Rachel Conger Missing for 2 Years

I don't want to write this article.  Why, you may ask?  Because I was hoping and praying that long before now Rachel Conger would have been found, this case solved, and her daughter, Amber, would be embarking on a new phase of her life, finding a semblance of peace in knowing where her mother will rest.

This picture is one of my favorites of Rachel, although there are so many that radiate her beauty, this one radiates her love.  I can imagine this day as she walked along the path with Amber, having a great time that day, as she looks over at her daughter, beaming with pride.  Maybe, at the time, Amber didn't realize it, but I'm sure she felt the energy of her mother's love for her.

Rachel Conger was missing for just a few months when I first became aware of her case.  What drew me, as well as many others, to her case was Amber.  Reading about all the things that Amber was willing to do to help in the search for her mother was astounding to me.  Raising money by having bake sales, car washes, any way she could think of, was a huge endeavor for a 13 year old living in a small town like Paris, TN.  Like so many other families with missing loved ones, no stone was left unturned in trying to bring attention to their case, but no 13 year old should have to spend her time like this, searching for her mother.

It's just so hard for me to believe that it's been 2 years!  With the help of missing persons organizations, like CUE Center for Missing Persons, massive searches and investigations have been done, yet Rachel is still missing.  I just knew that she would be found, and I still hold that belief!  She will be found, maybe not today or tomorrow, but her time is coming soon.

Amber is now 15, a beautiful teenager trying to carry on a "normal" teenage life.  She has a close knit family who love her dearly and watch out for her well being.  She still works on keeping her mother's memory alive and would love to have her case featured on Investigation Discovery's new television show, "Disappeared" which does an amazing job of bringing the facts of missing persons cases into our living rooms in hopes that someone who watches holds the key to a resolution of the cases which they feature.

The family of Rachel Conger has connected with many other missing person's families as well as others who advocate and support them online.

Today there will be an "internet" candlelight vigil for all who have become close these past two years.  Please light a candle and say a prayer in Rachel's name that she is found soon.  Keep Amber and the rest of the family in your prayers as well.  Go to the Facebook event and instructions and links can be found.

Rachel Conger Online Anniversary Vigil 

Laci Remembered

Seven years ago there were a lot of preparations surrounding December 24.  Preparing for Christmas, the baking, shopping, wrapping, and decorating as well as preparing for birth.  Christmas, the birth of Jesus, a celebration, and the birth of another, a first son was just around the corner.  It was a busy time of last minute scheduling, gifts to be picked up and delivered, as well as tending to personal needs of the season.

Being 8 months pregnant is exhausting and topped with all of the other things to do, Laci Peterson still managed to attend a Christmas party, dressed in red silk and a dimpled smile, she went alone, her husband away on a business trip.  She didn't know that would be one of the last pictures taken of that smile, and yet, it's that smile that captured the hearts of millions. 

Laci was last seen on December 23 while attending to the last minute appointments and errands surrounding the coming festivities planned with her family and friends.  The world stopped for her that day and we were all breathless, waiting on news that she had been found.  Her husband made calls to her family searching for an answer to where she could be.  It was December 24, Christmas Eve, dinners planned and Laci had prepared a recipe for French Toast for their breakfast.

Massive searches of the area disrupted the carefully planned holiday for several families in the Modesto, California area.  Horses, dogs and people combed the park where her husband said she had gone to walk the dog.  The dog returned home, Laci did not.

Days, weeks and months went by, and no sign of Laci.  Her family looked distraught on television interviews, her mother, Sharon, frantic with worry, and yet, Laci's face held that famous smile with a twinkle in her eye looking like she would return at any time and start chattering about where she had been.  A massive awareness campaign was being carried out, flyers posted, media coverage and we waited for any word of what happened to Laci and her unborn son, Connor.

All the while her husband was being looked at in a different light.  He seemed to be avoiding contact with the press, avoided being seen with tears, avoided begging for help in finding his wife.  It seemed like unusual behavior, but, there are no set patterns on how to act when your wife is missing.  At the candlelight vigil it's reported he was in almost a jovial mood, making calls on his cellphone and caught by the camera with a smirk on his face.  His behavior in light of his wife and unborn son being missing was disarming.  Many started to wonder.


As the months wore on to the Easter season, Laci and Connor washed  ashore near the Berkeley Marina, a place it was proven that her husband had been that very Christmas Eve, fishing.  The media coverage was extensive when her husband was finally arrested and brought to trial, convicted and sentenced to death.

As we are in the same week of preparation for the Christmas holiday, the celebration of the birth of Jesus, there is another high profile case of a missing mother with a big bright smile in the news.  Susan Powell, the mother of 2 toddlers, disappeared sometime in the night of December 7.  Her husband, Josh, unexpectedly bundled up the two children and took them camping on a freezing cold night after midnight.  When he returned the next day, Susan was gone, leaving behind her cell phone and purse.

A husband's strange behavior is being revisited each day on the media reports. Josh Powell, at this time, is the only "person of interest" until such time as he can be eliminated.  Time will tell. 

