Randy "Amanda" Lehrer Missing From Jersey City (FOUND)

On August 28, Jersey City is under the gun of Hurricane Irene, one of the first to hit the area in a long time.  Not such great weather for a 32 year old mother to be missing from her child and her family.  And yet, her husband, Steven Acuna doesn't seem to see the importance of cooperating with the investigation surrounding her whereabouts.  Good friends and family members have formed teams to saturate the area with posters, hoping that a clue will come in from the community, something that will help determine where she might be.

According to news reports, on Tuesday, August 16, Steven Acuna filed a missing person report stating that he and Randy had an argument on August 13 and she stormed out of the house, leaving her 10 month old daughter, Stephanie, behind. Acuna waited three days after the argument, until August 16, to report Randy Lehrer missing.  The last person to see her, he called the restaurant where she worked on Monday, August 15 to tell co-workers that she had gone to care for her ailing mother in Canada.  When her mother was contacted, it was discovered that she was just fine and that Randy wasn't there.

Here we have Steven Acuna giving two different accounts to what happened before he stopped cooperating and will no longer talk to investigators without an attorney. Clearly Acuna is doing everything he can to delay the investigators, forcing them to get warrants, subpoenas and court orders to proceed, frustrating an already busy department.

What was happening before the argument?  It's reported by neighbors and friends that the couple argued a lot, and that the week before her disappearance, Randy was heard kicking Acuna out of the house, telling him to never return.  It's not been reported whether there was any ongoing violence in the relationship, or if there had been any police reports of intimate partner violence filed with local agencies, but with what is known, Steven Acuna is being examined closely.  Even though Acuna was arrested on a prior warrant, he posted bail and is caring for 10 month old, Stephanie, which is concerning.

Randy's friends, co-workers at Tommy's Restaurant, and the community have rallied around the missing mother, holding vigils and passing out fliers.  They are also talking with investigators about their knowledge of the relationship, hoping there is a clue that will help solve her disappearance and bring her home.

A private investigator, Charles Hannon, has offered a $3,000 reward for information leading to the return of Lehrer.

There is a Facebook page created by friends to bring awareness: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Have-You-Seen-Randy-Amanda-Lehrer/211610325558914?sk=wall

Suggestions:

• A family member should register the case with a reputable missing persons organization like CUE Center for Missing Persons, in order to have trained liaisons and advocates to assist.
• Family members must submit DNA and be certain all information is registered properly with CODIS and NamUs.
• Use social media resources as well as traditional media, and radio shows to keep the case alive and facts in the public eye.  (Crime Wire, The Roth Show, The Susan Murphy Milano Show,  and Jon Leiberman have all contributed greatly to awareness and bringing forth clues in missing persons cases)
• Create a simple website where all pertinent information is housed, a place where the family is in charge, and a place where they can share their thoughts.
• Do not take anything for granted in an investigation, be persistent, diligent and hold on to hope. Talk to others who have been, or who are still, in the same position with a missing loved one.  They are a great source of strength. (Peace4 the Missing is a great source of support and information)
• Pray, a lot.

Lehrer is 5-foot-2, 145 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes and a fair complexion. Her right shoulder bears a tattoo that reads “Laugh Now Cry Later,” police said. She was last seen publicly around 2 p.m. on Aug. 12 after leaving her waitress job at Tommy’s.

Anyone with information about Lehrer's whereabouts is urged to call Jersey City Police Department - Missing Persons Unit at 201-547 5427. All calls will remain confidential.

http://missingpersonsblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/randy-amanda-lehrer-missing-jersey-city.html
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/08/19/jersey-city-police-looking-for-randy-amanda-lehrer-missing-mother-of-10-month-old-child/#.TloxtXA_Qth.facebook
http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_stories_home/15232837/article-Thinking-of-Amanda-Community-leaders-and-residents-organize-for-missing-mom-?instance=jersey_city_story_left_column
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Have-You-Seen-Randy-Amanda-Lehrer/211610325558914?sk=wall

UPDATE

Body found in concrete-filled drum is missing NJ mom, family says
Relatives say husband arrested; remains discovered in home's basement

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44655584/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
http://murphymilanojournal.blogspot.com/2011/09/randy-amanda-lehrer-implementing-change.html

Renee Pernice: Remembering You

Two years ago on New Year's Day 2009, Renee Pernice vanished, leaving behind her home in Kansas City, MO, her husband and three children.  Two years ago her husband, Shon Pernice, says she just walked out of the house on foot and he couldn't "remember" where she said she was going.  Renee has not been seen nor heard from since.

