Etan Patz Case: Doctors Assess Mental State of Murder Suspect Pedro Hernandez

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Pedro Hernandez, the man who has confessed to killing 6-year-old Etan Patz in one of New York City's and the country's most notorious missing child cases, remains in a psychiatric hospital as court-appointed doctors assess his mental state.
Defense lawyers said Hernandez, 51, has schizophrenia and a history of hallucinations and it's unclear how much that will factor in the case charging him with the Etan's 1979 murder.

If Hernandez' psychiatric record becomes an issue, he'll encounter a justice system that seeks to strike a balance between recognizing mental illness and holding people responsible for their actions. It is a balance that has shifted back and forth over more than a century and a half.


Hernandez confessed last week and is now charged with Patz's murder. The boy vanished on his way to school in his lower Manhattan neighborhood. The suspect, who had worked at a convenience store near Etan's home, confessed after hours of police questioning, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said on Friday. Kelly said Hernandez told police he lured the boy to the convenience store with the promise of a soda. He then took him into the basement and choked him.


After defense lawyer Harvey Fishbein told a judge that Hernandez was schizophrenic, bipolar, had had visual and auditory hallucinations, and had been on psychiatric medication for some time, the judge ordered an examination to see whether he was mentally fit to stand trial.



The results aren't yet known and either side could challenge the findings and get another exam. It will ultimately be up to a judge to declare whether Hernandez can go to trial. If not, he would be sent to a psychiatric hospital and evaluated periodically to see whether he had improved enough to go to court. Most people found unfit are eventually returned to court, legal experts say.



Such exams aim to assess whether someone is well enough to participate in a trial and aid his or her own defense. They are separate from an insanity defense, which revolves around the defendant's psychological state at the time of the alleged crime.



In New York and many other states, defendants have to prove they were so mentally ill that they didn't know what they were doing was wrong. If successful, they are sent to psychiatric hospitals until judged well enough for release, if ever.



One of Hernandez's sisters, Norma Hernandez, said Tuesday that she went to police in Camden, N.J., years ago to report a rumor he had confessed at a prayer group. Camden police declined to comment on her remarks.



Meanwhile, Etan's father made clear that the attention to the case since Hernandez's arrest last week had taken a toll, telling reporters they had "managed to make a difficult situation even worse."



"It is past time for you to leave me, my family and my neighbors alone," Stan Patz said in a note posted on his apartment building's door.

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It's a tragedy they had to lose their son, especially in such a henious way, but that goes to show why you should NEVER LET YOUR CHILD ROAM THE STREETS ALONE.  Especially only six years old!

WTF, even if it was the 1950s that is something you NEVER DO. Or even if just to walk "around the corner"... NEVER DO IT.

(AP) WATERVILLE, Maine - Law enforcement officials said Thursday for the first time that they believe a toddler who disappeared in the days leading up to Christmas is no longer alive.






Officials pressing for more information about Ayla Reynolds' whereabouts also announced at a news conference that a $30,000 reward for information on the case will expire June 30. They appealed for anyone with information leading to Ayla's whereabouts to contact police.





"To the person or persons responsible for her disappearance, we ask that you now come forward, accept responsibility for what you have done, show us that you are human and relieve yourself, Ayla's family and this community of this burden," said John Nale, a lawyer who led the effort to raise the reward money from local residents and businesses.





Ayla was 20 months old when she was reported missing Dec. 17 from her father's home in Waterville. The toddler had last been seen wearing polka dot pajamas with the words "Daddy's Princess" on them. She had a cast on her broken left arm.





Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said investigators remain determined to solve the mystery of Ayla's disappearance.





"It has been 166 days since she was reported missing from her home in Waterville, and the work and the investigation goes on. There will be more searches, more dives and more interviews. And we are in this for the long haul. This case will never close until Ayla is found," McCausland said.





Before the news conference, detectives called Ayla's parents to deliver the somber news that they no longer believe she'll be found alive. Asked if police believe a crime was committed, McCausland said, "We believe foul play has been involved ... this is a criminal investigation."





In Portland, Ayla's mother, Trista Reynolds, and her father and mother, burst into tears while watching the news conference.





"Everybody broke down. I'm still crying. I'm still hurting now," said Ronald Reynolds, Ayla's grandfather, in Portland. "Why Ayla? She never bothered anybody. She never hurt anybody. Why hurt Ayla?"





"My worst nightmare has come true," said Trista Reynolds on video captured from her father's home.





Ayla's father, Justin DiPietro, told police he was thankful for the information, said McCausland, adding, "His reaction was no reaction."