As you gather with your family this Christmas, hold your children tighter and remember those little ones who are spending Christmas without their mothers, and the big ones, too.


Remember the brown eyed girl, Laci Peterson, whose dimpled, smiling face we will never forget.

Christine Sheddy: FOUND After Two Years

While going through the myriad of missing persons posts on the Facebook newsfeed yesterday, I happened to see a picture and link put up by Kelly Jolkowski of Project Jason.  The face of Christine Sheddy seemed to jump off the screen at me, I had to go to the link to read more of her and her case.  In all of her pictures one thing stands out, her beautiful, haunting eyes.  Her eyes draw the viewer in, seemingly asking to be found.

Christine Sheddy is the mother of three children, her two little boys, 2 and 4 were with her at the time of her disappearance from a home of friends in Pocomoke City, MD that she met through her boyfriend.  According to news accounts Christine and her two children stayed behind at the home while the other couple went to pick up their own children from school.  When they returned, Christine was gone, taking nothing with her, not her purse or any belongings, and her two boys were left in the home, alone.

As in so many cases of missing mothers, speculation runs rampant about the woman's character, her relationships and why she did what she did.  Many times law enforcement agencies don't appropriately respond, saying that the missing adult probably just walked away, maybe just wanting to start a new life.  All these familiar statements were heard by Christine's mother, Lynn Dodenhoff.

However, another familiar statement in missing mothers cases has also been said:  "She would never leave her children."  According to her mother, Christine was a loving mother, despite moodiness, and that she would never leave her children home alone, that was not in her character.

"All I want is my daughter so I can bring her home and put her to rest," Dodenhoff said. "I couldn't care less who was involved, I couldn't care less. I just want her home. That way her children could move on and not wonder why their mother left; because she would never leave them. It will come to an end, and we will find my daughter, and justice will be served. I have full confidence that will happen."

As with many police departments, it's been reported that the agency involved  was not seriously investigating this missing mother, speculating that her lifestyle choices put her into a certain category and that they were uncooperative in organizing searches and coming forth with information.  Key evidence tends to go cold very quickly in missing persons cases and if not thoroughly investigated, quickly the trail often leads to dead ends.

Certain protocals that every police department must follow are being introduced in a new bill, HR 3695, The Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law) that if passed will mandate that all information be entered into National data bases in a timely manner, thus speeding up the process for family members who are reporting a missing loved one.  I urge every citizen to write and support this important legislation.

Missing persons are victims and oftentimes, missing adults, especially, are not given proper attention.  Many, many families are finding that rather than idly sit by and wait for word, they must find the strength to take on several tasks that will help lead them to real evidence.  Our society and citizens must wake up and realize that it takes us all to help find the missing.

November 13 was the two year anniversary marking the day that Christine Sheddy vanished.  Small searches for her were conducted and earlier this year a large scale search was organized, yet turned up no positive results on her whereabouts.  Her children deserve answers.

Missing Person: Christine Sheddy
Date of Birth: 12/22/80
Missing Since: 11/13/07
Missing City: Pocomoke
Missing State: MD
Age at time of disappearance: 26
Gender: Female
Race: White
Height: 5 ft 4 in
Weight: 100 lbs
Hair Color: DK Blonde
Hair (other): Short
Eye Color: Blue
Complexion: Fair

Characteristics: tattoo on lower back

Clothing: jeans, white shirt

Jewelry: rings

Circumstances: Christine was staying at a friend's home and when the friends left to pick up children and then returned, Christine was missing. Christine's children were found at the house alone. Christine took no possessions with her.

Agency Name: Worcester County Bureau of Investication
Agency Phone: 1-410-352-3476


UPDATE 2/19/2010

SNOW HILL: Human remains found in parking lot

SNOW HILL – Local law enforcement agencies are investigating human remains that were discovered buried in a parcel of land near the Snow Hill municipal parking lot.

Worcester County State’s Attorney Joel Todd said “it would be inappropriate to comment” on whether the body was that of missing woman Christine Sheddy. Sheddy disappeared from a Pocomoke-area farm house in November 2007.

Officials from the Maryland State Police, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Worcester County Bureau of investigation and Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office were led to the site as part of a larger investigation, Todd said.

The remains, which were found with a pair of shoes and some jeans, will be sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore.

Todd said he did not know how long the body had been there, and declined to comment any further for the sake of the investigation.



UPDATE 2/26/2010

Remains found in Snow Hill are Christine Sheddy

The human remains found behind a Snow Hill bed & breakfast a week ago have been identified as Christine Sheddy, who disappeared in November of 2007.  The Maryland Medical Examiner used dental records for the identification.  Worcester County State’s Attorney Joel Todd tells WGMD that no cause of death has been determined, but they are treating this as a suspicious death.

Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County

February 26, 2010

On February 26, 2010, the Office of the Medical Examiner for Maryland advised the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation that the human remains located in Snow Hill on February 19 were the remains of Christine Marie Sheddy.

Sheddy has been missing since November 14, 2007.  Since that time, the case has been handled as a “missing person” case by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation.  Assisting in the investigation is the Maryland State Police and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County.

