Valerie Calderon Casillas: Mother of Three Missing From San Jose, CA (FOUND)

An East San Jose family fear something terrible happened to a young mother, who is recently separated from her husband.

No one has seen or heard from 28-year-old Valerie Calderon Casillas since she got into a blue SUV near the intersection of Wavely Avenue and Orlando Drive about 3 a.m. Sunday morning.

Her cousin told her family she stepped out of the home where she was staying to talk to her estranged husband, Marcus Calderon. They were married about a year ago and separated about a month ago.

"He called her to go out and talk to her and she she didn’t want to but she did anyway,” said her mother, Lalie Calderon. Calderon adds that Casillas didn’t take her cell phone, keys, purse or car.

Her three children -- aged six, five and one -- were sleeping at the time of the disappearance.

While Casillas' mother worries about her daughter, she’s trying to protect her grandkids from the fact that no one knows where their mother is.

The six-year-old keeps asking to call her mother.

"We can’t call her right now, we’ll call her later. I don’t know what to say to her,” Calderon said, adding “it just breaks my heart."

The family is gathered, grim-faced at the home of Casilla’s sister Sofia Salinas. Salinas said her sister was supposed to start a new job in customer service at a nearby store.

Now the family just wants someone to do the right thing and call in any information abour Casillas’ disappearance.

"If she’s badly hurt, just please take her to the hospital,” Sofia Salinas said. "We just want her home."

Anyone with information can call it in anonymously to san jose police detective sgt. Eric quan at (408)277-5250 or by calling silicon vallye crimestoppers at (408)947-stop or by visitingwww.Svcrimestoppers.Org.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/131098988.html

http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_19037410

http://www.morganhilltimes.com/news/279534-sj-police-searching-for-missing-woman

UPDATE

Body of Missing SJ Woman Found

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Body-of-Missing-SJ-Woman-Found-131305984.html

Police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found near San Jose as a homicide.

Valerie Calderon Casillas, 28, was reported missing on Sunday.

Police said her body was found midday Wednesday by a road worker in the area of Sierra Road and Skyview Drive in unincorporated Santa Clara County.

Detectives believe Casillas was the victim of a homicide, but have not yet determined the circumstances and motive for her death. She was last seen entering either a silver Pontiac Grand Prix or a blue Chevrolet Tahoe SUV around 3 a.m. Sunday near Waverly Avenue and Orlando Drive.

She was reported missing later that day at about 7:15 p.m., police said. Her disappearance was investigated as suspicious. Casillas' murder marks San Jose's 32nd homicide of the year.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Anthony Mata or Detective Jaime Jimenez at (408) 277-5283. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-STOP (7867) or visit www.svcrimestoppers.org.

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_19058613

"She Would NEVER Leave Her Children!"

In almost EVERY missing person case I have researched referring to a missing mother, these words are spoken by someone close to the victim. Good mothers don't just up and leave their children without knowing that they are in a safe place and able to be taken care of. That is a fact.

Yes, there are some cases where there is an anomoly to this fact, but there are usually other circumstances involved that allow that the mother just walked away, leaving her children to fend for themselves. It's not the norm.

How many times have we heard this when faced with police and investigators saying the person probably just walked away to start a new life? How can anyone prove anything differently if there is no body and no hard evidence of foul play, but that mother is gone without a trace and she didn't even say goodbye to her children!

Every single one of the vanishing mother cases I have featured on this blog makes that statement again and again.... "She would NEVER leave her children!"  Many of the cases are mothers who have been abused by a partner or spouse.  Many of those are the last person to see the mother, and often come up with stories of her leaving after an argument, or running off with someone else; usually those stories are proven to be false, and it's likely that person had something to do with her disappearance.


Are You Prepared?


No one ever thinks it could happen to them. No one expects they will ever go missing. But what if you do? Are you prepared? Are your family members or close friends prepared to provide the authorities with enough vital information to begin an immediate search for you? And will they have enough vital information on hand at this time of crisis when this information is so important to have? Who better to supply my own vital information other than my own self?

