsworth, Jefferson Parish1991, Rolando Schweikert, Jefferson Parish1992, Clarence Ruffin, Jefferson Parish1982, Emino Nakamura Murray, Jefferson Parish1991, Kathleen Robinson, Jefferson Parish1992, Joyce Kennedy, Jefferson Parish1999, Yasuko Guillory, Jefferson Parish2208, Joseph Shelton Jacob, Marksville2007, Candice Phillips, Lafayette2006, Clint Devon Nelson, Bossier2004, Amber Michwich Loftin, Shreveport1994, Kayla Mayberry, Shreveport1992, Kelly Dae Wilson, Gilmer, TX (West of Shreveport)2001, Gina Green, Baton Rouge2002, Murray Pace, Baton Rouge2002, Pam Kinamore2002, Dena Colomb1990, Averie Evans,12 years old, Natchitioches (confession by Phillip DSalle) to my knowledge her body has not been found.1986, Bambi Luann Brantley, Leesville, LA1980, William D Newman, St. Tammany Parish1989, Angela Pitz Smith, East Baton Rouge Parish1995, Edna Hoffman Freeman, Madison Parish1993, Nelda Louise Hardwick Calcasieu Parish1988, Manuel Vargas, Jefferson Parish1987, Rodney Steward, Jefferson Parish1986, Shriram Lele, Jefferson Parish1998, Pearl A Allen, 83 years old, LaSalle

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Network and Support for families of Missing Persons and Victims of Crime

Nadia Kira Kersh

She was born in an orphanage in Russia, a twin of a sister named Vira. Nadia Kira Kersh was adopted by a military family when she was 10, by Kevin and Nancy Kersh, and was separated from her twin who was adopted by another family. The Kersh's lived in many parts of the world, stationed with the military at one time in Alabama.

Nadia was reunited with her twin sister several years ago and moved to the Birmingham area to be near her sister. She had several friends in the area who all describe her as an outgoing, independent, generous person who was very trusting, a free spirit who would give you the shirt off her back if needed.

November 3, 2008 was a typical day for hardworking Nadia. She went to work at the Tria Market, leaving her young son, Christopher, at daycare. Nadia was an extremely devoted mother, content in her role, and stable in her job. She had been working at the Tria Market for two years. She left for lunch that day, but never returned. When she didn't pick her son up at daycare that evening he was turned over to Social Services. Her friends and family were alerted and a search of the area began. A close friend was able to obtain emergency custody of the child.

Two days later Nadia's abandoned car was found in West Birmingham, no evidence of foul play was immediately found, but authorities were concerned for her well being. It only took a few days when police found someone they questioned as a person of interest in her vanishing, and then a second man was detained for questioning and then a third. Evidence was collected and processed by several agencies.

Nadia's family gathered in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham where Nadia lived and rallied the press and organized searches. Texas Equusearch's Tim Miller and Beth Holloway Twitty, Natalie Holloway's mother, lent there expertise and support for several searches of the area. No sign of Nadia has surfaced, no activity on her bank accounts and credit cards, no word from her at all. Rewards are set up, searches continue and the media has kept her case in the public eye. Law enforcement agencies have worked tirelessly to solve this mystery.

Just days ago it was announced by Homewood police that they are close to charging the primary suspect of murder, someone who had harassed Nadia in the past. Along with him, authorities have not ruled out additional charges on others. They feel forensic evidence being processed will seal the case and will only strengthen the charges when the results come in.

As of this writing, Nadia Kira Kersh has not been found. Her son, Christopher, has been motherless for over five months. Just a toddler, he surely misses the hugs and wet kisses of his mother, the lullabyes she most likely sang to put him to sleep. Like his mother and her twin sister, he is orphaned at a young age. May he experience all the love and kindness that life can give him as he grows up and may Nadia be found soon and justice served in her honor.

UPDATE MAY 4, 2010

http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/Arrest-in-Nadia-Kersh-Case/HhQuouqP2UGhSztH9yvH6w.cspx?rss=1659

Police have made an arrest in the case of missing mother Nadia Kersh. An acquaintance of her's was arrested named Joacquas Haywood. Mr. Haywood turned himself in around 9pm last night. According to Jefferson County DA Brandon Falls, Haywood is charged with Capital Murder and that the murder occurred during a burglary. Haywood, from Irondale,  is currently in the Jefferson County Jail. No body has been recovered.