No cause of death has yet been determined.  All involved law enforcement agencies are treating this as a suspicious death.

Because this is a pending investigation, no further details will be disclosed at this time.

Families of Missing Persons Need Your Help Now

H.R. 3695, The Help Find the Missing Act needs the support of everyone.

Every year tens of thousands of Americans go missing, never to be seen by their loved ones again. Additionally, there are also an estimated 40,000 sets of unidentified human remains that are being held or disposed of across the country. Sadly, because of gaps in the nation's missing persons systems, missing persons and unidentified remains are rarely matched. The Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law) is an effort to fix these gaps. We want to help families to have the resources so that we can lessen the burden on the system as well as bringing loved ones home for a proper burial.

Sponsored by Representatives Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Ted Poe (R-TX)

This legislation is named after Billy Smolinski of Waterbury, Connecticut who went missing on August 24, 2004 at the age of 31. Billy's family knows all-too-well the systemic challenges in trying to find the missing. They quickly learned that while federal law mandates law enforcement report missing children, there are no such requirements for adults - or unidentified bodies. Compounding this problem is the fact that local law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners, often don't have the resources or training to voluntarily report these cases. Finally, even when missing adults and remains are reported, the wide-range of unconnected federal, state, local, and non-profit databases to help match the missing with unidentified bodies, makes finding a match an often insurmountable challenge.

The easiest and quickest way to show your support and contact your Representatives is to go to the following and sign up. Everything else is done for you including providing a direct phone number to make a follow up call.

or, Create a Petition

Change.org

Bakersfield Tragedy: Two Mothers Taken

Our hearts are heavy and spirits are in a state of confusion as a senseless tragedy has taken another mother from the face of the earth. Suzan Sowders Fuller of Bakersfield, CA, was gunned down in her own home, along with her mother, Sharon Cannon, in front of her two little girls, 5 and 8. Who would do such a terrible thing? The father of two innocent children and the husband of Suzan.

Going through the various stages of divorce, Suzan was forced to take out an order of protection against her husband, Robert Fuller, who continuously threatened her life and on numerous occasions made moves towards that end. This order of "protection" was violated 7 times, and 7 times Robert Fuller was allowed to go about what he set out to do, he was arrested twice in the two weeks prior to the wee hours of August 8, 2009 when he broke down the door to Suzan's home and accomplished his mission.

Their 8 year old daughter had been taught to dial 9-1-1 if mommy was hurt or if she saw blood. As Robert Fuller came through the door, she was the first to wake up to see what was going on. Her father instructed her to go back to her bedroom, and as she did, her mother and grandmother came into the hallway greeted by the blast of Robert's shotgun. As cowards do, Robert ran, leaving these two precious children to deal with the aftermath.

What more could Suzan have done to prevent this? How many more hoops should she have had to jump through to save her life and the life of her mother? According to a family member, Suzan did everything she could "by the book" and followed through with each resource given her by the system. The system failed once more, and two lives were lost. Two little girls now must live with the heartbreak of losing their mother and grandmother to the "monsters" that creep in the night. This is the thing that nightmares are made of and too many children are left behind suffering. Make it STOP!

Please make a point to listen to The Susan Murphy Milano Show on BlogTalk Radio, Wednesday, August 12. Her guest will be a family member of Susan Sowders Fuller discussing what went wrong, along with Claudine Dombrowski from Mothers Without Custody. The show airs live at 3PM CST, 4PM EST and if you can't make it live, you can listen anytime by going to MurphyMilanoJournal. It will automatically play when you enter the site.

Love Letter From Mother

I've just discovered a new "internet friend," Abby Lurae and her blog, Taking a Walk Through Abby's World.  Abby's mother vanished from her life when she was 5, and she was reunited with her later in life. This is such a poignant letter that I felt the need to share and hope that many of the children left behind when a mother goes missing, would someday have a letter like this to hold on to.


Abigail Lurae is a published author who has a lot to say and writes from the heart. Her path in life has been a challenging one, but one filled with many valuable lessons along the way. Her inspirational writings are formed from what she personally has learned. Welcome to her world and taking a walk along side of her.



It took me many years to find my biological family because I didn't get to grow up with them from the age of five years and on up. However, since finding them, I'm getting to know and understand more about myself and where I came from.

Awhile back, I had posted this love letter in a writing group I belong to, but I posted it as the beginning of a new story. In all actuality, it is a letter I received from my own birth-mother. Her love for me shines through what she penned and I am honored to be her daughter...




Love Letter from Mother

My Dearest Daughter,

It seems as if you are the only one of my seven children who wants to really know her mother and who can forgive her imperfections. The others have this idealism of what a mother should be, and you have the knowledge of just how human beings are. Did God bless me with an angel without me realizing this way back when? Perhaps so, because you were such a good baby and rarely cried. You were my sunshine on my cloudiest of cloudy days and a wonderful little playmate in your toddler years.

I’m so sorry for the way things turned out and us not being able to grow up together. You see, I was very young when you were born, only a child myself. I didn’t know what it was like to be a, “mother,” in the true terminology of the word- the title bestowed upon a woman once she has given birth, or in my case, a girl who had made a horrible mistake.