DiPietro has said he thinks Ayla was abducted, but police say there's no evidence of that. No arrests have been made in the case.





State police confirmed that Ayla's blood was found in DiPietro's house and said DiPietro, his girlfriend and his sister who were there the night Ayla disappeared know more than they're telling police.





Police repeated that assertion on Thursday when asked about the father. "We believe he knows more than he's told us," McCausland said.





Neither DiPietro nor a lawyer hired by members of his family returned a call. There was no answer when a reporter knocked on DiPietro's door.





After Ayla was reported missing, dozens of game wardens, FBI agents and local and state police officers participated in the search in this central Maine city of 16,000 residents about 20 miles north of the state capital, Augusta.





Police checked trash bins and FBI agents knocked on doors. Officials even went so far as to drain a stream so wardens could get a better look.





Recently, divers searched the Kennebec River and retrieved some items. Investigators declined to comment on those items Thursday.





Investigators said that they have received more than 1,100 tips and that people shouldn't expect it to be solved overnight, McCausland said. "This isn't `CSI' where everything is solved in 60 minutes," he said.

Brittany Smith Found Alive

(CNN) -- A missing Virginia girl and her alleged abductor were panhandling outside a San Francisco supermarket when someone nearby spotted them on Friday and alerted law enforcement, police said.

Brittany Mae Smith, 12 -- for whom police have been searching since Monday -- was found Friday afternoon, as was 32-year-old Jeffrey Scott Easley.

Easley is a "very good suspect" in the murder of Tina Smith -- his girlfriend and Brittany's mother -- who was found dead at her Salem, Virginia, home last Monday, Roanoke County, Virginia, Police Chief Ray Lavinder said Saturday.

Easley and Brittany Smith left Virginia early last Saturday or late on Friday, December 3 -- the same day that the girl's mother was killed, according to Lavinder.

A surveillance video from December 3 shows the pair shopping for a blue domed tent at a Walmart in Salem, Virginia.

A similar tent was found within walking distance of the Safeway store in northern California, where a witness saw Easley and Brittany Smith on Friday. The tipster recognized the pair after watching broadcast report's about the case on HLN's "Nancy Grace."

Lavinder said Saturday that he believes the girl and her alleged abductor were asking for money and holding up a cardboard sign when they were spotted.

Police were called, and the two were found shortly thereafter outside the store, more than 2,300 miles from where the girl was reported missing four days earlier, Lavinder said Friday. Police in San Francisco contacted their counterparts in Virginia with the news.

San Francisco Police Officer Albie Esparza said Brittany was turned over to California's Child Protective Services division after she was found. She has no visible injuries, has been in touch with family members and should return soon to Virginia, according to Lavinder. Easley did not resist arrest, he added.

"It's a fantastic sense of relief, and I know in my heart that it's due to information that you folks put out," Lavinder said Friday, thanking the media. "It's a party atmosphere, believe me."

Authorities found Easley's car relatively early in the manhunt. Lavinder said Saturday that authorities had located a silver 2005 Dodge Neon four-door sedan with Virginia tags that belonged to Tina Smith in a parking lot adjacent to San Francisco International Airport.

He said he believed the two had driven across country together, but he did not know when they arrived in California.

Police issued an Amber Alert for Brittany on Monday after finding the body of Tina Smith, 41, after her co-workers called to express concern that she hadn't shown up for work. Authorities in Florida and Alabama followed suit in subsequent days and notices went out to law enforcement nationwide .

Until Friday, Lavinder said the last known sighting of Easley and Brittany Smith was in December in the Salem, Virginia, Walmart.

The chief said Saturday that four Roanoke County detectives were heading to San Francisco, to help bring back Brittany Smith and to deal with Easley. Lavinder said he hoped "to get information back from them in the next 24 hours," though the earliest Easley could be extradited to Virginia is Monday, when California courts are back in session.

He could head east relatively soon if he waived extradition, or the process could be delayed for weeks if he contested the return.

Prior to his arrest, Easley was wanted for credit card theft, credit card fraud and abduction. Lavinder said that, "we are concentrating most of our efforts ... on the homicide investigation."

The chief has said Easley met Tina Smith online this summer, then moved into the family home in October. Authorities said they do not know if the girl went willingly with Easley.

Back east, the girl's great aunt told HLN's Nancy Grace on Friday night that Brittany already had talked to her father, and that there was widespread relief and joy from Salem to South Boston, Virginia, where many relatives live.