Following this case for the last two years has been a series of twists and turns, watching Shon Pernice sidestepping with inconsistencies in his original story, never participating in searches for his wife, and being arrested on several charges, finally for the murder of Renee.  He will go to trial in 2011.

The pattern of conduct of Renee Pernice leading up to the day she vanished could be like so many other women trying to leave a marriage.  Renee held a good job with a salary enough to support herself and her children, in fact, Renee alone cared for her children while her husband was stationed overseas.  During the investigation divorce papers were discovered in Renee's home office, leading us to believe she was serious about leaving her marriage this time.

Renee Pernice was close to her family, was in constant contact, and, as is often heard in cases of missing mothers, "she would NEVER leave her children."  Most of the statements from Shon Pernice are in direct contrast with the woman and mother her family knew her to be.  Perhaps Renee confided in her family or close friends about the upcoming divorce, or the problems in her marriage leading her to make the decision to finalize it.

Maybe Shon Pernice has a history of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, being one of the last to see another missing mother, Star Boomer who vanished in 1999.  It would be a great service to the family of Star Boomer if information on her whereabouts would come forth during the investigation of Renee's murder.  Although there were a reported 13 witnesses, no one is talking.  As always, someone knows where the remains of these two mothers are today.

Hindsight is always valuable, and one of the reasons many blog about cases like this is to learn and use the information to educate others in the hope that another mother may be spared.  Had Renee Pernice, or Susan Powell, or Stacy Peterson taken precautionary measures while preparing to leave their marriages, this blog would not have been written.  A revolutionary new procedure has been introduced by Susan Murphy Milano in her latest book, "Time's Up: A Guide on How to Leave an Abusive and Stalking Relationship" called the Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit.  This simple procedure is likened to a living will, spelling out in notarized, witnessed documents and video testimony the evidence of what went wrong in the relationship and, if abuse is present, it's documented as well.  Procedures utilized by Murphy Milano over the last 20 years have led to a perfect track record in keep women alive during the traumatic end to their relationships.

Writing about missing mothers has given me an insight, as well as working closely with advocates and organizations surrounding the issues of intimate partner violence and missing persons.  In many cases, there is a clear pattern of conduct in the actions of those involved, a relationship with violence, or at the least an "ownership" attitude, that if you leave me, no one else will have you and my children.  It's a pattern that is seen over and over, and the results, unfortunately, are usually the same.

While remembering Renee on the second anniversary of her missing, I also urge readers to remember her children.  They are now in the care of Renee's father, Rick Pretz, and although trying to give them the best childhood they deserve, it can't be easy.  Children left behind with no answers, children left to deal with the trauma, children who were unconditionally loved by their mother, have daily reminders that their lives have changed dramatically.  They have needs expressed in ways that we sometimes don't understand, and will be forever branded in their psyches.  They are the innocent bystanders in the chaos surrounding them that makes no sense to them.  Never will they have the opportunity to know what could have been.

Missing Mothers Prevention: Time's Up by Susan Murphy Milano

“Imagine if Stacy Peterson, Lisa Stebic, Renee Pagel, Mary Jane Zich, Kelly Currin Morris, Mary Badaracco, Peggy Dianovsky, Kelliesue Ackernecht,Sandra Travis, Rachel Conger,Theresa Parker, or Renee Pernice had the opportunity to complete the Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit.....the offenders would be arrested and these cases would be resolved.”.

Time’s Up for Victims of Domestic Abuse

Advocate's Book Review: TIME'S UP by Susan Murphy-Milano

By Diane Santhany of Advocating Ethics

“Been there, done that…” Susan Murphy- Milano has turned a tired phrase into demonstrable realism through the gift of her newly published book, TIME'S UP: A GUIDE ON HOW TO LEAVE AND SURVIVE ABUSIVE AND STALKING RELATIONSHIPS. Susan’s writing is based on doing. It is based on the irrefutable credential of experience, both as a residual victim of interpersonal violence and a tireless advocate for others who suffer. This book is born from working in the trenches for twenty years and the necessity of crafting working solutions to help ensure individual safety from batters and stalkers.