A lot of police departments will say they require a waiting period before a report of a missing adult can be filed. There is no such law, it's only department policy and they must take the report! The problem with this is; we all know, the first 24 hours are the most vital in a search, therefore providing the authorities with a written request on your behalf to by-pass those requirements and begin a more immediate search may prove helpful. Already, some jurisdictions require a missing persons report be taken, but that doesn't mean an actual search is started until much later.


Now there is something YOU can do about it. 

If you are in a relationship that has a history of violence, simply mustering up the courage to confront the person and say it is over, without the proper tools, can cost you, your life!The book, "Time's Up: A Guide on How To Survive and Abusive and Stalking Relationship" by Susan Murphy Milano is the prescription that every person must obtain before they announce they are leaving. Below is an example from Chapter 4, one of many unique tools provided in the book. It is available onAmazon.com, or you can purchase via e-book or on a CD.

This book doesn't merely discuss when you should leave or why you should leave, it tells you HOW you should leave. The book has step-by-step instructions how to covertly make a plan, set-up a safe escape, deal with financial issues, and the paperwork. Susan even takes you line-by-line through the process, the forms, the legal issues...she takes you by the hand, and, believe me, when you are being terrorized and you are an basket case, you don't need vague ideas, you need specific instructions. TIME'S UP can save your life and your sanity. If you need to get out, get this book before you make a mistake that could be fatal. It is money well spent.

Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit by Susan Murphy Milano from the Book "Time's Up" from Courage Network on Vimeo.

Gail Nowacki Palmgren: A Common Thread (FOUND)

I've been writing this blog for a few years now, presenting information, or just honoring missing mothers and the children they leave behind.  This blog does not intend to pass judgement, only to present what's found in the public forum, i.e. main stream media or internet sources, and occasionally from the opportunity to speak directly with families or friends of the missing mother.

What are some of the common threads that weave through most cases of missing mothers?

• She would NEVER leave her children, no matter what, no matter how bad things are in the home, in interview after interview you will see a family member or good friend repeat this, time and time again.
• She was being abused.  Abuse can take many avenues, not just physical, and many of the signs are not visible to those around her.  Abuse is often overlooked, or not believed, in families who are highly educated or hold high paying positions.  She is often portrayed as the "crazy" one, or accused of having mental issues.  (You know how females are!)
• A husband or boyfriend is usually the last one to see her, or has an alibi, sometimes flimsy.
• A husband or boyfriend who doesn't take part in searches, events, or pleas to the media for help in finding her and quickly hires an attorney, becoming uncooperative with an investigation.
• A husband or boyfriend who isolates her children from other family members after her disappearance.
• A husband or boyfriend who isolates himself from the public, and only communicates through lawyers or a particular trusted member of his own family.
• A distinct pattern of conduct in both parties, before the disappearance, which usually holds very important clues, some may be proven, others may not, but well worth studying.

Gail Nowacki Palmgren was last seen on her way to meet with her husband at their home in Signal Mountain, TN.  She was seen driving away from the home after dropping off her children, in a hurry, according to neighbors who saw her.  It's not been proven whether there was any one else in her red Jeep Rubicon, or that she drove off alone.  It has been reported that it was out of character for Gail to quickly drop off her children and never be seen or heard from since that day, April 30, 2011.

In the days following her disappearance, her husband, Matt, immediately filed papers with the court protecting his assets, the marital property and custody of the children.  He also began telling people that Gail had mental issues, although that has not been corroborated with professionals.  Making her out to be the "crazy" one, deflecting any blame upon himself, is also a tactic of one who will try to make themselves look like they are calm and in control.  Anyone going through a life changing ordeal, such as ending a marriage, will most likely have episodes where they feel everything is overwhelming, they may even lose control at times, but in Gail's case, we are to believe that she was "crazy with mental issues."