"Everybody here is just elated," said Lois Choquette, who is the late Tina Smith's aunt. "It's been a terrible thing, but we are just so thankful."

Relatives Plead for Safe Return of Virginia Girl, 12

(CNN) -- Tearful relatives sent messages of love and concern Wednesday night to a 12-year-old girl who authorities believe was abducted by the boyfriend of her dead mother.

Virginia police said earlier that someone may be helping Jeffrey Scott Easley, 32, subject of a felony abduction warrant in the case of Brittany Mae Smith.

Police are "still actively searching" for Brittany, and believe she and the suspect may be camping in the region, Roanoke County Police Chief Ray Lavinder told reporters. More than 375 tips have come in.

"I prayed for you everyday since I found out you were gone and will continue to pray until you are found and returned to us," Brittany's cousin, Kim Stephenson, said at an evening press conference.

Brittany is believed to be with Easley, who met the girl's mother on the internet, authorities said. They do not know if Brittany went with Easley willingly. The pair may be seeking refuge in another state, the chief said.

"As to what relationship Jeff Easley and Brittany may have between them is irrelevant," Lavinder said. "With a child, consent is irrelevant in the eyes of the law. She is a victim."

Authorities provided images of two tattoos, including a red star, Easley is believed to have.

Authorities also showed an image of a blue dome tent they believe Easley purchased December 3 at a local Walmart.

Easley and Brittany are believed to have bought several other items at a Salem, Virginia, Walmart before they disappeared.

Lavinder said the key is finding a silver 2005 Dodge Neon four-door sedan with Virginia tag XKF-2365 that belonged to the girl's dead mother.

"For someone just to drop off the face of the earth -- I think that someone has to be providing them some money or some other support for them to remain unlocated," Lavinder said Wednesday.

Authorities launched a search for the seventh-grader Monday after officers found the body of Brittany's mother, Tina Smith, 41, inside the family's Salem home. Tina Smith's co-workers contacted police after the woman failed to show up for work Monday morning.

Smith's death is being investigated as a homicide, Roanoke County spokeswoman Teresa Hall told HLN Wednesday. She would not provide details of an autopsy.

Lavinder asked Easley to safely return Brittany so that she could attend Tina Smith's funeral.

"I thinks it's important that she be able to say goodbye to her mother," he said.

Police are examining social media sites that may have been used by Easley and Tina Smith.

A friend of Brittany Smith told the Roanoke Times that the missing girl called her several weeks ago.

Brittany was afraid her mother's live-in boyfriend "would come over and take her away and hurt her mom," Rebecca Kilian, 13, told the Times on Tuesday.

Kilian told the Times that Brittany asked her to stay on the phone until her mom got home.

Virginia State Police are working with North Carolina, Alabama, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Florida to issue alerts in their states for the missing vehicle and Easley and Brittany Smith, authorities said.

Police are "confident" that the girl is with Easley, Lavinder said. He described Easley as a "friend of the family" who "developed a relationship" with her. Easley moved in with Smith and her daughter in October, the chief said.

After finding Tina Smith's body, police soon got information that Brittany Smith's whereabouts were unknown, leading them to issue the statewide alert.

"We found out pretty quickly that (Brittany) had not shown up for school. Nobody seemed to know where she was," said Roanoke County Police Lt. Chuck Mason Monday, according to CNN affiliate WSET of Lynchburg, Virginia, adding that police were concerned her disappearance "has something to do with the homicide."

Easley, a 265-pound white male, is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, has brown hair and hazel eyes, the Amber Alert says. Brittany Smith is 5 feet tall, weighs 100 pounds, and has straight brown hair and brown eyes.

Hall said authorities don't yet have a specific search area, as they are uncertain which direction Easley might be heading or how far he might have gotten. They have asked anyone with information to call 911 or Roanoke County police at 540-777-8641.

Kaine Horman Court Filing: Terri's Silence Implies Guilt

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The legal war of attrition in the divorce of missing Portland boy Kyron Horman's father and stepmother continued as more documents were filed in court Friday.

Attorney's for Kaine Horman filed a response to his estranged wife Terri Moulton Horman's withdrawal of a request to seek visitation with the couple's young child last week. In it, they argue that Terri's attachment of a "declaration" was only an attempt to "blame Father and his lawyer for Mother's situation," and that there was no legal need for such statements. Read: Kaine's latest filing

Under a restraining order filed by Kaine Horman, Terri was denied visitation with their young daughter. Kaine alleges that Terri has knowledge of what happened to Kyron. She is the last person to report seeing him alive.