Now, I’m not saying you were a mistake- not at all! The mistake I made was to marry your father to try and gain a better life. What a joke that was! Let me explain, however, I don’t think you require an explanation but, I do want to let you know where you come from.

My mother was a wild thing and yes, I suppose I inherited that trait from her. She could never keep a man for very long and always caused us to get kicked out of every house we tried to live in. Do you know she was married a total of ten times before she finally passed away? I’ve done good to not go beyond four.

Anyhow, when we didn’t have a roof over our heads, she discovered that boxcars were a glorious temporary means of housing and travel too! I got to see many cities that way. You may wonder about schooling? Well, my mother brought along a few books and taught me how to read and write, plus taught me math through the money she made along the way. I have my opinions on how she made her money but I will spare you my speculations as they aren’t very nice.

By the time I turned fifteen, I decided I didn’t want to travel anymore with mother and got into an awful fight with her. She hauled off and hit me so hard upside my head, knocking me backwards that I fell out of the opened boxcar door. The train was moving slowly but fast enough to where I received a bad case of, “road-rash,” as they call it now-a-days. Mother wouldn’t allow me to wear jeans or trousers as I had to wear dresses and look like a, “young lady.” Boy! What a sight for a young lady’s appearance too. My dress was torn in places and filthy dirty from rolling on the ground. I had blood and dirt mingled all over my face and the rest of my body. I was a sight to see…

But, there I am, finally standing up after this nasty fall, watching the train gather speed and my mother was standing in the doorway of her home on wheels, leaning out, waving good-bye to me with the smirkiest of smirky grins on her face. I think I could hear her call back, “get a life,” before the train finally disappeared on the horizon.

I didn’t know what to do- my mother abandoned me and I felt so lost and all alone. My head felt like stars were swimming around in it and I couldn‘t see clearly… I don’t know where the strength came from within me but, the next thing I remember after this happening is I’m walking along this old country road.

Your father was driving his old beat up pickup truck and spotted me. He was so kind and took me into town to one of his lady friend’s house. She helped me get all cleaned up and gave me some new clothes to wear. What fancy clothes too! I didn’t know it at the time, but she was a madam of an escort service. Anyway, after my wounds had healed, she began to insist that I pay her back for all of her generous kindness and hospitality, and wanted me to become one of, “her girls.”

I was so shocked after she explained what, “her girls,” did! I didn’t want to do what she wanted me to do so I left with the clothes on my back, then headed for the train station. If I had to live in a boxcar, that was better than living in her house and doing unspeakable things.

It so happened, your father was in town that day and saw me walking. He had taken some bales of cotton to the cotton mill and you had to go past there to get to the train yard. He yelled at me when he recognized me and motioned for me to go over and talk to him. I was crying…

I guess, he took pity on me and had me hang with him all day. By evening, he had gotten me a motel room and paid for a month’s stay. He also gave me some grocery money and took me to the store to get some food. After he left, I was in heaven! I had my own place, my own roof over my head and I felt so independently joyous.

The next morning, he showed up in his old truck and helped me get a job being a server at the local café. Every day, he’d come in and have breakfast and flirt like there was no tomorrow. After my sixteenth birthday, he asked me to marry him and I did…

We lived together in the motel for a couple of months and were fairly happy until the day his father had been struck ill. We had to move into his family’s home so he could be there to help out. Now, mind you, I had never been to his family’s home but I agreed to this change and went there with him.

What a nightmare! Their house was nothing but a shanty with big wide opened gaps between the planks of wood that were the outside frame of the place and it was located right smack dab in the middle of a cotton field! There was no screen or glass on the windows and when it rained, it poured in, not only through them, but the walls as well.

In the winter-time, his mother would take newspaper and fill the gaps in with it and put cardboard in the windows. And at night, even sleeping with five quilts on us, it never kept us warm enough. By spring time, I had my fill of being there and told your dad I would leave him if we didn’t move out! By this time, I was two months pregnant with you.

His mother was also getting down right nasty with me and I couldn’t stand to look at her anymore. She wanted me to get out in the fields with the guys and hitch up the horses to plow the ground for new cotton seeds to be planted, while her daughters sat on their fat keesters all day doing nothing! She knew I was with child and she even went as far as to say, you would either be born a strong baby or you would be weak and die in my womb. Your dad overheard her say this and I was so happy to hear him say, “let’s get out of here.”

We got us an upstairs apartment and not long after that, your father got a job at the local distillery company. It wasn’t long until he started drinking with his friends and come home in a foul mood.

The day before you were born, he knocked me down the flight of stairs that led up to our place. He said it was an accident- I think not, but that is my opinion. Anyway, a few days after you were born, I received word through the newspaper of my mother pulling an armed robbery at a restaurant in Chicago. The police chased her clear into Ohio before she was finally arrested and from what I could find out, she was sentenced to five years in the state prison.

When your father found out that she was my mother, all kinds of trouble started in between us. I left him- he followed, we made up and I became pregnant with your brother. This happened time and time again and by the time you were almost six years old, I was saddled with five other mouths to feed.

