Rachel Conger

I have copied this entry, with permission, from the blog http://bringrachelhome.blogspot.com. I felt that it described the events better than I could myself, and Rachel's daughter, 13 year old Amber, speaks her words.

As a footnote to this entry, Amber was able to reach her $4000 goal by organizing her fundraisers. A search was performed Saturday, August 9. Rachel is still missing and Amber needs our encouragement and support.


One Henry County Daughter’s Effort to Find Missing Mother
Press Release

On Thursday, March 13, 2008, thirteen-year-old Amber Simmons awoke to a day that would change her life forever. Her mother, Rachel Conger, was missing and Amber has since been doing everything that she can to help find her mother. On April 13, Amber organized a candlelight vigil at the Henry County Court House to honor and pray for her mother to be found. Since the first month of her mother’s disappearance, Amber has since turned her attention to raising money to bring in professional search organizations to help find her mother, Rachel Conger.

Her daughter, Amber, is the driving force behind each event to help find her mother whom she dearly misses. She had this to say to the community; ''I really want my mom found; she means the world to me. What 13 year old would not want their mom found? I am appreciative for what everyone has done to support us & help search for my mom. I ask for your continued support to help bring her home.''

On June 27, Amber organized a car wash at Advanced Auto Parts that raised $500. When faced with needing to reach an initial goal of $4000.00, Amber got to work organizing two more fundraisers. On July 12, the “Bring Rachel Home” bake sale was held at E.W. James & Sons, and raised $834.00 and on July 26; the “Bring Rachel Home” yard sale raised $550.00. In the planning stages is a benefit concert, which is set to be held on August 23rd, at Casey Jones Village/Old Country Store Amphitheater in Jackson, TN (more details about performers and the time that concert starts will be available in the next several days).

All proceeds from the fundraisers will help cover the immediately needed travel expenses for their upcoming Search & Rescue set for Aug 9th. United Response Search & Rescue Organization has offered the family their assistance with Law Enforcement in search efforts for missing Rachel Conger. They are a Texas based Non-Profit Search & Rescue Organization who aid in searches for missing children & adults nationwide. Their search is set for August 4-10th, with a volunteer community search on August 9th. It will take the community's continued support to help them reach their $4,000 urgently needed goal for ongoing search and rescue efforts.


They are asking for volunteer searchers from the public on Saturday, August 9th. Please spread the word, as we need about 250- 300 volunteers to help aid us in our efforts. More details will be available soon. We are also in need of food and water donations for that day. If willing to donate meals or drinks, please contact:
bringrachelcongerhome@hotmail.com

Newly added to their site, is a heart tugging beautiful music video tribute slide show, in honor of missing Rachel. To learn more about missing Rachel Conger or to make a contribution please visit: http://bringrachelhome.blogspot.com

Alice Donovan, Her Daughters' Words

It has been many years since there has been any public information about the disappearance of Alice Donovan, although her family, especially her two lovely daughters, still have the ultimate unanswered question...Where is she?

Even though the two murderers have been convicted and sit on death row, they refuse to be specific and tell this family where they so callously left her. What kind of evil can perpetuate something as uncaring as these two individuals?

The words below are from Alice's daughter. These words will give you just a peek of the pain this young lady has gone through, and how she is only now getting strong enough to work on healing her heart. She misses her Mother and only wants her home to rest in peace.

Still Waiting........

And yes almost six years later we are still waiting to bring her home. Just thinking about it brings the tears to my eyes.

Sigh..Where is she? All we want is to bring her home and give her a proper resting place. She doesn't deserve to out in the middle of the woods on the side of some road. As I write this post the tears fall. So many years of the not knowing just tares you up inside.

There have been moments over the past six years that I have longed to have my mother there, by my side. For support, compassion, laughs, love, a shoulder to cry on. A mothers love. I crave it, I miss it so badly.. I miss my mom, Alice..

Will she ever be found? I hope so..

This post as it turns out is really not a discussion it's more of my feelings. I'm sorry I got carried away with my emotions..It's something I have been needing to do know for a long time. I have surpressed my feelings about my mom for so long that they are just begging to be released.

I can't change what has happened to me, my family, or my mom. I can only help others in my situation and hope that I have something to give them. Even if it is only awareness and compassion for how they feel. Because I do know what it feels like to have your world turned upside down in just a blink of an eye....