What is known is that Gail was ending her marriage to Matthew Palmgren, perhaps because she found out about his affair with a co-worker, or that he often was out of control with his drinking, as witnessed by others.  It's reported that police were called to the home on a few occasions in response to verbal domestic violence, the last time the night before she vanished.  Gail was given phone numbers to local domestic violence agencies, but it's not known if she made contact.  However, it's clear Gail was making her plans to leave the marriage.

As in most cases when someone is preparing to leave an abusive relationship, it's important to plan ahead.  Gail did her due diligence and made several correct decisions to protect her personal interests as well as her safety.  Gail had a trusted friend and gave her items of value, documents and information to hold for her.  As any good intimate partner violence advocate would advise, she took the correct steps to preserve evidence which could one day hold the answers.

In this age of technology, all electronic devices can hold potential evidence.  Cell phones, computers and GPS devices were all a part of the Palmgren household.  All of them could hold clues to what happened to Gail the day she disappeared, however, they were not readily confiscated, but only recently handed over to authorities, after Matt Palmgren and his attorney laid out the "ground rules" for searching the home.  Why have the investigating agencies delayed getting aggressive in this case?  Yes, it's important to cross all the t's and dot all the i's in any ongoing investigation, but it's just not clear why it seems they have been negotiating instead.

When all is said and done there are only three possibilities:

1. Gail left her children, home, assets, family and friends and is hiding out somewhere.
2. Gail had an accident and she and her vehicle have not yet been found.
3. Gail is a victim of foul play.

The truth will come out, it usually does, but that doesn't relieve the anxiety of two little children.  Two children who are the world of Gail Palmgren, who would NEVER leave them.  May these kids get the answers soon as to what's happened to their mother, and know that she loved them, she did NOT abandon them willingly.

Description of Gail’s Jeep

Gail drove a four-door maroon 2010 Rubicon Jeep Wrangler with a black soft top. The wheel cover on the back has the words “Life is Good” and a daisy painted on it. The trailer hitch has a picture of the Disney character Goofy on it, and the Jeep has Alabama tags that read “EAZY ST”.

Gail is 5’8” and weighs 135 pounds. She has blonde hair and brown eyes.

If you have any information about Gail’s disappearance or her whereabouts you are asked to call the Signal Mountain Police Department at 423-886-2123.

A Facebook page, "Bring Gail Home Now" has been created as a support for family and for news updates.



More information:
Isabelle Zehnder, Missing Persons Examiner
Susan Murphy Milano, Blog and Radio Show, May 19   June 16
Case Signal, Timeline and organized information

UPDATE

12/2/2011

Technology Helps in Search for Palmgren

"It appears Gail Palmgren lost control of her Jeep on East Brow Road on April 30th, 2011 at approximately, 12:25," this according to Matthew Palmgren's attorneys in a statement released today.
This is video we found of East Brow Road using Google Earth.

Resident David Axmacher She ran off the bluff some way or another. I know where that bluff is and it's really a long ways down)

The video shows the thick area where investigators found human remains and the Jeep Rubicon belonging to Gail Palmgren.
7 months after the mom went missing, it was technology that brought the case to the next level.

Monica Caison, CUE, says "it was a good day as far as all the technology and things coming together and people coming together that made this search successful."

Caison is with The Community United Effort for missing persons, also known as CUE.
CUE along with two other groups were called in to help with specialized equipment.
You can see just how steep this area is and what rescuers were dealing with.

"The technology used on Wednesday is a high resolution imaging device that can photograph in a millionth of a second the area so you can look at it in real time," says Caison.

The technology was used in aerial searches, to find this Jeep down below.
Even though many leaves have fallen off trees, some areas were hard to photograph, which is why officials came back on Thursday.
They were able to target the vehicle and send a special group of rescuers down the mountain.

"It was very difficult. Actually high angle experts were called in to go down there and actually assess a lot of the situations," says Caison.