You were taken from me at this time and I never got to see you while you were growing up. Of course, when the threat of the other children being taken away from me arose, I ran for dear life with them. But, my eldest daughter, my sunshine, my little helper was no where to be found. You were such a great help to me when you were little- do you know that?

If anyone had a right to judge me, it would be you but you don’t? Why? Why do you not hate me like your siblings do?

I know you spent a great deal of time in trying to find your family- this is something I had prayed for over all of those years. Somewhere along the line, I grew up and am now, who I am.

Thank you my angel for being who you are. You have turned out well and I am so very happy that you want to know this heart that has bled, that has cried and that had been broken when you were taken from me.
I love you dearly.
Love,
Mother

Renee Pernice: Break the Silence!

It's been 6 months since Renee Pernice mysteriously disappeared from her own home, leaving her children and all her belongings and identification behind.  Her husband, Shon Pernice, is considered a person of interest, has been to court recently on stolen gun charges, was suspiciously present when another woman, Star Boomer, also went missing, yet still has not been arrested!  Someone knows something! 

BREAK THE SILENCE - COME FORWARD WITH WHAT YOU KNOW

The person/people responsible for Renée's disappearance have such a secret to hide.  The people that know something but haven't come forward have such a burden to live with; the knowledge that they could provide justice in this case but they aren't. 

CLOSE THIS CASE - PROVIDE JUSTICE FOR RENEE

Call the TIPS hotline @ 816-474-8477

DeafDeb,Living Well

Occasionally I fall into a subject matter or a website by accident. While so much has been written and discussed about all facets of domestic violence, victims of abuse, success survivors and everything that leads someone away from an abusive partner, one area that I was curious about and have not seen in the "mainstream" discussions is the deaf community and what resources are available for the deaf who have been abused.

I found a site named DAWWWN with information geared strictly for the hearing impaired, authored by a woman who calls herself "DeafDeb."

The first thing I did was read Deb's Story Page, her account of her life and the multiple types of abuses she suffered as a child and leading into adulthood. I will share just a portion and encourage readers to go to her site and read her story. I'm happy to know that there are wonderful, giving people in the world, like DeafDeb who is also a gifted artist.

art by DeafDeb

Sometimes the best revenge is to live well, respect our healing and enjoy our triumphs. My story is meant to be one of hope and encouragement, but it may also serve as a warning.

Deafness contributed to my isolation and vulnerability as a child, even though I was only mildly deaf back then. Since I was often alone, I was an easy target for abuse. As my deafness increased, it became more and more difficult to get help. I am a survivor of multiple abuses by multiple perpetrators, compounded by psychiatric abuse. I have been on this healing journey for over 3 decades and have come a long way though I still deal with the after effects.

Anger and Shame

I've experienced so much anger because when I was 17, after about 10 unwanted sexual "encounters", including molestation when I was 4, 12, 13 and 14 by strangers, inappropriate touching at age 8 by my uncle who also terrorized me with his rages every time I visited, sexual shaming by a babysitter when I was 10, sexual assault when I was 11 by a gang of older neighborhood boys and a classmate, rape when I was 15 by my good friend's housemate...

At home I was neglected, emotionally abused and occasionally physically abused. My parents were preoccupied by serious problems of their own and could not protect me or help me cope, nor did they have any knowledge or understanding of my increasing deafness. They argued constantly. Both had painful childhoods with alcoholic parents. My father's mother killed herself when I was 3.

My mom had a tendency to fly into rages. I often didn't respond to her because I couldn't hear her, and that made her even more enraged. My friends couldn't understand, but even if there had been people around to listen, shame and deafness kept me in a state of silent torment (there were also a few years of not so silent torment).

Add to this intense isolation and a few more traumatic experiences like fire and divorce and living with a stressed out single parent. I stopped being able to sleep, flew into rages, destroyed property, dissociated and had weekly visits with a therapist who I never really trusted enough to confide in, nor did I know how to talk about what happened. I went into therapy voluntarily when I was 13, but it didn't help much. Then came the secondary wounding...

PLEASE READ THE REST OF THE STORY OF AN AMAZING SUCCESS SURVIVOR!

Justice Coming For Mary Jane Zich?

Mary Jane was wife #5 in the lineup for 6 time married, Thomas Zich. In 1991 little Desiree Anaverde was only 3 years old, witnessing something that she will soon be called on to testify about.

Mary Jane and Tom Zich met while she was a waitress in a small restaurant and he was a customer. They married and Mary Jane's life changed dramatically. Family members say Tom was quite jealous and abusive to Mary Jane soon after they were married. They say that she was isolated from them, that even though Mary Jane was very family oriented, there was no contact with them on a regular basis.

November 29, 1991 was the last time that Mary Jane Zich was seen alive. She and her daughter, Desiree, had just returned to their Toledo, Ohio home after visiting her parents for Thanksgiving. While on her visit, Mary Jane discussed the violence in her marriage to Tom Zich and told her parents that she was planning on divorcing him. According to reports to police given by Tom at the time, she received a phone call, left the house and didn't return, leaving 3 year old Desiree behind.

