Illinois Man Dies in Crash; Wife Leaves Car, Vanishes

(CNN) -- An Illinois woman walked away from a car crash that killed her husband, authorities believe, but they have found no trace of her other than footprints in the snow leading to a road.

A search was in its third day Tuesday for Tanya Shannon, 40, of Ransom, Illinois, according to the LaSalle County, Illinois, Sheriff's Office.

Ground operations began at 9 a.m. with air operations starting at noon, Sheriff Tom Templeton said. "They're looking," he told CNN sister network HLN. "They're expanding their search area just a little."

Shannon was last seen along with her husband Dale Shannon, 41, at a Christmas party Saturday night in Streator, about 17 miles west of Ransom, relatives told CNN affiliate WGN and the Chicago Tribune.

"They were dancing together, really cutting up a rug," Dale Shannon's sister Donna Baker, who was at the party, told the Tribune. She said the couple -- married 20 years with four daughters ages 4 to 15 -- left the party arm in arm.

Her brother was sober, she told the newspaper, and was driving his wife's car.

About 1:45 a.m. Sunday, a deputy on patrol in a rural area of Brookfield Township found a one-car traffic accident, the sheriff's office said in a statement. "The deputy found a male occupant of the vehicle in the driver's seat deceased," the statement said. "Evidence at the scene indicated that a second person was also in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Further investigation revealed that the second person was possibly the wife of the deceased driver."

The car slid backwards into a pole, Templeton said, with enough force to break the backs of both the front seats. A relative told the Tribune Dale Shannon's back was broken.

Footprints were reportedly found leading from the car to a nearby road. But there, Tanya Shannon's trail ends.

"There's nothing for us to believe there's any issues other than exactly what happened, a traffic accident that claimed her husband's life, that she was at least able for a period of time to walk away from and move up to the roadway," the sheriff said. "And once she was on the roadway, that's where we lost track of her."

He said he couldn't speculate on whether or how badly Tanya Shannon was injured in the crash. "She was at least able to get up to the road," he said. Police have her cell phone, he said.

Police have not ruled out the possibility that Tanya Shannon was picked up by someone. But "if she was able to walk and able to move, how come she hasn't contacted any of her family?" Templeton told WGN.

Tanya Shannon was last seen wearing a red dress -- described by the Tribune as a ball gown -- and a gray fleece hooded jacket, police said. The dress should have made her easy to spot in the rural, snowy landscape.

"We were told from the family she was an extremely loving mother," Templeton told the Tribune. For her to just leave with no warning "would be incredibly out of character," Templeton said.

"To be out in the elements as they were that night, dressed only as she was, it's very doubtful that you can survive terribly long."

The crash site was remote, Templeton told the newspaper. A nuclear power plant lies to the north, but the area is surrounded by farmland.

"It's crazy," Baker told WGN. "We're holding on to every ounce of hope we have, just to hope for (a) safe return. ... It's been like a nightmare you can't wake up from. If anybody has anything, seen anything, please, please contact us, because these four girls need something."

Search and rescue operations have so far involved dogs and aircraft from the Illinois State Police, along with more than 50 searchers, according to WGN and the sheriff's office.

Tanya Shannon is described as being 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 125 pounds, with shoulder-length strawberry-blond hair and green eyes, according to the sheriff's statement. She also wears glasses.

It's very mysterious what might have happened to Tanya," Baker told the Tribune. "We checked the area hospitals and nothing, so we don't know if someone picked her up and took her somewhere. We just don't know."

Templeton said he's never seen a case like this in his 12 years as sheriff. "Anything that's even remotely close has been gone over several times," he told the newspaper.

Anyone with information regarding Tanya Shannon's whereabouts is asked to contact the LaSalle County Sheriff's Office.

Ransom is about 70 miles northeast of Peoria, Illinois.

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Update: Tanya Shannon's Husband Was Drunk In Crash That Led To Her Disappearance
Huffington Post- As police and volunteers in rural Illinois wait out a bout of winter weather in the search for Tanya Shannon, new information has been released about the crash that led to her disappearance.

Two weeks ago, Tanya and her husband Dale attended a Saturday night holiday party in Streator, Ill., dancing and enjoying themselves. They left arm-in-arm, and Dale got behind the wheel to drive them home to nearby Ransom, about 15 miles away.