Nadia Kersh was last seen on November 3rd, 2008.  Surveillance video showed her leaving Tria Market, where she worked. 

Sandra Travis

Hitting a brick wall is what it feels like to the children of Sandra Travis and many others who have a missing loved one. You hit that brick wall so many times it's a wonder it doesn't leave bruises. All of the bruises are hidden within a broken heart unlike some of Sandra's bruises which were visible on her tiny body.

Sandra Travis was living in a violent marriage when she disappeared July 31, 2005 from Mayfield, Kentucky, a rural area near the borders of Illinois and Tennessee. Sandra took a lot of punches over the years from her husband, Bobby Travis, probably another man who treated his wife as a piece of property, there to do his bidding, no caring for the way she felt.

Many women in rural areas believe they are supposed to live this way. This is the unbroken circle going back generations in some families and carrying forward to the children of today. In some families hunting dogs are given better care by their master than the wife and mother living in the home. I'll speculate Sandra's life was just as many others, doing everything in their power to please the one who thinks nothing of using them as a punching bag when the notion hits. Living in daily fear that this day will be just like the last one, Sandra most likely was beaten to death that last day of July.

According to information found online, Bobby Travis had sad news for the family, he said Sandy died while on a trip to Illinois visiting other family members. When that story was easily proved false, he had another ready. The "whore" left with a truck driver and was never heard from again! As he continues to abuse Sandra by lying about her, she has never been found, the abuser is still victimizing.

It's reported that Graves County has a new Sheriff that is willing to take a second look at Sandra's disappearance, a new set of eyes on the evidence. Bobby Travis has been a "person of interest" for quite some time, but there doesn't seem to be much movement towards justice for Sandra Kay Travis. Her daughter, Dawn Vowell, is certain there is someone else who knows what happened to her mother, but lips are sealed and Bobby Travis isn't cooperating, either. All it would take is a search warrant to search the property near where Sandra was last seen, but that has not been forthcoming.

In the meantime, Sandra Travis is just another missing mother, forgotten by many, but not forgotten by her family who loved her dearly. Every day they face that brick wall, the same brick wall many family members across our country hit when there seems to be nowhere else to turn, no one else to listen, and nothing active happening in their case.

Justice Interrupted will be presenting Sandra's case and Dawn Vowell, her daughter will be a guest on Justice Interrupted Radio tonight, Tuesday, March 24th starting at 11PM Eastern time. Investigator Vito Colucci will join the panel to discuss this case.


Please join us at Peace4 the Missing
Network and Support for families of the missing and victims of crime.

Jessie Foster, Monday4 the Missing

Jessie's Mom, Glendene is a member of Peace4 the Missing, her precious daughter Jessie Foster will be missing for three years as of March 29th. Please take a very good look at her photo, read her story and please come forward with or look for any information that might help bring this much loved daughter, sister, aunt and friend home to her family who so desperately misses and needs her.

Permalink Reply by JessiesMomGlendene on February 21, 2009 at 11:12pm

Delete

Thank you for putting my beautiful daughter, Jessie Foster's birthday, May 27, 1984. If March 29, 2009 gets here without me finding my international endangered missing / human trafficking victim daughter, then it will be 3 years since she disappeared. I last saw her when she was 21, since then she turned 22, 23, 24 and will be 25 this year. JESSIE I WILL FIND YOU, MY DARLING DAUGHTER, OR DIE TRYING, Love Mom.

Jessica Edith Louise Foster Jessie disappeared from North Las Vegas, Nevada between March 28th and April 3rd, 2006. · She was last seen at 1009 Cornerstone Place with her “boyfriend”Peter Todd. Peter, a pimp, has a prior conviction for spousal assault. · Prior to her disappearance Jessie traveled to Nevada, New York and Florida with Donald Vaz. · She was recruited in Calgary by Yvonne Hubrechtsen to work in Las Vegas. · Jessie may have fallen victim to an international human trafficking ring. Letter to Jessie Jessie, remember…we will find you, love Mom. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox I have one more thing to say, but this is not to Jessie…this is to whoever took her, or has her, or knows where she is. PLEASE, you have to understand that Jessie is loved, wanted, missed and needed back by her family and friends. We NEED her. She is part of us and without her there is a huge, huge hole. It is unbelievable how big of a hole such a tiny girl can make when she is not there. When she is missing from her family, from her place in our lives where she belongs. GIVE HER BACK TO US. Give her back to me. I am her mommy and I need my baby back, PLEASE. Jessie is a wonderful person with a huge heart and you do not need her like we do. We promise that if someone contacts us with information about Jessie’s whereabouts we will keep it confidential and you will not be involved if you choose not to be. Contact us from our website: www.jessiefoster.ca or call Crime Stoppers or the North Las Vegas Police or even call your local police agency and they can get the information to us. Sincerely, Glendene Grant…mother of endangered missing JESSIE FOSTER.