To read more about Alice Donovan and many other Missing Mothers please feel free to read about them at http://www.peace4missing.ning.com

Lisa Hatchell

Lisa Michelle Hatchell

In two days it will be Lisa's birthday. It also marks the day that she disappeared in 2003, five long years ago, from Philadelphia, PA after an argument with her long term boyfriend, Tyrone Henderson. It won't be much of a celebration for her grieveing mother,Alonie Walton, and Lisa's two children.

Lisa was a veteran who served in the military and protected our country, but where were the ones who are sworn to protect and serve on our streets when Lisa went missing? Like so many other missing persons cases, there was not much done in the critical hours in the beginning, not even questioning Tyrone and searching the house they shared. To this day, the house has not been searched and Tyrone has moved on.

Alonie Walton and Lisa's family, like so many others, have had to make phone calls, write letters, make demands that someone look closer into this case. Many times there are no return calls and just more disappointment. The family has reached out to the internet to get this case back in the news.

Nancy Grace, of CNN, ran a story in January 2008 that highlighted Lisa's case.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP.../25/ng.01.html

It would be so nice if she would do an update for Lisa's birthday and 5 year anniversary of being missing, getting the word out there one more time. It would be a bittersweet gift to Alonie to know that the world has not forgotten her daughter.

This is one more missing mother who has children wondering what happened, where is she?

It is time for all of us who can to mobilize, write, call, put her story on all of your blogs, websites and Myspace pages and any other network to which you belong.

Please help us by writing to elected officials, addresses located at the link below, help us contact media to get more attention for Lisa's case.

It's her birthday!

Toni Ann Bachman

Toni Ann Bachman is a missing mother who has done so much for other mothers and mothers-to-be all across the internet. She started a website called Toni's Angel Pages. It is a pregnancy support page for those women who find it hard to conceive. After five miscarriages she was finally pregnant, but the child who was only conceived 22 weeks prior, Michael George, died in her arms. It is devastating for any mother to read her words which are still on that website. It has been kept as a memorial to her through the years and there is a poignant message from her step-son, how he felt about her kindness and love.

White Bear Lake Township, Minnesota is the place Toni lived with her husband, Norman and his three sons, and her home is the last place she was seen, April 25, 1997. There must have been stresses in the marriage in 1997 as Toni had asked Norman for a divorce and it is reported he was not happy with that news. Toni was reported missing by her mother on May 12, 1997.

According to her husband she left a note saying she was leaving with another man and he says that she called him the next day. There has been no note found and phone records indicate no phone call was made. Norman Bachman was questioned about his wife's habits and when she was last seen. His answers were contradictory and one month after Toni disappeared, officers searched their home. Blood and tissue found in the freezer were determined to belong to Toni Bachman and investigators report that there were patterns indicating someone wiping up the spatters.

Foul play is obviously suspected, but no charges have ever been brought forth. Norman starting dating shortly after Toni vanished and even asked out one of her online friends from the pregnancy support group.

Norman Bachman has had several arrests on charges such as domestic and sexual assault, one incident witnessed by one of his small sons. He was sued for wrongful death by Toni's family although he has never been arrested in connection with her vanishing.

It is distressful that a woman who so wanted to bring life into this world, has been taken out of it in such a tragic way. Toni Ann Bachman's remains have not been found and she is still considered missing.

http://www.startribune.com/local/11553551.html?location_refer=Bios
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/bachman_toni.html
http://members.tripod.com/~skew2bid2/ (a personal site written by Toni)
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/8242/

Stacy Ann Peterson

So much has already been written about Stacy Peterson. I am not going to try to debate any issues about her or her disappearance. I will only attempt to honor her through her role as a mother.

Stacy was a very young mother to 2 adopted boys, Kristopher and Thomas Peterson. Their own mother, Kathleen Savio had been found dead in her bathtub, and Stacy adopted the two boys when she married their father, Drew Peterson.

Stacy and Drew went on to have 2 more children, Anthony and Lacy. In pictures you can see the love oozing from Stacy for all of these children and you get the feeling that she took her role as mother seriously.

Stacy had so much to deal with at such a young age. Years earlier her own mother, Christie Cales, went missing and to this date has never been found. Stacy then took on the role of protector of her younger brother and sister. She suffered another loss when an older sister, Tina, died of cancer. Much has been speculated about her mental state at the time of her disappearance, but also much has been stated about the fact that she would never leave these children and abandon her role as mother.