An area where officials found Gail's purse and cell phone, just miles from her Signal Mountain home.

http://www.wdef.com/news/story/Technology-Helps-in-Search-for-Palmgren/SG0Rx0E-RUCm0wyAoWm7Xw.cspx

Susan Powell: Familiar Scenario

If you follow this blog about missing mothers you know some of the familiar circumstances, phrases, and words that ring through most cases.  This case, again, sounds so familiar.  Many prayers go up for the safe return of Susan Powell, and may her children be loved and cared for.

DESERET NEWS

WEST VALLEY CITY — There are many theories about what could have happened to Susan Powell.
There are also assumptions about what already has happened.
But almost everyone who knows her agrees that Powell would never have left her two young boys, one reason why police are now calling the 28-year-old's disappearance "suspicious."
Josh Powell told the Deseret News he last saw his wife about midnight Sunday at their home. He said that was when he decided to leave the house and take his two sons, ages 2 and 4, camping "down south."
He said he didn't realize his wife was missing until a friend called him Monday and told him that police officers were looking for him and his family.
Since then, no one has seen Susan Powell. She failed to go to work Monday, and no one has an explanation about where she could be — not police, friends or family.
"It's a still a missing-person case, but the circumstances surrounding it are very suspicious," West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan said Thursday. "Nobody can tell us where she is at, and she has not contacted family or friends that we know of."

Police obtained a search warrant for the Powell home, 6254 Sarah Circle, late Wednesday and have collected various pieces of furniture to submit for forensic tests. While he wouldn't go into specifics, McLachlan said Susan Powell "left items at the house that you would normally associate if you were going on a trip or going somewhere."
Susan Powell's father, Chuck Cox, said his daughter's purse and cell phone were still at the home. McLachlan said police focused their efforts on the home because it was the last place she was seen. An endangered-person alert was issued Monday, but police have heard nothing as a result of the alert.
"There's a lot of different scenarios you can put with the situation," McLachlan said. "Because we don't have enough information on any one of those possibilities, you have to work all of them. It keeps us busy."
About 100 of Susan Powell's friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members — including, for a short time, her husband and two sons — gathered in the cold at a candlelight vigil Thursday night at West View Park. In addition to holding lighted candles, they prayed for Susan Powell's safe return, shared stories about her, passed out missing-person fliers and sang "Silent Night."

"She's really special to us," said Crystal Peterson, who attends the same LDS Church ward as the Powells. "We just want to see her home. We want her home. That's all we want."
Investigators have interviewed Josh Powell and were working Thursday to verify what he had told them.
Josh Powell told the Deseret News that when he returned home Monday night, he discovered a front window had been broken out. The window had been broken by police, who worried the family might have been poisoned by carbon monoxide. Josh Powell said he didn't see "any sign of anything" out of the ordinary inside.
When asked what was going through his mind on the fourth day since his wife's disappearance, he said it was "hard to concentrate," before going into detail about how he had placed cardboard in the broken window.
Close friend and neighbor Kiirsi Hellewell, who has become the self-appointed advocate for Susan Powell because the woman's family lives in Washington, has pieced together a detailed timeline of events. She said she walked home from church with Susan Powell and her sons around noon Sunday. Another friend from her LDS ward ate dinner with the Powells Sunday evening. That friend told Hellewell she left the home shortly after Susan Powell said she wasn't feeling well and Josh Powell announced that he was going to take the boys sledding and then go eat.
Josh Powell said he last saw his wife around 12:30 a.m. Monday as she headed to bed.
Josh Powell described his wife as a "really good mother" who enjoys singing in her church choir and doing art projects with her boys.
"She really takes care of us," he said. "She's really committed to the family, and I guess she puts up with me, too, and does a good job of it."
Neighbor Stephanie Olson said as soon as she heard her neighbor was missing, she had a bad feeling.
"I know she would never leave her kids," Olson said. "If anything, she would have left with the children while Josh was at work. She'd take her kids. I believe that 100 percent. She was really good with her children."
Olson and other neighbors said about a year ago, Susan Powell began talking openly in church about obtaining a divorce. Olson said Susan Powell was very open about her home life and the issues in her marriage.
"She wasn't shy," Olson said. "She talked about divorcing and trying to save money to leave him."
Hellewell started a Facebook group with updates about her friend. At this point, she said she has to keep busy, because if she stops to think about what may have happened to her friend, she "can't handle it."
She described Susan Powell as "very outgoing, very friendly, an instant friend to everyone." In addition to being funny, pretty, talented, healthy and athletic, Susan Powell is "fearless," Hellewell said.