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada Email: Glendene Grant & Jim Hoflin Calgary, Alberta, Canada Email: Dwight Foster & Tracy Foulds

Jessie’s National Crime Identification Number: M-535642358

Investigators, Las Vegas Nevada $50,000 Reward for Information

Las Vegas Crimestoppers Detective Mike Hope Phone: (702) 385-5555 Toll Free: (800) 222-8477 Web: Nevada Crimestoppers

Las Vegas Detectives Mike Kirkman Phone (702) 897-6820 Email: Las Vegas Detectives

Please join us at Peace4 the Missing

Missing Persons Awareness and Support Network

http://peace4missing.ning.com

Kellisue Ackernecht

Whenever someone goes missing, and especially adults, rumors fly and facts tend to get distorted.  The case of missing mother Kellisue Ackernecht is no exception.  Finger pointing and innuendo have been continuous since the night Kellisue's car was found burning just three blocks from her home in Johnstown, New York on the night of September 30, 2008.

Her car was engulfed in flames, but there was no sign of  Kellisue anywhere, the car was completely destroyed and no evidence found at the scene that could answer the question of what happened to Kellisue that night.  She was last seen leaving her job around 9:45 PM, however, the street that her burning car was found on was not the usual route she would be taking home.  Her husband, Jayson Ackernecht, reported her missing to authorities in  the early hours of October 1, reportedly around the time that her car was discovered by police.

Kelliesue lost her parents at a young age, but has several concerned siblings.  They say that her relationship with Jayson was troubled but that Kellisue would not leave her husband without making arrangements for her young daughter.  Family members say that Kellisue and her daughter had a very tight bond between them, she was an excellent mother who cared well for her little girl.

Speculations in the media and the internet are running the gamut from some believing that her husband, Jayson, knows more than what he is telling, to the statement that she is alive and just took off with someone else.  No one knows, or is saying, who that someone else may be.   But the fact remains that it's unlikely that Kellisue would leave without her daughter.


Whatever resolution is found surrounding the evidence in this case, there is a little girl who cries for her mother, a little girl wondering why she was left behind, and a little girl who most likely will grow up without her.  Kellisue Achernecht literally vanished into thin air that night and it's important to this little girl that she knows her mother loved her.



Name:  Kellisue Ackernecht
Date of Birth:  12/16/1972
Date Missing:  09/30/2008
Age at time of disappearance:  35
City Missing From:  Johnstown
State Missing From:  New York
Gender:  Female
Race:  White
Height:  5′10″
Weight:  135lbs
Hair Color:  Auburn
Eye Color:  Brown
Identifying Characteristics:  Wears glasses and a wedding band on her left hand, was last seen wearing tan pants, new white sneakers, and a Rite-Aid apron. She has a patch on her right cheek
.
Circumstances of Disappearance:  Kellisue was last seen September 30th leaving her job as a shift supervisor at an Amsterdam Rite Aid around 9:45 p.m. She was driving a 10-year-old Saturn sedan. Three hours later, police found the car engulfed in flames a few blocks from her Johnstown home, with no sign of Kellisue. The car was parked in an area neighbors call Frog Hollow, near the Rail Trail. Police said this street wasn’t the usual way Kellisue drove home. The car was completely destroyed by the fire
.
Medical Conditions:  According to her husband, she takes medication for depression, but stopped taking it because  she disappeared.

Investigative Agency:  Johnstown Police Department
Agency Phone:   518 - 736-4021

Rachel Conger

March 13, 2008 was the first day of Spring Break for Amber Simmons, but when she awoke that morning things were different.  Her mother, Rachel Conger, wasn't home and as Amber went about her day, her mother never returned.  Family members gathered and went to the police that evening and reported her missing.

Rachel was estranged from her husband, Paul Conger, and by March 16 he would be found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound.  Sources say that the marriage between Rachel and Paul was stormy and they had planned on a divorce.  According to investigators they think Rachel is the victim of a murder suicide at the hands of her husband, Paul.