In the papers filed Friday, Kaine asked the court to consider Terri's "silence as an admission regarding Father's factual allegations."

Kyron Horman was 7 when he disappeared from Skyline elementary on June 4. The largest missing person search in Oregon's history has so far turned up no suspects.

In court papers, Kaine Horman characterized Terri as an 'emotionally unstable' and 'unfit' mother -- claims she refuted in her initial plea for visitation. The estranged couple has filed a series of inflammatory motions.

"The fact that Mother's own attorney has told the Court that Mother intends to plead the Fifth speaks volumes about what mother has to hide," attorneys said.

"One can only infer that Mother will not speak because her testimony will lead to criminal liability for Kyron's disappearance."

Kaine and his attorneys said until Terri denies the accusations, no other conclusion can be made.

Kaine and Terri Horman have a divorce hearing set for January. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is setting up a task force on the case.

A Dateline special on the case airs Friday at 9 p.m. on KGW NewsChannel 8.

Help Find Amber Bielat!

From News Channel 12, Facebook:
Sandra Amaral Young-
my niece has been missing since saturday 6pm in Woonsocket RI. I am her aunt and live here in fairfield,CT I have posted this on my wall and a good precentage of my friends have reposted this as well. I have also contacted the local news stations in Rhode Island to air this as well. I have emailed half of her frien...ds on face book asking them for their help, the woonsocket police are also looking for her and she is no where to be found.. Please repost this in hopes that we may find her.. thank u

Name: Amber Bielat
age 15
DOB 12/12/1994
weight 115 lbs
height 5' 6"
hair color : dyed Black (natural is dirty blonde)
last seen on November 6th 2010 at about 6pm on Elm Street Woonsocket , RI
I am asking all of amber's friends to repost this we love and miss her and want her to come home... I have contacted all the news stations and newspaper in the woonsocket area and they should be airing it tonight... please please keep this going I know u don't know me I am her Aunt who she lived with for almost 2 years in MA before she moved back to Rhode Island and we moved to CT .. we are very worried about her and I cannot stop crying.

A Familiar Method of Operation: Is a Convicted Killer Responsible for Several other Unsolved Murders?

From 1969 to 1970, there were four young girls missing from the Southern part of Connecticut. 14 year old Dawn Cave from Bethany, ten year old Mary Mount from New Canaan and eleven year old Diane Toney were all abducted during the last two weeks of May of 1969. Their bodies were found dumped in the woods, they had been bludgeoned to death with a rock. In September of 1970, five year old Jennifer Noon disappeared on her way home from school, eight days later her body was found in a section of woods in the town of Hamden. She was also beaten to death with rocks.

Police had no suspects in the case but noticed similarities to the August 1970, triple murder of three residents of a home for Mentally Disabled persons. The three individuals were all killed by being bludgeoned with rocks and dumped in wooded areas. In 1972, Harold Meade a truck driver in his twenties was convicted for the killing of the three mentally disabled victims.

Witnesses of some of the four girl's murders also identified him as being in the proximity of where the victims had last been seen alive. While Law Enforcement considered Meade a prime suspect they never had enough evidence to convict him of the other homicides. He was sentenced to life in prison and many figured that he would never be out in public again.

If it only were true.

In 1992, forty three year old Linda Rayner was visiting family in Connecticut when she went to Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. Her body was found the next day in a remote part of the beach. The Social Worker's skull was crushed by a rock and much of the physical evidence had been washed away by the ocean. Police have a prime suspect who was camping there that weekend who has a history of indecent exposure to women.

However, Harold Meade was in the area at the same time. According to statements from other prison inmates Meade confessed to Rayner's murder. The three time convicted murderer had been granted weekend furloughs for several years despite his violent past.

Even though he is not officially named as a suspect in the Rayner homicide, Meade no longer is granted access outside of prison. According to a Hartford Courant article, he has even made confessions to other people about some of the murders of the four young girls.

After a lengthy illness, Harold Meade died on December 9th of 2007. While there may never be closure on the cases of the four murdered girls, Meade will never hurt anyone again.

An Alleged Trip to the Mall Ends in a Disappearance

On November 7th, 2001 10 year old Bianca Lebron was about to start her day at Elias Howe Elementary school in Bridgeport when she got into a beat up older model brown and tan van driven by a hispanic male estimated to be in his mid-twenties.

Since then her family has not seen the fifth grader. She was last seen wearing beige pants, a brown and green camouflage shirt and a jean jacket. That day, Bianca had told friends that she was going to the mall with her uncle. According to her family, she has no Uncle.