"If she had any way to contact somebody, she would," Hellewell added. "She's not the kind to go and hide. She's not scared of anything."
In the meantime, as he tries to "get things normal," Josh Powell said he wants his wife to know that he and the two boys "love her and miss her."
"I want to try and do the best I can to get the word out, even if it's hard," he said. "If anyone knows where she's at, have them call police."
A candlelight vigil is scheduled for 9 p.m. tonight at West View Park, 6050 W. 4100 South.

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Mothers Are Vanishing: Children Left Behind

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

Brandon, 14, Michael, 10, and Phillip Clabough 16, discuss their mother, Pamela Knight, who has been missing since October 2005, in their Seymour home on July 10.

Pamela Knight disappeared without a trace on the day her youngest son, Michael Clabough, turned 7.
It was Oct. 27, 2005. That morning, as Michael lay in bed, Knight, 35, kissed him, told him she loved him and promised him a birthday celebration when she got home from work later that day.
Stirred from sleep, her oldest son, Phillip Clabough, got up and noticed that it was around 4:15 a.m.
Standing behind Pamela Knight was her husband and stepfather to her three boys, Paul Anthony Knight. Phillip watched as the couple left their Bruhin Road home in her green 1994 Jeep Cherokee. He was driving.
Phillip, now 16, said his mom did not appear under any stress. All seemed normal - except for the early hour. Pamela Knight usually left around 6:30 a.m. for her job at Hillcrest North.
Later that morning, Paul Knight returned in the Jeep and drove Michael, Phillip and middle brother Brandon to school. He told the boys their mother would pick them up after school.
At 11 a.m., Pam Knight did not show for a lunch date with her mother, Sandy McBee.
"I went to Hillcrest, and they said she had not called in and no one had seen her," McBee said. "I got scared right then. I knew something was bad wrong."
That afternoon, Pam did not pick the boys up after school, as Paul had said she would.
He, too, had disappeared and would not be seen for more than a year.

Pamela Knight

"There is no way she would ever leave her kids, not on (one of their) birthdays or any day," McBee said.
A week later, the Jeep was found abandoned in Guana River State Park near Jacksonville, Fla., but there was "apparently nothing of evidentiary value," said Knoxville Police Department Investigator Phyllis Tonkin.
Many in Pam Knight's family suspect Paul Knight had something to do with her disappearance.
"If he didn't do anything to her, then why did he run off that day?" asks McBee, who is now raising her grandsons.
But it was not unusual for Paul Knight to drop out of sight, often for weeks at a time.
"And then he would just pop back up, right out of the blue," said Charles Davis, the husband of Pamela Knight's younger sister LeAnn Davis.
Arrested in South Carolina
LeAnn Davis said her sister barely knew Paul Knight, and married him after a two-week whirlwind romance.
After the disappearance, Paul Knight surfaced in August 2006 in South Carolina, arrested after a police chase that ended when the stolen van he was driving crashed. A woman described as his girlfriend and her two small children were in the van, which contained numerous credit cards and other items stolen from several states, police said.
Knight was arrested on a slew of charges. He gave South Carolina police five different names until a fingerprint check confirmed his true identity.
Meanwhile, Pam Knight has still not been seen or heard from. And there is conflicting information as to whether or not she made it to work on the day she disappeared.
"I talked to her supervisor myself, and she told me that Pam did not clock in that day," LeAnn Davis said.
But some employees of the nursing home believe they saw her that morning, according to Tonkin.
Resolving that issue is just one of several puzzles about the case that Tonkin faces. Another is determining the true nature of Pam and Paul Knight's relationship.
"I think he was threatful to her," said McBee.