According to family members Rachel married young, but always had a great sense of responsibility.  She was young when she became a mother, but took the role quite seriously and raised her daughter, Amber to have that same sense.  Rachel's first marriage broke up, but she was on great terms with her ex husband's family and they all mended their fences years ago.  Rachel stayed close to the family, as did Amber.

Even though this year did not bring the answers Amber is looking for, it's not because she hasn't been in the forefront leading the way for searches to be conducted in several areas of interest.  Amber coordinated car washes, bake sales, and concerts, any way she could she raised money to fund searches.

Last month, CUE Center for Missing Persons united with local law enforcement and search and recovery K9 teams from all over the country to conduct a massive search, trying to bring Rachel home before the one year anniversary of her vanishing.  Although weather hampered their efforts, they will be back again to continue searching.

Amber Simmons has had a lot of love and support for her efforts this year, not only from her loving family, but from total strangers who were won over by her maturity and strength to carry on looking for her mother.

“My mom was the most amazing woman ever and the best friend I have ever had and that is what keeps me going everyday. I know that one day eventually she will be found because I will never give up looking for my mother, my best friend. I could tell her everything and she wouldn't judge me- only help me and be understanding.”

This beautiful poem is posted on the family site, Bring Rachel Home:

Rachel Lynn Younger Conger
Oct. 11, 1977-March 13, 2008


The Broken Chain

We little knew that morning,

that God was going to call your name.

In life we loved you dearly,

In death we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you,

you did not go alone;

for part of us went with you,

the day God called you home.


You left us peaceful memories,

your love is still our guide;

and though we cannot see you,

you are always at our side.

Our family chain is broken,

and nothing seems the same;

but as GOD calls us one by one,

The Chain will link again.

~author unknown


Donations for further searches can be made at the family site or directly to CUE Center For Missing Persons.


Prayers, support and encouragement for Amber and her family can be made at Peace4 the Missing.

Heather Thompson

Please LOOK at this face.

This is the face of a man who is in Federal Prison in South Carolina and is about to be released soon. His name is Thomas Price, Jr. from Charlotte, NC. What are his charges?

Scroll down and take a look at another picture!

This is what his wife looked like after 18 hours of torture at his hands.

She is not a missing mother, but she is a mother who loves her children and her children love and need her.

Why is this here?

Scroll down.

This is a letter he wrote to her while in prison.

Why is this shocking? He is about to be released soon.

Do you think he will make good on his threats?

Would you take a chance?

What can Heather do to save her life and the lives of her family?

What can YOU do to save Heather's life?

Can you take this blog post everywhere?

If you can take this post to all of the communities you belong to, you CAN make a difference, YOU CAN be involved in saving the life of a mother.

Heather isn't missing.....YET.

Lisa Shuttleworth

A 19 year old daughter should not have to reflect on the past about her mother and how dear she was to her, and a 14 year old son should not have to worry about not being able to remember his mother's voice. Children should not have to wonder where their mother is and why she can't be found, but this is exactly how the last five years have been for the two children of Lisa Shuttleworth who has been missing since September4, 2003 from Beech Island, SC.

Lisa was supposed to pick up her son, Ryan, at the bus stop after school that afternoon, but in her stead an older family friend was there to meet him. Returning Ryan to his home, they found it locked and no sign of Lisa, although her car, along with a car she had borrowed, were still in her driveway. After Lisa's parents were called they all entered the house and found no signs of struggle, and the only thing missing was her purse. It looked as if Lisa planned to return shortly, even a pot of tea was on the stove, her jewelry on the kitchen counter.

Lisa was a single mother, an excellent mother according to family sources, her two children knew they were loved, well taken care of, and that she would never leave them of her own free will. So what happened to Lisa?

Lisa was divorced from the father of her children and it's said that he could be violent at times. Lisa also had a boyfriend at the time who sources say had a bad argument with her the night before she vanished. Both men had trucks that were not available to be searched at the time. One of the trucks was located recently and sprayed with luminol to detect the presence of blood. There was blood reportedly in the truck, but was determined to be "male blood".

As in most cases, suspicions and rumors abound and questions go unanswered while there is an open investigation. Law enforcement officials in Aiken County, SC claim that this is a "very open investigation". As of this writing, there have been no ground searches conducted and the pond behind Lisa's home has not been drained.