Bridgeport Police want to talk to the man that owned the van that Bianca entered. He may be responsible for abduction, know what happened to her or have some important clues.

He is described as a hispanic male in his mid-twenties, average height and build. Black kinky hair with sideburns and a large nose. Below is a picture of the type of van he might have driven.

Bianca is hispanic and is described as being 4'11, 115 pounds, black hair with hazel eyes. She has a mole/birthmark on her forehead. Her picture is shown at the left. Police do have a strong suspect and for additional information about this case and suspect please click here.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Bianca LeBron please contact the Bridgeport Police Department at (203)332-5533.

Cold Cases: Connie Smith

Perhaps no case in state history with the exception of the Martha Moxley murder in Greenwich has received more national attention than the disappearance of ten year old Connie Smith.

During July 16th, 1952, the young Wyoming girl who was staying at Camp Sloane in Salisbury had wandered from the campgrounds after some rough play with fellow campers. She was seen heading for the village of Lakeville walking along Route 44 in Salisbury, thumb extended looking for a ride.

That was the last recollection anyone has had of the young camper being alive. Following the disappearance, there was a massive manhunt. Police scoured the New York/Connecticut border for clues and her possible remains.

Police also had numerous potential suspects which included the camp cook, the camp caretaker, nearby workers and deliverymen. Eventually the case went national on the Art Linkletter show and while it garnered much needed publicity for the case, it produced many dead end leads and false confessions.

Now fifty years later, there is still no trace of Connie Smith. Her father still ever hopeful, never gave up on trying to find her alive. Author Michael Dooling recently wrote a book about her disappearance named, "Clueless in New England" .

Brutal Murder Still Haunts City of Norwalk

On September 23, 1986, eleven year old Kathleen Flynn was reported missing by her mother.

The sixth grader at Ponus Ridge Middle School had not been seen since she left school that day.

Police, firefighters and civilian volunteers searched for the young girl and found her early next morning in some woods alongside the middle school. Kathleen Flynn had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

The State of Connecticut is offering a $20,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of Kathleen Flynn's killer(s). If you know anything about this case, please call Norwalk Detective Sgt. Art Weisgerber at 203-854-3011.

-Detailed article here-

Help Find Janice K. Pockett

Janice K. Pockett

Case Type: Non Family Abduction
DOB: Oct 15, 1965	Sex: Female
Missing Date: Jul 26, 1973	Race: White
Age Now: 45	Height: 4'0" (122 cm)
Missing City: TOLLAND	Weight: 65 lbs (29 kg)
Missing State : CT	Hair Color: Blonde
Missing Country: United States	Eye Color: Blue
Case Number: NCMC923957
Circumstances: Janice's photo is shown age-progressed to 39 years. She left her home by bicycle in the afternoon of July 26,1973 and was never seen again. Her bicycle was found nearby Rhodes Road adjacent to a wooded area. Janice has a gap between her front teeth.

Help Find Doreen Jane Vincent

Doreen Jane Vincent

Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Sep 30, 1975	Sex: Female
Missing Date: Jun 15, 1988	Race: White
Age Now: 35	Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
Missing City: WALLINGFORD	Weight: 110 lbs (50 kg)
Missing State : CT	Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States	Eye Color: Hazel
Case Number: NCMC711414
Circumstances: Doreen's photo is shown age-progressed to 32 years. She was last seen leaving her home on the evening of June 15, 1988 and has not been heard from since. She has double pierced ears and a small beauty mark on her abdomen.

Help Find Lisa Joy White

Lisa Joy White

Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Feb 2, 1961	Sex: Female
Missing Date: Nov 1, 1974	Race: White
Age Now: 49	Height: 5'0" (152 cm)
Missing City: VERNON	Weight: 110 lbs (50 kg)
Missing State : CT	Hair Color: Blonde
Missing Country: United States	Eye Color: Blue
Case Number: NCMC1008498
Circumstances: Lisa's photo is shown age progressed to 44 years. Lisa was last seen walking along Prospect Street in Vernon, Connecticut at 8:00 p.m. on November 1, 1974. The last time she was seen, Lisa was wearing green pants and a blue jean jacket. She has a chicken pock mark on her forehead.

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33 Years Later and Still No Trace. Is her Disappearance Linked To Several Others?

On November 1st of 1974, 13 year old Lisa White left her home in Vernon to visit a friends house in the Rockville section of town. When she finished visiting her friend, she left to go home and was last seen on Prospect Street. She has not been heard from since. She was described at the time as having blonde hair, blue eyes, 5 feet tall and 110 pounds.