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

News Sentinel

Sandy McBee hugs her grandson Michael Claybough at their home in Seymour. McBee’s daughter Pamela Knight disappeared on Michael’s seventh birthday, Oct. 27, 2005.

"He wasn't around that much, but when he was they were always lovey-dovey," Paul Clabough recalls.
Brandon Clabough said that about two days before the disappearance, Paul Knight showed all three boys a 9mm handgun - and told them not to say anything about it to their mother.
"I think he shot and killed her," Phillip Clabough said.
"I think he does have something to do (with her disappearance), but to be honest, I never saw any violence out of him toward her," Charles Davis said.
Several days before the disappearance, LeAnn Davis said, Paul Knight came to her house and was very angry - not at Pam, but at Pam's friend, who he said was encouraging Pam to leave him.
"And then, he started telling me how much he loved Pam, and loved the boys like they were his own, and that he would never do anything to hurt any of them," LeAnn Davis said. "But I believe he did hurt her."
Serving time in federal prison
After his arrest, Paul Knight was indicted on federal charges in Knoxville, including a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of two stolen 25-caliber handguns. A federal judge declared him an "armed career criminal" and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Through prison officials, the News Sentinel has been attempting to arrange an interview with Knight. Those efforts are continuing.
Knight is not the only person being looked at in the case, Tonkin said. "Everyone is a person of interest in this case, until it is resolved."
Tonkin hopes to get a national TV network to feature the case on a true crime show. And she keeps a picture of Pam Knight at her desk.
"I think about this case every day," she said. "It's really hard, knowing that there are three kids out there without their mother and other family members who don't know where she is."
Knight's family is confident in Tonkin and appreciate the fact that she keeps in touch with them. Still, they feel frustrated. "We know there are probably some things she can't tell us," Charles Davis said. "Sometimes, it feels like we are getting nowhere. If we could just get one piece of good information."
But he said the family cannot afford to offer a reward or hire a private detective, and does not have the expertise to create a Web site for Pam's case, he said.
Now in their teen years, Phillip and Brandon Clabough deal with it as best they can. "I just try not to think about it too much," Phillip said.
Michael, now 10, was asked what he thinks about when he remembers his mother. After a long silence, he said, "Hug."
"Somebody, somewhere, knows something," Tonkin said. "I would hope they will ask themselves what if it was their children left without a mother, and come forward with what they know."
Tonkin said anyone with information can call her directly at 865-215-7137, or the KPD crime information line at 865-215-7212.
Jim Balloch may be reached at 865-342-6315.

Angel Mothers

Dedicated to all Missing Mothers and the Children who search for them:

My Angel
by Natalee Fox

My angel has a heart so precious,
and sometimes her hair shines of gold.
She is full of love and kindness,
she makes my life meaningful and bold.

My angel is so smart,
always showing me the right way.
Without her I'd be lost,
I know she'll never lead me astray.

My angel is beautiful,
she is so special and like no other.
I love her,
for my angel is my mother.

Lisa Stebic

Lisa has been missing from her home in Plainfield, Illinois since April 30, 2007. There are suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance and the details can be found on several sites listed at the bottom of this post.

Lisa and Craig Stebic are the parents of 2 children, Zach and Lexie, who for some time before April 30 lived in a home where tensions were high. Lisa and Craig had filed for divorce,lived in the same home with the children, although essentially living separate lives.

Lisa is reported, by her best friends and family members, to be a loving mother who adjusted her life according to the needs of her children, taking a job at the school cafeteria so she could be involved with them after their school day. She was looking forward to starting a new life, but, Craig Stebic was still verbally abusive. On the day she went missing Lisa signed and mailed a petition for him to be temporarily evicted from their home so that he could no longer damage the mental health of the family.