TIMES UP is a comprehensive guide for women in danger. Every advocate owes it to those they work to assist to obtain this book.The contents provide specific steps towards safety and addresses issues that a person who is stressed and in fear may not think of. This guide can provide structure in the midst of chaos.

Among the tools and forms is the original idea of an “Abuse Affidavit”, a sworn statement detailing the facts of an individual’s victimization, preserving the specifics so they are not lost even if the victim is. It is difficult to think about speaking from the grave but no different than any life insurance policy obtained in consideration for those left behind.

An “Abuse Affidavit” has the additional psychological benefit of being forced face reality and admit that the potential for the ultimate kind of violence exists…and that if it occurs the perpetrator will be held accountable.

Purchase and read TIMES UP as an advocate to continue to learn and practice informed advocacy. Give TIMES UP to concerned friends or family members looking for solutions for a loved one who is in danger. Most of all, find a way to share this valuable guide with the domestic violence and stalking victims you know and work with. It has all the information and tools to empower a crime victim to save her own life.

Order now from Amazon.com

ISBN #9781608443604

Also available as Ebook from several sources!


 www.susanmurphymilano.com
http://saferelationshipsmagazine.com
http://annyjacoby.com
http://gaylecrabtree.com
http://angelfury.org

--
ImaginePublicity
marketing.promotions.publicity

www.imaginepublicity.com
843.808.0859

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Moving Out, Moving On: The Book that Saves!

In Honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Author and Expert Domestic Violence Strategist, Susan Murphy Milano, is offering her innovative book, Moving Out, Moving On at a discount to anyone who is in a violent relationship, or knows someone who needs to safely move away from abuse.

This book is available in quantity for agencies, shelters, coalitions and any other organizations who deal with victims of abuse.

For the month of October you can order a hard copy of the book which includes a CD of all of the important forms you will need to use. The hard copy (for $15 including postage) can be ordered at the following email:

contact@imaginepublicity.com

Include your name, address and quantity and you will receive a quick response with further instruction.

If you would like an instant EBook copy it can be ordered by going to this link:

CLICK HERE

The Ebook also includes samples of forms to use, as well.

Moving Out, Moving On will not only save you thousands in dollars, it could very well save a life!

Through clear examination, simple forms and worksheets, Moving out, Moving on , logically takes the reader through all the necessary preparation and information gathering to effectively seek legal redress, protect one’s assets and credit, address considerations regarding children, define alternate living arrangements, and deal with the myriad of financial problems and concerns surrounding a divorce or break-up. Moving out, Moving on, also addresses in detail abusive relationships, domestic violence and stalking and how to safely confront these situations.

Moving out, Moving on , is more than a simple workbook, but a true plan to take control of one’s life and face the future head on. This is not just another “divorce book” written by a so called “expert.” Moving out, Moving on, is authored by a person who truly knows…Susan Murphy-Milano

21 Days For Heather

It's something I just can't let go and today I'm hoping that someone will see this post on my obscure little blog and be able to "be the one." In 21 days the ex-husband of Heather Thompson will be released from Federal Prison in Bennettsville, SC and be able to resume a relatively normal life after being incarcerated for the last 14 years for beating her to within an inch of her life. He has had a lot of time to think about how he can fulfill his promise to kill her and her children, and has made numerous threats over the years from prison.

Today Bloggers Unite has declared "Domestic Violence Day" and I hope that by banding together and writing about this epidemic, it will bring awareness to the many who are still trapped in an abusive relationship, men and women alike. While there are agencies and advocates all across the country, many of the abused aren't aware or savvy enough to figure out an escape plan. There is hope and healing available on the other side of abuse, if only the abused can reach out far enough.