Five years have gone by and evidence may now be cold, but that doesn't stop Lisa's children, family members and close friends from giving up hope that one day their questions will be answered and justice will be served.

Grandparents shouldn't have to step in to raise their grandchildren, but Lisa's parents did just that. They have taken Krystina and Ryan into their home and loved them and provided for them for the last five years.

"She's my mom, when my mom was gone, she was here. She hasn't left my side."

Krystina is showing all the signs of being a beautiful copy of her mother, with a lot of her same features. She has plans to attend college and work in the area of criminal investigations to help others investigate missing persons cases as well as her mother's case.

Family and friends have passed out fliers and even have gone so far as to consult a psychic in order to help find Lisa Shuttleworth. They have registered Lisa with NCMA and set up a website, Bringing Lisa Home. Any information, no matter how insignificant you think it might be, should be reported to:

To help, call: Crimestoppers of the Midlands: (800) 559-TIPS

Aiken County Sheriff's Office: (800) 922-9709

Amy Fitzpatrick, Monday4 the Missing

Amy Fitzpatrick, 15, has not been seen since the evening of New Years Day, when she left her friends home in the tourist resort of Riviera del Sol, on the Costa del Sol. She left her friends house to walk the 10 - minute walk to her house, at around 10pm on the 1st January 2008. Please help find Amy If anyone has any information no matter how small you may think it is please get in touch with the 24hr hotline

Contact info
The contact numbers for any information on Amy’s whereabouts are 112, 952 487 036, 062, 686 044 181 and 952 474 030. 0034686044181

Description
Amy has black hair, is 1.65m tall, and was wearing black track suit bottoms and a T-Shirt with the word ‘Diesel’ when she was last seen.

Add :www.helpfinda.bebo.com
or
Email: helpfinda@gmail.com

Amy's family are petitioning for an alert system in Europe similar to the Amber Alert in America so that information about missing children can be disseminated quickly.

We are campaigning in an appeal to the European Parliament          for European Alert System to be put in place for Missing Children        
We are asking all parents, Grand-parents, extended family, friends            and there children to sign our petition it only takes a couple of seconds            to sign

Support
Christopher Fitzpatrick (Amy Fitzpatrick Dad) Christine Kenny (Amy's            Fitzpatrick Aunt), Billy Kenny, Christine’s family, Joe Power,            Claudine Hope, Maura & Joe Martin, Sandra & Alan O'Brien www.miss.ie,             are Backing the Campaign in an appeal to The            European Parliament. We need your support too. Please sign our petition            and Make the Politicians listen to us.
We are also looking for volunteer's in Ireland and in European countries            to help assist in our on-going campaign to get signatures on the petition            to get a European Alert System set into place. Please Email            Us

HERE is the link to the petition itself.

Sojourner Truth, "Ain't I A Woman?"

In celebration of International Women's Day I chose to honor Isabella Baumfree, better known as Sojourner Truth.  There is an excellent biography of her life, the hardships of being bought and sold in slavery in New York, abuse of her body,  and her rising above it to become a renown speaker for women's rights and other social issues that, although were relevant in the early 1800's, are still relevant today.


I chose to post her famous speech, given in Akron, Ohio at an 1851 Women's Convention.  It's amazing to me that almost 160 years later, women are still doing battle for equality.  In the year that America has elected a black president, black women are still, along with their white sisters, looking for the time when we are no longer regarded as a man's property.

"Ain't I A Woman?"

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.


Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.

Isabella Baumfree, you said it oh so well.  Thank you.

Other sites with information about Sojourner Truth:


Sojourner Truth Institute
Sojourner Truth - Stamp on Black History profile
Sojourner Truth - Memorial Statue Project in Florence, Massachusetts
Sojourner Truth - Battle Creek Historical Society
"Ain't I a Woman?" Speech - Fordham University
"Ain't I a Woman?" - speech and history of, on About.com
"Keeping the Thing Going While Things are Stirring" - speech delivered at the American Equal Rights Association in 1867
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth - online text of her autobiography, at A Celebration of Women Writers
Sojourner Truth, the Libyan Sibyl - Article by Harriet Beecher Stowe, appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in April 1863
Women and Families in Slavery - links to essays and first-hand accounts and letters about the lives of female slaves
"Sojourner Truth will Become the First Black Woman Honored with a Bust in the U.S. Capitol"

   International Women's Day, March 8, 2009