Apparently when Mary Jane returned home on November 28 from her family visit, she announced to Tom that, although they had been married less than a year, she wanted a divorce. No one knows what happened next or how Tom took the news, but on December 7, 1991 Tom reported her missing.

On December 18, 1991, Toledo police got a tip, found Mary Jane's car, opened the trunk to find her body, frozen. Tom Zich said "he didn't do it" and time marched on, Tom married wife #6, and little Desiree grew up.

In 2005, 14 years after Mary Jane's frozen body was found, cold case investigators took another look at the case, reinterviewing several witnesses, including Tom, who still denies having anything to do with Mary Jane's frozen body. Finally, in 2007, Tom Zich was indicted for the murder of his then wife, Mary Jane Zich.

Desiree Anaverde is now Desiree Pena, married and a mother herself, who grew up with a secret that is only now coming to light. Desiree will testify in her mother's murder trial that she witnessed Tom Zich murder her and put her body into the trunk of her car. I'm sure there will be a lot of legal wrangling on the testimony of a then 3 year old, however, I'm sure that Desiree will rest easier knowing that she will be a part of bringing justice to the memory of her mother.

"[The years after her death] were very difficult. It was very hard," she said. "You have the rest of your family; but to not have the one person you depend on, it's just really hard."

Three of Tom's former wives were also granted their turn to testify. It seems that Tom had a history of attacking the throat when he got angry. Mary Jane Zich's cause of death was found to be strangled with a ligature. So it seems that 4 out 6 wives have had Tom Zich's hands around their throats, and one of them is no longer alive.

So many red flags were waving around Thomas Zich as a choice for a husband, why did these women not see them? This type of controlling, manipulative, chameleon-like man is recently coming to the forefront, although they have been around since the beginning of time. Drew Peterson, the poster boy for Narcissists, is still able to get attention from behind bars!

Maybe with attention and education on the issues of domestic violence and spousal murder from advocates like Susan Murphy Milano, we could see less of these cases. In her new book "Time's Up" she will give you step by step directions on how to safely leave an abusive home and not wind up strangled, frozen and found in a trunk.

Dateline NBC, a weekly television newsmagazine, will be taping the trial of Tom Zich for a future episode of the program, which usually airs on Friday nights.



UPDATE: JUNE 18,2009

A JURY FOUND TOM ZICH GUILTY OF THE MURDER OF MARY JANE ZICH

Liza Murphy, Missing Mother of Three

With so many news reports of fathers killing mothers, mothers gone missing, leaving their children behind, I find the reality of children growing up as victims of violence to be an epidemic. Every day the stories are played out in national news and news talk shows.

On August 19, 2007, it's reported that Liza Murphy just up and walked out of her home after an argument with her husband, Joe Murphy, leaving behind her cell phone, cigarettes, all forms of identification, and most importantly, her three children, now 15, 13, and 10.

Liza Murphy and her husband were having marital problems, her family said. Stellatos described Joe Murphy as possessive of his wife, never allowing her to go out with her friends. She said he was even jealous if she spent time with her parents.

Liza and her children had just returned from a week long visit with her parents, 125 miles away. Liza suffered from fibromyalgia and depression, however, according to her mother, would never walk away willingly from her children.

Oddly enough, Joe Murphy tried suicide by throwing himself in front of a fire truck. He recovered from his injuries, then subsequently "lawyered up" and is now not cooperating in the investigation of his missing wife. Joe Murphy has full custody of the children and has isolated them from Liza's family. They have not seen them since the last visit she made days before she vanished.

Similar in many ways to the Renee Pagel murder case in Michigan, where the father is also isolating the children and not cooperating with the investigation into Renee's murder, although Renee isn't a missing person, she very well could have been.

As in all cases of a troubled marriage, a lot of the truth will remain hidden. We don't know about alleged affairs, lifestyles and habits. What we do know is that there are three children who do not know where there mother is. Three more children have joined the club of many who didn't ask for tragedy and violence to enter their lives, but will now be guided by it forever.

Where Have All The Children Gone?

Where have all the flowers gone

Long time passing

Where have all the flowers gone

Long time ago

Where have all the flowers gone

Young girls have picked them, every one

Oh, when will they ever learn

Oh, when will they ever learn

Although there are motherless children all over this world, my question is what happens in a child's life who has lost it's mother to violence? Whether she has gone missing, never to return, or was murdered, sometimes right in front of that child or left for that child to find. What kind of defense mechanisms or coping skills do these children find to get along in life?

I'm finding that there are millions of children who are now adults, who have survived the horror that tore their mother away from them, and yet, somehow have been able to make it to adulthood. Where are they? Do they look like me? Would I know them if I saw them? They are everywhere, hiding behind the mask they put on to show the world that they don't want to be thought of as "different".

Many say that they go through the remainder of their childhood without hope. Hope being an uplifting emotion for humans, it's an important part of daily life, a way to reach for something in good faith. Without hope there is too much room in a person's psyche for despair, depression and darkness.