Craig Stebic has been put on notice as a person of interest in Lisa's disappearance, but, no arrest has been made. For over a year Zach and Lexie have been living with their father under this cloud and since October Craig Stebic has put an end to all communication with Lisa's family, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins of Zach and Lexie.

Lisa's family refuses to give up. They keep the momentum going in the search for answers that they, and Lisa's children, richly deserve. As grandparents they have had to file a petition in the courts to see their grandchildren. Grandparents have no rights given to them by the system, they have to fight for the right to visit the children of a daughter they love so much.

What affect does this isolation from family have on these kids? Children of divorce are more likely to have problems in life, but what about children of divorce where the mother has vanished?

It will take a strong support system to help these children develop into stable adults. When part of that support system is kept from them, what can we expect for them? They undoubtedly are missing their mother and her presence in their lives, then to be kept from interacting with those who also love them must be devastating to their young psyches. They must have so many questions and so few answers.

Please keep Zach and Lexie Stebic in your thoughts and prayers along with Lisa and her family that one day she will be found and justice will be served.

http://www.acandyrose.com/
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heral....EBIC_S1.article
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/stebic_lisa.html
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=201490132&MyToken=dcea0db6-f92c-4f60-b542-1235f7e2b356
http://www.findlisastebic.com/index

UPDATES

A low-key anniversary of Lisa Stebic's disappearance

APRIL 30,2011

The small-scale gesture comes four years after Stebic’s April 30, 2007 disappearance from her home on Red Star Drive. This is the first year since her disappearance that Stebic’s  family hasn’t organized a public vigil or ceremony in her honor.

With no news from law enforcement or suspects, friends and family have reigned in some of their search efforts. Most have abandoned the idea that she’ll turn up alive.

“We don’t have lingering hopes that she will be spotted at a Wal-Mart or something,” said Stebic’s cousin, Melanie Greenberg, who has served as a spokeswoman for the family since the disappearance. “We know that she’s dead, that she’s a victim of foul play.”

Details remain unclear about what happened the evening she disappeared. Stebic, who would be 41, often worked out in the evenings at Plainfield North High School. Craig Stebic, her estranged husband, has said he was working in the backyard while their then-10-and-12 year old children went to nearby store for candy.

The couple was in the middle of a divorce, and Lisa had obtained papers that day to evict Craig from the home, Greenberg said on Thursday from her Naperville home.

“Lisa is not going to be erased because we will carry on her memory and continue to make noise about it,” Greenberg said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-a-lowkey-anniversary-of-lisa-stebics-disappearance-20110429,0,6168217.story

Peggy Dianovsky

Peggy Dianovsky is the mother of three beautiful sons, Andrew, Bobby, and John, who were still quite young in 1982 and living in Schaumberg, Illinois. They lived the rest of their childhood without a mother in a home with a man who later would go on trial for her murder.
It is stated that the boys were not allowed to talk about Peggy after she was gone, the unspoken rule from Robert Dianovsky, their father. Robert married another Peggy who also had 3 boys, so it was a blended family with no trace of the original Peggy Dianovsky. The boys say when they asked about their mother Robert would reply that he couldn't remember, and that as they were growing up they didn't even know when her birthday was. She was erased from their lives.
At age 31 Andrew was a middle school teacher, and apparently started remembering things from the night of September 12, 1982. After intense therapy he was able to recall a violent fight that night, seeing his father holding a butcher knife to his mother's throat. This was a mere 24 hours before Peggy Dianovsky would disappear for good.
Very close to finalizing a settlement on their divorce, the boys recalled a few louder than normal fights between the couple, who had their share of them over the course of the marriage. The last one being the worst, the loudest and most violent.
Robert Dianovsky reported Peggy missing 5 days after the night of the last fight. Reported her missing, but, as Robert states, leaving voluntarily, taking a few clothes, and leaving behind her 3 boys, her car, and her last paycheck.
Where did all their memories go? Hidden in the minds of three little boys was a mother who made a ritual of tucking them in and kissing them every night. But that night they were told she was too tired. What other lies were they fed in that home over the course of 20 years?
Finally, Robert Dianovsky was arrested for Peggy's murder after his 3 sons urged authorities to reopen the case, feeling safe that they could now share their most secret memories. There was no body and no other physical evidence, a circumstantial case.
Robert received an aquittal in a 2004 bench trial, the judge ruling that she was probably murdered, but there was insufficient evidence to prove that Robert did it. Although Peggy has never been found, foul play is suspected in her disappearance.
How can a man live with himself, his sons, and a new family after completely obliterating the mother of his children?
I guess some do get away with murder, don't they?