In Heather's, and many other cases, all the right steps have been taken, but yet she and her children are not safe. GPS monitoring has been proven to be a useful tool, but in her case, authorities will not violate her abuser's rights by putting one on him at this time. Apparently he has to take a step towards murdering her and her children in order to be eligible. I know, this makes no sense, but is another flaw in the system that re-victimizes the victims.

The public has become immune to stories of fathers brutally murdering their families in the last few months. The news reports cover these stories and all the gory details, and yet there are families grieving the horrendous losses who are raw in their emotions. Please don't let Heather and her family become just another statistic or another news story and then wonder where the system broke down. The system that should protect the rights of the innocents is protecting the rights of the ones who have beaten, battered and killed in hopes that they are rehabilitated in prison and will become productive members of society again. That rarely happens.

The faces of domestic abuse are bloody and bruised, just like Heather's was, but at least she has survived.....so far. Reach out into your community, your church, your neighborhood and become more vigilant. Really look at that woman in the grocery store with the black eye, listen to her and if nothing else, guide her to a shelter or even a website that will get her the information she needs.

Educate yourself about the ways the abused may be helped. There are many organizations and advocates willing to share this information. Susan Murphy Milano has written the "bible" of safety escape procedures in her book "Moving Out, Moving On" and her new book to be released titled "Time's Up". These are important works which lay everything out in a step by step fashion so that abused women don't wind up dead.

Heather Thompson and her children will be living in great fear starting on May 29. She is in dire need of help, publicity, and protection from the man who most likely will make a move to snuff out her life and the lives of her children. Let's hope he is not successful and that Heather is not another entry at Mothers are Vanishing.

Susan Murphy Milano, Radio Show Debut

Wednesday April 8, 2009 at 3:00PM Central Standard Time


Join Susan Murphy Milano and her special guest: Joseph Hosey reporter and Author of "Fatal Vows The Tragic Wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson."

We will take your questions live in the chat room discussing the dangers Stacy Peterson and Kathleen Savio endured while married to a violent abuser with a badge and what measures they could have taken to escape.

Learn what you can do in preparing to leave a relationship gone bad with your life!

Joining the panel are the administrator's of the Peterson Story Website and Police Perpetrated Violence Expert Susan Rhoades.

Susan is the author of "Defending Our Lives, getting away from domestic violence & staying safe and "Moving Out, Moving On" when a relationship goes wrong. Her new book will be available in July 2009, "Time's Up", how to leave and survive a dangerous relationship.

To listen live go to: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susanmurphymilano and click on the "Click to Listen" icon. You might want to refresh your page because the icon will not show until the show begins.

Helping Heather

(although Heather Thompson is not a Missing Mother, it's situations like hers that lead to a woman being missing and, in most cases, murdered by her intimate partner)



While her situation is being played out online in a Facebook Group, through messages and emails, Heather Thompson is watching the clock tick.  A survivor of a severe case of domestic violence, Heather is watching her time run out.

Very soon her ex-husband, Thomas Price, Jr., will be paroled from Federal prison.  The same prison from which he sent threats to kill her and her children.  The same prison from which he has had 14 years to think about and plot ways to carry out those threats.

What are the citizens of Charlotte, NC waiting for?  Are they waiting for the next headline news story of a bloodbath, where a woman and her family are murdered?  Are they waiting to see the day's headlines and then turn away to do the dishes?

This is real life for Heather Thompson.

This is real life for her children and family.

This is not just another headline waiting to happen. Or is it?

Yes, there are things that Heather had the opportunity to do with the last 14 years, but she chose to rebuild her life, remarry, have more children and put the past behind her.  But now that past is back to haunt her.  Maybe she should have done some things differently, maybe she should have just left the family and surroundings that she knows and loves and went underground, knowing that this day would come.

Heather chose to be an outspoken spokesperson for domestic violence.  After her brutal attack, billboards were placed around Charlotte, NC so that everyone could see the injuries inflicited upon her and maybe think twice about going home and beating their partner.  Maybe Heather saved a few women that way.

Heather has spent the last 14 years, the years that Tommy Price has been in prison, speaking out for victims, serving on the board of directors of domestic violence groups , and letting women know that there is hope, that their is a way out of a sickening situation.