Adult survivors lives take many different paths, some lose everything, their potential to succeed is greatly diminished, while others take a different, stronger track, showing the world one face, but keeping another facing inward constantly keeping busy to avoid the pain and heartache.

I'm sure there are studies done somewhere, in language I probably wouldn't understand, giving explanations and psychological resources for this population of our society. However, it doesn't explain to these child survivors why this had to happen in the first place. No one can answer the basic question, "Why me, God"?

So as we read the newspapers and hear the reports of a mother who has gone missing, or a mother who has been violently murdered, ask yourself, "what will happen to the children."

While at the time the "crime" is making news and the attention is focused there, the children have to find a way to go on, find a way to cope with this tragedy and make a way in this world and grow into adulthood. They are often forgotten in the flurry of the crime, lost in the shuffle, sent into a world who forgot who they are and who they will become.

This will be the subject of Susan Murphy Milano's BlogTalk Radio show this Wednesday at 4PM EST. Join Susan and her guest, as adult survivors of violent childhoods, and hear what happened to them as they grew to adulthood.

We will discuss the topic of children whose fathers have killed their mothers. It is an a subject rarely discussed in the media. As the lives of the children who witness violence and terror in their homes if they survive, live the remainder of their days on earth often in darkness and without hope. Joining me on today's show Pam Munson discussing her survival after her mother's murder.

Leona Kinsey

"I remember when I was younger and I crashed on my bike, I came inside crying and My mom cleaned my scrape and told me to stop crying, because my tears weren’t real. I thougth she was crazy“ Those aren’t real tears, you’ll forget about the pain in a few minutes.” She was right. I soon forgot and before I knew it was outside playing like it never happened. Now, nine years later I am still crying over her loss and I know the tears are real because they come from the inside out.

The Pacific Northwest holds a mystical mix of American native life, places unsettled that stand the test of time, wild and majestically beautiful. There is a serentity and a majesty that is nowhere else. Beauty and wilderness combine with old and new.

Nine years ago Leona Kinsey was enjoying the lifestyle the area afforded with hunting, fishing, camping and running her own landscaping business. The week of October 25, 1999 her appointment book shows that she was booked for the whole week. That week turned out to be the last time Leona was seen, Monday October 25 at 4:30pm by her boyfriend only called "Lonnie".

Foul play is suspected, but no suspects have been named. Leona's vehicle was found the following Friday in the parking lot of a grocery store, but after authorities examined it, there was no evidence found, no signs of foul play in the vehicle itself. They have interviewed many they feel may be connected to the case, but have yet to name anyone in particular as a person of interest or suspect.

Nine years later a remembrance ceremony took place in the Native American tradition of Leona's heritage.She loved nature and it was only fitting that prayers and traditional dances were a part of it along with Native

music.

Society member Tom Futter said he thinks a love of nature and belief in a spiritual being sustained Kinsey throughout her life.

“When you get to where you’re going, look at Mother Nature. Say a prayer to Grandfather and he will guide you,” Futter said.

For Carolyn DeFord remembering her mother's birthday is especially hard, memories tend to blur with time, but she was not ready to lose her mother and all of the future times they had planned. She is missing her today as much as she has missed her for the last nine years. A daughter searching for a mother lost to her is a daily reminder and when she closes her eyes she can see her, and keep those memories alive.

When I have a lot of worries, and my soul is weighted down,
I can almost hear him saying, "Only crosses make a crown."
And when my eyes are burning from the tears I have shed,
Comes this gentle voice "Remember What I suffered in your stead?”

When I look around for comfort, and there is no listening ear,
Comes a whisper close beside me, "Hush my child, for I am here!”
And somehow the heavy burden that I almost couldn't bear,
Slips from off my aching shoulders, and becomes as light as air.

And my heart is filled with gladness, and with peace when it recalls,
he knows all things, down to the time the smallest sparrow falls.
And a new hope stirs within me, like the beat of feathered wing,
and in his outstretched arms I find a love to which I cling.

And I am no longer troubled at the turning of the ways,
for long ago he told me "I am with you all the days".
And I find a blessed haven, beyond the reach of man,
just like the tiny sparrow that he shelters in his hand.

Please join us at Peace4 the Missing

Michelle McMullen, Update

Missing Harrisburg woman is fugitive, police say

by FRANK COZZOLI, Of The Patriot-News

Tuesday December 16, 2008, 12:21 PM

Provided This poster was distributed when Michelle McMullen was reported missing in September. She was found in Martinsburg, W.Va.

A Harrisburg woman who disappeared in September has vanished again after authorities discovered her working under an assumed name at a motel in Martinsburg, W.Va., Mayor Stephen R. Reed revealed today.

Michelle McMullen, 27, of the 2900 block of Green Street, had been reported missing by her parents who last saw her on Sept. 28 after she left her son at a babysitter and was headed back to school at Grambling University in Louisiana.

Reed said McMullen was identified positively on Monday by police in Martinsburg after investigators got a tip she was working in a hotel there. McMullen, however, had fled the motel before police arrived and has not been seen since, Reed said.

Harrisburg police have closed their missing persons investigation, Reed said.
However, McMullen is still sought by Susquehanna Township police. "We want her, she's a fugitive, and obviously she's on the run,'' Susquehanna Township Chief Rob Martin said today.