Lisa's disappearance was the third of five in a ten year time frame in the area of Vernon. On July 24, 1968, 13 year old, Debra Spickler vanished from Henry Park. Five years later on July 26th of 1973, 7 year old Janice Pockett disappeared just blocks from her home in the neighboring town of Tolland. In 1975, 20 year old Vernon Resident Susan Larosa was reported as missing and found deceased years later in a wooded area just miles from her home just a few hundred yards from Interstate 84. Patricia Luce, then 18, disappeared in July of 1978 after a trip to a convenience store in Vernon, she was found deceased years later in a wooded area of Marlborough, several towns away.

The July 21, 1975 murder of Stephanie Olisky happened two towns away from where Lisa White disappeared. The 15 year old town resident had been found near death on Route 5 in East Windsor.

On August 16, 1975 the body of an unidentified woman was found behind an old department store on Frontage Road, not far from Interstate 95 in East Haven. She had been bound and gagged and was estimated to be between the ages of 18 to 29 years old, Police estimate she had been killed days earlier. Her identity and murderer are still unknown. For more information on this case click on this link.

On March 26, 1976 thirteen year old Dawn Peterson was found murdered a block away from her home in North Windham. She had been bludgeoned to death. A teenaged neighbor named Andrew John Carr was tried for her murder but acquitted. Her homicide occurred just a few towns away from the disappearances in Vernon and Tolland. Her murder is still unsolved.

August 27, 1978, 17 year old Janette Reynolds vanished on her way hitchhiking from Middletown to her hometown of Griswold. She had been last seen at Four Corners in Colchester allegedly getting into an International Scout (car) that was believed to be blue and had a white top. The car had been seen heading eastward on Route 16. Nearly a year later, Reynolds was found deceased March 25, 1979 in Groton under the Gold Star Memorial Bridge. Her murder still has not been solved.

It was thought many years ago that many of these cases could have been linked yet no strong evidence has ever proved that. Over the years arrests were made in other sexual assaults, two individuals particularly stand out. One a former volunteer firefighter, the other a former metalshop teacher.

Both men are alive and still live in state. Additional information on Lisa White can be found at the Doe Network or see the Channel 30 News Story. If you have any information regarding the disappearances of Lisa White and Debra Spickler and the murder of Patricia Luce please call the Vernon Police Department at 860-872-9126. For information regarding Janice Pockett, Dawn Peterson and Janette Reynolds, call the Connecticut State Police at 860-779-4900. Any information on the murder of Stephanie Olisky can be relayed to East Windsor Police at (860) 292-8254.

From Left to Right: Janice Pockett, Susan Larosa, Debra Spickler, Patti Luce, Stephanie Olisky, Janette Reynolds, Unidentified Victim in East Haven, Dawn Peterson

Help find April Dawn Pennington

April Dawn Pennington

Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Aug 22, 1980	Sex: Female
Missing Date: May 29, 1996	Race: White
Age Now: 30	Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
Missing City: UNCASVILLE	Weight: 100 lbs (45 kg)
Missing State : CT	Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States	Eye Color: Hazel
Case Number: NCMC819031
Circumstances: April's photo is shown age-progressed to age 26. She has not been seen or heard from since she left her home in the middle of the night.

Help Find This Endangered Runaway!

KRISTINA IOANNESYAN, Age Now: 14, Missing: 10/29/2010. Missing From KEW-GARDENS, NY.

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: New York City Police Department (New York) 1-212-694-7781.

DOB: Nov 14, 1995	Sex: Female
Missing Date: Oct 29, 2010	Race: White
Age Now: 14	Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
Missing City: KEW-GARDENS	Weight: 114 lbs (52 kg)
Missing State : NY	Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States	Eye Color: Gray
Case Number: NCMC1159353
Circumstances: Kristina was last seen on October 29, 2010.

Police End Landfill Search in Case of Missing N.C. girl

(CNN) -- Authorities ended their search at a North Carolina landfill Friday for a mattress connected to the case of a missing 10-year-old girl, police said. They did not recover it.

Investigators had hoped to use the mattress to confirm information from interviews conducted as part of their investigation, Hickory police said in a news release. They had also hoped it would provide some DNA evidence related to the case.

Zahra Clare Baker was reported missing October 9. However, no one other than a family member has reported seeing her since September 25, when a woman saw her at a furniture store, police say.

The missing mattress, which belonged to Zahra, was thrown out by her parents in early October, days before she was reported missing, police say.

A team from Hickory police and agents from the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation and the FBI participated in the search at the Foothills Environmental Landfill in Lenoir, North Carolina.