What are these children dealing with? The two older boys have now lost 2 mothers. They must feel abandoned and hurt by this, despite what has been said. The 2 younger children probably just had a chance to learn about how important a mother's love can be. All of these children have to be suffering and that alone would pull at the heartstrings of any mother.

Although it is said that Drew Peterson has taken on the role of "Mr. Mom", how can that replace a mother's love. It never can, it is not possible. A mother's heart knows when her child is hurting or happy like no other, it is a strange intuition we are blessed, or cursed, with at the birth of our children. I would speculate that if Stacy Peterson has run off somewhere, the tug on her heart would have brought her back to her children by now. They love her and miss her and need her, and she knows that, whether she is still in this world or not.


I miss thee, my Mother! Thy image is still
The deepest impressed on my heart.
~Eliza Cook

Viridiana Maldonado

Viridiana Maldonado was a young mother. She had her first child at age 15 or 16. She married and had another child four years later. Her husband, Jorge, was in the Army stationed at Ft. Lewis near Tacoma, WA.


According to news accounts they had trouble in their marriage which led "Viri" to take out an Order of Protection against Jorge. Apparently she had had enough and moved back to her family in North Charleston, SC with her 2 children, leaving Jorge in WA.

She lived with her mother and sister in an apartment on Dunbar Ave., along with her children. She held a postition with a local restaurant, La Nortena, and her boss was a friend of the family. From all accounts she was making a go of it with the support of her family.

On the evening of Oct. 11, 2007 she came home, changed her clothes and said she was going out with her sister in law, Vicky Roberts, for the evening. Nothing unusual was said to her family, nothing unusual about her demeanor that night. Just a night out with friends.

Her family reports that approximately 2am they received text messages from her cell phone. This was odd, because Viridiana did not usually text message them. One said she was in downtown Charleston, drinking with a man named Miguel. The next message said she was on her way home to Mexico. That was the last activity on her cell phone....ever.

Six days later her bank account, with a balance of about $1000, was closed by telephone and a cashiers check was sent to Tacoma, WA. It has not been reported who made that phone call, who closed that account, and who received the money.

There are a slew of strange circumstances surrounding this disappearance.

Vicky Roberts, her sister in law, says she was not with her and had not seen her for 2 weeks prior to Oct. 11.

Viridiana's estranged husband, Jorge, left the Army, moved back to North Charleston and claimed his child. He is reported to have been cooperative with police in the investigation.

Who is Miguel? Her family states they never heard Viri speak about any man named Miguel. Did she just meet him somewhere that night, or did she know him beforehand?

What is happening in this case now? Are these questions being answered for her mother and family? Apparently, they don't think enough is being put into the investigation and it looks like a lot of clues are getting cold as time goes by.

We have 2 small children who don't know what happened to their Mommy, a young, beautiful woman who was loved and cared for by her family in her times of trouble. Viridiana, just as so many others, is being forgotten. The longer we let these questions go unanswered, the colder the trail gets, and it happens all too often.

Another missing Mother vanishes in the night. Where do they go?

Missing Mothers

I started this blog today to have a place to put down my personal thoughts and observations about missing person's cases involving mothers. It seems to me that so many young women are just vanishing, getting little or no media coverage, and minimal help from law enforcement agencies.

I would like to focus on different cases of missing mothers that I have run into from a variety of sources. I would also like to link to agencies which can help the families of these missing mothers in any capacity. It is a frustration that I have been seeing more and more as I read different message boards and blogs which report missing people. Many times the internet is the only exposure some of these cases will ever get.

I have made many great contacts over the last few months and continue to educate myself and make myself available to any who are sincerely and actively working for the cause of finding missing people.

Missing children, as they should, receive so much attention through Amber Alerts, Megan's Law, and several other proactive legislation. Missing mothers are often victims of abuse at the hands of a spouse or boyfriend and often times accused of walking away from their lives. They get very little attention from Law Enforcement simply for that reason.

I would like to be an agent of change for these women.

I would like to bring these cases to the mainstream so that they are recognized for what they are.

I would love to see a movement to help victims of abuse before they become missing mothers.

I sincerely hope, as readers, you will join me.