McMullen was told in mid-September that she was being investigated in the theft of money from Progress-Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Martin said.

According to an arrest warrant, McMullen is suspected of stealing at least $2,300 from the church, where she worked as an administrator before being fired July 28.

Martin urged McMullen to surrender to police, wherever she is. "It's our understanding that certainly she is on the run and she's hiding and we believe she knows about these criminal charges,'' Martin said.

Over the past two months, Reed said Harrisburg police continued to follow leads in the case.

A black 2002 Honda Accord belonging to McMullen was found Oct. 7 in Hagerstown, Md., minus its keys, authorities said. McMullen's cell phone was inside the car.

The car sat for roughly a week near the entrance to the Mack Truck plant before security at the plant notified the sheriff's office, authorities said.

"Our detectives should be lauded for their efforts in locating Michelle McMullen,'' Reed said. "These officers exhausted every means available to gather information and didn't relent until she was found.''

April Susanne Wiss, Monday4 the Missing

April Susanne Wiss was 16 years old in January, 2000 and staying with a friend of her mother, Dee Clasen, in the same apartment building in Wichita, Kansas. April, nicknamed "Squeaky", apparently needed to see what life was like on her own outside of her mother's care and was probably testing her boundaries as most 16 year olds.

April was scheduled to testify as a witness in a felony trial on January 13, 2000, but she never made that date. Although she was apprehensive about the testimony, she agreed to testify as a witness. On the evening of January 11, just 2 days before the trial, April left home with her wallet, pager and keys, never to be heard from again.

According to Dee, April didn't just take off, although initially she was classified as a runaway, then re-

classified as a missing person. She had just given money to her roommate for food and rent, the money was still at their home, along with April's clothes and belongings things she would have needed if she was running away.

There have been no reports of whether April received a phone call before leaving her home, of a scheduled date. Her roommate had already gone to bed, so probably wouldn't know if a phone call came in for her. As in similar cases authorities are baffled and can't prove whether her disappearance is connected to testifying, whether she met with foul play, or if she left for California, which she had often wanted to do.

Dee Clasen has been a champion for the missing since April's disappearance. She has worked locally in Wichita to bring awareness to the many missing persons in Kansas, with Team Hope, and also has featured April with several missing persons organizations, including 411Gina and their "Squeaky Wheel Tour", CUE Center for Missing Persons and the "Road to Remember Tour", Project Jason and the "18 Wheel Angels".

Dee has been instrumental in honoring April this year at Peace4 the Missing by creating the "April Tree", an interactive way for members to support and encourage each other through the holiday season, which is extremely hard to enjoy when your loved one is missing.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Wichita Police Department
316-337-6552

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: January 11, 2000 from Wichita, Kansas
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: September 1, 1983
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 6'0, 165 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes. Wiss's hair was dyed dark brown at the time of her 2000 disappearance. She has three black dots tattooed on her right hand between the base of her thumb and wrist. Wiss has several scars underneath her right pinky finger. Her nickname is Squeaky.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white t-shirt, a navy blue jacket with gray lining, flared jeans and white tennis shoes.






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http://peace4missing.ning.com

Charlotte Rexroad Wyne

March 11, 1970 in Canton, Ohio a mother of three daughters and a son vanished from the streets of downtown Canton. There is not much information available about Charlotte or why she would simply walk away from her family. I don't believe the McKinley Hotel she was residing in is the same as the McKinley Grande Hotel in Canton today, and definitely did not have the amenities.

Reading the little I have been able to find out about Charlotte, questions abound. Why was she living in the hotel? Was she living their with her family or was she separated from them at the time? Why was she walking alone in the 400 block of East Tuscarawas Ave.? I know in 1970 that was not a safe place to be, I lived in Canton then.

What happened at 8:55 that night that she would be alone and walking in the dark, according to her husband? Did she just have enough of being a mother and wife? Was there trouble in the marriage? Did life just become too much for her and she simply hitched a ride into oblivion?

One small picture and very little information is all I have been able to find. I do know that there are four grown children of Charlotte who probably don't have the answers either, but I would bet that they are still searching for her, even if only in their hearts. I do know that they must have the same questions as I do. Where is Charlotte Wyne?

This may be a cold, cold case to some, but I would say that to the children left behind it is still foremost in their minds.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Canton Police Department
Investigator L. Kamp
330-489-3100

Agency Case Number: 566798

Missing since March 11, 1970 from Canton, Ohio
Classification: Endangered Missing

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The Doe Network:
Case File 2208DFOH

Charlotte Estella Rexroad Wyne
Missing since March 11, 1970 from Canton, Ohio
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• Date Of Birth: November 24, 1935
• Age at Time of Disappearance: 34 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'5"; 112 lbs.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Black hair. Possibly blue eyes. Medium complexion, thin build.
• Clothing: Grey coat, pink blouse, blue skirt, blue scarf, brown slippers.
• AKA: Charlotte Rexroad, Charlotte Wyne

Please join us at Peace4 the Missing