Listen to the following radio show. Intimate Partner Homicide Investigates with hosts, Sheryl McCollum, Holly Hughes, and Susan Murphy-Milano. Just push PLAY to hear the discussion about Peggy's case with her brother, Gus and sister, Anne.

Listen to internet radio with Susan Murphy Milano on Blog Talk Radio

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

Alice Donovan

Gallivants Ferry, SC is just an old, small, rural southern town. Spanish moss drips from the live oaks just as you would imagine. This is the place Alice Donovan and her family moved to from New England to build their dream home and live out the rest of their dreams.

According to family members, Alice didn't always have a dreamy life. She was mistreated during childhood, left home at 16 and married a man who abused her for 17 years. She and her 2 daughters, Angie and Jennifer, finally made the split and she was able to start living her life with no fear.

Alice met the man of her dreams and in 1997 they moved to South Carolina. Within the next few years her daughters and their families joined them so that they could all interact as a family should. They were all very close.

November 14, 2002 Alice went to the local Wal-Mart in Conway, not far from their home. The security tape shows Alice being car-jacked and kidnapped from their parking lot. Alice made a phone call to her daughter, explaining that she was okay. Later it was told that she sounded stressed and that she was not able to talk freely. That was the last word from her.

I personally remember following this in the news, wondering when she would turn up. This case haunted the local news for quite some time. They found that Alice's credit cards had been used around Little River and again in Raleigh, NC. Still, there was hope that she would be found alive somewhere.

Her car was found in Goshen, IN, days later, abandoned by the two scumbags (I will not give their names anymore ink) who took her away, assaulted and murdered her. Two escapees from a KY prison who were on a crime spree that spread over two weeks and several states.

Time went on, searches took place, the two murderers were captured, tried, and sentenced to death row. Alice's remains have never been found. The murderers refuse to tell what they did with her.

We know the fate that Alice suffered. She deserved so much better than that, but now, after all these years her daughters and family members still don't know where she is.

How can human beings be so full of evil that they would continue to taunt their victims? Why? They have no secrets any longer, they will die on death row, why won't they tell us where she is? It seems so simple, and just the right thing to do.

My heart goes out to Angie and Jennifer and Alice's family who have to live this every day.

http://my.opera.com/AliceLouiseDonovan/blog/

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/donovan_alice.html

http://peace4missing.ning.com/

Faye Aline Self

Children share a bond with their mother like no other. A mother gives birth, nurtures and guides the growth of a child. A child looks to their mother for everything. What happens to that child if its mother goes missing? It is left with an emptyness nothing can describe, a desparate longing to know, and a lifelong journey without a mother's love or touch.

Faye Aline Self was decribed as having a wild streak in 1983. She was a young mother of two lovely daughters, one just an infant. She loved her little girls, and by all accounts would never just leave them. But what happened the night of March 30, 1983 at the Wagon Wheel Bar? Who were the friends she was with that night?

It has been 25 long years and these questions have never been fully answered for her daughters. There have been two instances where two separate confessed serial killers have tried to claim they murdered her. Still, the questions continue and the truth is still hidden.

Her daughters are now grown women with children of their own. The pain and grief of their loss is still with them every day. They want to know.

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.