Heather's hope has run out.  What will it take to save her life?  Is there a safety plan for her?  Is there anywhere she can turn and not live in fear?  Is there any way to keep Tommy Price from snuffing out the lives of his ex-wife and children? What are the odds?

I'm sure Tommy Price has a cheesy grin on his face today, knowing that his actions have stirred up so much controversy.  If there were any way left in our justice system to keep him behind bars, it would be a blessing, but I doubt that is going to happen.

Every day in our country we read about cases where a partner continues to victimize and uses their children as pawns in their game. Child murder and suicide seems to be epidemic. Where is our judicial system in all this?  It is flawed to say the least.

So what can we do to keep Heather Thompson and her family alive?  There aren't many options left. She is at the eleventh hour and there are not too many places left to turn.  If Tommy Price is paroled, Heather Thompson's death cerificate is as good as signed unless drastic measures are taken quickly.

As just a concerned person with no knowledge of the law and how paroles work, I have no answers, but I know with every breath in my being that someone out there knows.

If you have the knowledge and wherewithall to stand up and do something to help Heather, please do it.  Do it quietly, do it behind the scenes, don't announce to the world and pat your own back, just take the ball and run with it.

Please save a life today.



To read about or contact Heather, please read at her group on Facebook

Kathleen Savio, Justice Vanishing

As her white casket was pulled from the ground on November 17, 2007, questions arose concerning her "accidental" death, drowning in her own bathtub. Her peaceful rest was disturbed by questioning, probing and sampling. It would mark the beginning of a spotlight that has not shone on Kathleen Savio and the circumstances of her death, nor the two boys she left behind, but on her ex-husband, Drew Peterson, and the three ring circus he has created, basking in every minute of the limelight and insisting on his innocence.

Kathleen's last day on earth was March 1, 2004, not a date that too many are remembering these days, as her death has been overshadowed by news of Drew's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, and possible fifth, fiancee Chrissy Raines, but the Savio family continues to mourn and seek justice on her behalf. Little did they know, but suspected, that their beloved "Kitty" did not die accidentally, and, as a new investigation has reported, she was a victim of homicide.

Kathleen lived with and reported many beatings, threats and petitioned for Orders of Protection. Police were called to her home several times, many reports were take, but many were not. She went so far as to write to the Illinois States Attorney describing what would happen to her according to the threats she was receiving. She laid it all out describing in detail what was happening in her life and the lives of her children, and what was going to happen to her next. Kitty eerily knew she was going to die, and die at the hands of her ex-husband, according to her letters and petitions. Please take the time to read for yourself the words she wrote predicting her fate.

But where is the proof? Was Drew Peterson responsible for her death? A Grand Jury in Will County, Illinois has been probing into this for over a year and still no arrest has been made. Was Drew Peterson, as a veteran Bolingbrook police officer, able to conceal every piece of evidence of a crime scene? It's a very real possibility that he will never be charged, never found guilty, never be sentenced, and although the mother of two of his children has been gone for five years, circumstantial evidence and the layout of Kathleen's letters must not be good enough to arrest or convict.

It's hard to find accounts of Kathleen before her connection with Drew, but I am assuming she, as other of his wives, thought she had found what she was looking for. A nice home, two children, nursing school, a police officer husband, all look like a positive lifestyle from an outsider's viewpoint. However, Kathleen, as so many others, was living a nightmare behind closed doors, the dirty little secret of domestic abuse hiding behind the policeman coward's badge.

As many before, and many will again, Kathleen lost her life.

She had no safety strategy plan set in place to get out of this marriage with her life. Police officers are trained in crime scene evidence, in how to use weapons, and, in a lot of cases, how to cover up a crime committed by one of their own. It seems that the circumstances Kathleen predicted five long years ago have come true. In her words she stated that he threatened to kill her and no one would suspect. So far, Drew Peterson was telling the truth.

May the Savio family and the children of Kathleen and Stacy know that there are many, many out here that have not forgotten, that wish to see justice served, that continue to keep the memory of Kathleen as a woman and a mother alive and not just yesterday's news article about the "puppetmaster", Drew Peterson. May Kathleen rest assured that many are concerned for her children and only want what's in their best interest.

Peace to you, Kathleen.