Authorities say the girl's disappearance is being investigated as a homicide.

Police said last week that her stepmother, Elisa Baker, admitted that she wrote a fake ransom note that was left at the family's home.

Elisa Baker was arrested October 10 on unrelated charges, including writing worthless checks. More recently, authorities charged her with obstruction of justice, a felony, after she admitted writing the note, according to Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins. She remains jailed on those charges.

Police said the girl's father, Adam Baker, also faces bad-check charges, but he has not been arrested. He is assisting police in their search.

The disappearance of Zahra, a freckle-faced youngster who wears a prosthetic leg and hearing aids, has made international news. The girl lost her leg to bone cancer, according to CNN affiliate WCNC.

Family members and neighbors have told reporters that Zahra's stepmother abused her -- an allegation her lawyer has denied. Police say Elisa Baker has declined to speak with them.

They have also said they had been in contact with Zahra's biological mother in Australia and asked for the girl's medical records.

"Our team will continue to pursue leads called in to our tip line and go wherever and do whatever we need to find Zahra and bring justice for her," Hickory police said in their Friday release.

Search for Zahra Baker: Where to Look Next?

ABC News- Authorities charged with the gruesome task of searching for the body of missing North Carolina girl Zahra Baker have had to continually expand their search after previous efforts turned up little.

"It's a science," said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

"They've searched kind of the obvious places nearby," he said. "The approach in cases like this would be to expand the radius."

Hickory. N.C., police, aided by teams from area sheriff's offices and NCMEC's Adam Team, which deploys specialized search units, have already combed through the family's home, the wooded areas nearby and the property where the 10-year-old's father worked.

Today, Hickory police removed three pieces of bedroom furniture -- including a bed frame, mattress and box springs -- from the house where Zahra Baker lived with her parents, according to the Hickory Record newspaper. Police also carried out two bags of evidence.

Neither area police nor sheriff's offices returned calls seeking comment today.

Allen said those searches and the expanded efforts are all based on a profile of the family and Zahra herself -- where they went, who they talked to, what they liked to do.

And in a case like Zahra's, where police aren't sure exactly when she may have been killed, finding "where was the child last seen alive" can pose difficulties.

"Basically, what you're doing is ruling things out," he said.

And "you always hope you are wrong," said Allen. "You hope you don't find a body."

The search for Zahra, who had lost her hearing and left leg to cancer, was reclassified Tuesday as a homicide investigation.

Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, was jailed on a felony obstruction of justice charge the same day. Baker was already in custody, having been arrested over the weekend on several charges unrelated to her stepdaughter's disappearance.

Though police said she admitted Tuesday to writing a ransom note after demanding $1 million, she has since denied she had anything to do with Zahra's disappearance.

In many of the high-profile missing children's cases, such as Chelsea King's or Elizabeth Smart's, the family becomes an ally to authorities.

That's not necessarily the case in Zahra Baker's.

Though Hickory police have told local media that Zahra's father, Adam Baker, had cooperated he still remains an unofficial suspect for some, along with his wife.

But, Allen noted, "you always look at those closest to the child first."

- read more-

Police: Stranger Abduction 'Less Likely' in N.C. Missing Girl Case

(CNN) -- Authorities said Sunday that "a stranger abduction is less likely than once anticipated" in the case of a missing 10-year-old North Carolina girl.

Zahra Clare Baker was reported to have last been seen sleeping in her bedroom about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. She was reported missing from her Hickory, North Carolina, home about 2 p.m. Saturday by her father, Adam Baker, and stepmother, Elisa Baker.

"Although nothing is being ruled out at this point, there have been details that have surfaced in the past 12 hours indicating that a stranger abduction is less likely than once anticipated," Hickory police said in a statement Sunday.

An Amber Alert was issued for Zahra on Saturday and will remain in effect until the girl is located, police said. "We are deeply concerned for the welfare of Zahra but remain hopeful that we will locate her safe and unharmed," the statement said.

The Bakers were interviewed early in the investigation, and investigators are following leads to corroborate statements the two made to authorities, police said.

Elisa Baker was arrested Sunday morning "on outstanding charges not related to this case," the statement said. "Inconsistencies developed over the course of this investigation have not eliminated her as a person of interest."

Zahra is described as being about 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighing 85 pounds. She has a prosthetic left leg, and also is hearing impaired, requiring hearing aids that she does not have with her, police said.

Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins told reporters he believes it is very unlikely the girl would have left the house on her own accord. He also said there was a small fire reported at the residence the morning Zahra is thought to have vanished. It was unclear what connection, if any, the fire might have to the girl's disappearance.

The FBI is assisting Hickory police in the investigation, officials said. Members of the public who have information were asked to contact the Hickory Police Department.

Rally to Keep Hasanni Campbell Case Alive

SFGate.com- Even the most stalwart volunteers in the search for Hasanni Campbell fear they will never find any trace of the adorable 5-year-old with cerebral palsy who disappeared one year ago today.

"We pretty much know we are searching for a body, but we still need to find him," said Sherri-Lyn Miller, founder of Citizens for the Lost, a civilian search and rescue organization.

The group, which began looking for Hasanni the day he went missing, may have to face the probability that the young boy has perished, but its primary focus is to ensure Campbell's case remains alive and active.

The group has scheduled a rally outside the Alameda County district attorney's office today at 2 p.m. to renew public interest in the case. Miller and Gail Steele, an Alameda County supervisor, are scheduled to meet with the district attorney's office afterward, Miller said.

A lot has happened in the year since Hasanni disappeared - but unfortunately, little has changed with the investigation to find him.

Sadly, neither police nor volunteers are any closer to knowing what happened to the youngster on Aug. 10, 2009. An extensive search conducted by city, county and federal authorities who canvassed the community with canines yielded no sign of him.

His foster father, Louis Ross, maintains that the boy was last seen inside his car parked in the Rockridge neighborhood. Ross and his then-fiancee, Jennifer Campbell, the boy's aunt, issued tearful pleas for his return. Then police disclosed that Ross had sent Campbell expletive-laden text messages, threatening to abandon Hasanni on a BART train platform.

Ross and Campbell were arrested Aug. 27 but later released due to a lack of evidence.

The couple gave birth to their first child in November and moved to Arizona from the Bay Area last February, authorities said. Since then, the couple have split and Ross moved to Maryland to be closer to his own family members.

Miller and others, meanwhile, continue the search.

"I made a promise in the beginning that I wasn't going to stop until we found Hasanni," Miller said.

It has been a year to the day since Miller contacted the Oakland police and asked for a printout of the flyer posted to find the boy.

Miller, who owned a San Leandro print shop, produced 10,000 flyers and T-shirts, then drove to Oakland around 8 a.m. and started looking for the boy.

Since that day, Miller has organized civilian searches involving more than 100 volunteers and stepped on the toes of law enforcement officials on more than one occasion.

Oakland police initially discredited the group's efforts, saying they did not condone civilian searches.

At Fremont's Central Park last spring, a San Jose police search and rescue team was admonished both for volunteering their services and crossing jurisdictional boundaries without permission, she said.

A rally held six months after Hasanni disappeared also produced a weekend search conducted by police that was not publicized, Miller pointed out.

"If it weren't for us, this case would have died last year," Miller said. "We put police in a situation where they had to respond. Do you think the six-month vigil was a mistake?"

If there is another reason that Miller decided to launch an organization around the disappearance of Hasanni, it was because of the outpouring of support for Sandra Cantu, an 8-year-old Tracy girl reported missing on March 27, 2009. Her body was found less than two weeks later in an irrigation ditch. Melissa Huckaby, a 28-year-old Sunday schoolteacher, was convicted of her murder.

"I'd just finished a print job for them and saw all the support the Cantu family had received," Miller said. "I just couldn't understand why Hasanni's case hadn't received the same support."

Officially, the Hasanni Campbell case is still open, but there are no new leads or evidence to chase down, authorities said.

"It's not a good thing to say, but the case of Hasanni Campbell has gone cold," said Officer Holly Joshi, a spokeswoman for the Oakland Police Department.

"We're going to keep the case open because it's a priority for us," Joshi added.

"There has to be someone out there who has some information, no matter how small, and it could be the piece that breaks it open for us."

Sylar Newton Found...

RIMROCK, Ariz. -- The Yavapai County Sheriff's said the remains found Aug. 10 outside Beaver Creek Campground are that of Sylar Newton, 2.

In a news release, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said it is now awaiting toxicology test results as it continues its investigation into Sylar's death.

Sylar Newton was camping with his custodial mother and her family July 25 when they reported that he wandered away. A search turned up no sign of him.

His remains were found weeks later at the bottom of a wash near the campsite.

According to investigators, witnesses at the campground told detectives Sylar appeared as if he was under the influence of a narcotic or medication.

Investigators are treating Sylar's disappearance and death as a criminal investigation.

The reward in this case has grown to $8,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case.