At 1:45 a.m. that night, a deputy found their car slammed against a utility pole on the Grand Ridge Mazon Blacktop. Dale's neck broke almost immediately, killing him. But Tanya disappeared virtually without a trace, leaving behind only a single slipper and a few footsteps leading into the snowy plain.

Now, the LaSalle County Coroner's Office is suggesting a possible cause for the crash: Dale Shannon had a blood-alcohol content of .266, more than three times the legal limit of .08, according to an Associated Press report.

Meanwhile, forecasts continue to predict high temperatures well below freezing in the area, with the weather possibly warming up late next week. The search for Tanya will wait for warmer weather, as authorities hope that a snowmelt will reveal some more of the snow-covered field surrounding the crash site.

Officials speculate that she may have fallen into a ditch, and her body may be covered by the snow, but they are not ruling out the possibility that she is alive.

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.

Man Sought In Case Of Missing Woman

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. -- Authorities in Lake County on Friday identified a man on sex-offender probation as a person of interest in the case of a missing 81-year-old woman.

Lake County sheriff's detectives said they want to speak with Donald Otis Williams, 50, in the disappearance of Janet Louise Patrick, who was last seen on Monday. She was reported missing by friends two days later.

Detectives said Williams was caught on a surveillance camera at a Publix supermarket with Patrick on Monday.

Williams has been arrested in the past for armed carjacking, kidnapping and sexual assault, deputies said.

Police: Missing College Student's Body Found

(AOL News Oct. 7) -- Police say the body of a Western Washington University freshman who vanished on his way back to his dorm room after a party 10 days ago has been found floating in a nearby lagoon.

Dwight Clark, an 18-year-old student at the Bellingham, Wash., college was last seen at around 2 a.m. on Sept. 26, leaving a party near campus. Friends said he was heading back to his dormitory about six blocks away, but about 40 minutes later a "phantom" text message -- with no subject or words -- was sent from Clark's phone to another friend. Police later traced it to downtown Bellingham, and had been scouring the area.

A body believed to be Clark's was found by a port worker Wednesday in a downtown lagoon near where dozens of searchers and volunteers had been looking, and about a mile from the where the party he had attended was held.

Clark's driver's license was found on the body, Bellingham Police spokesman Mark Young told KOMO-TV. An official identification from the medical examiner's office won't come until later today, but "there's no reason to believe it's not him," Young told The Seattle Times.

There's no word yet on the cause of death, but Young told AOL News earlier this week that he considered Clark's disappearance "highly suspicious." On Tuesday, someone wrote on a missing poster outside a convenience store that Clark was stabbed 17 times, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported. Police are analyzing the handwriting and reviewing the store's surveillance video to try to figure out who wrote it, and whether it's a hoax.

Within hours of the somber discovery, hundreds of students and neighbors gathered downtown for a vigil in Clark's honor.

"Dwight was a kind, sensitive person who is now safe with his father and grandmother," family friend Penni Saum told the crowd, according to KOMO. "The family will continue to search for who's responsible, and we ask for your support during this difficult time, and your sensitivity and your privacy."

"It's just really heartbreaking, especially when it happens in your community," said another mourner, Kristina Nelson, according to the station.



Sponsored Links Clark's college also expressed its sympathies. "We are profoundly saddened, and extend our deepest condolences to the Clark family and all who knew Dwight personally," Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard wrote on the school's website. "We grieve and ache for this loss."

Another candlelight memorial is planned for Saturday in Brannan Skate Park in Clark's hometown of Auburn, Wash., according to a Facebook page with more than 20,700 members, set up to raise awareness of the teen's disappearance. He was an avid skateboarder. "Please if you skate, bring your board. Join us to remember the memory of Dwight Clark," the page reads.

"My heart goes out to dwight's family, friends, and peers. He will be remembered by many," wrote one Facebook user, Kayla Ann Grayson. "I know it's a bit much right now...but think about having a skateboarding event every year in memory of Dwight...you have soooo many people that he has touched," wrote another, Judy Grogan.

Stacy Peterson Search Fruitless

Chicagoist- Calling it a search based on "a jailhouse tip," authorities conducted a search for the remains of Stacy Peterson near a farm in Peoria yesterday afternoon.

But after a full day of searching, the investigation has, so far, come up empty-handed. David Alwan, on who's property the search was conducted, told the Tribune, "They had pretty solid leads with specific coordinates."

Authorities do not consider Alwan connected to the case. Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Tom Burek told the press, "I don't want to stand here and tell you this is the magical lead that's going to solve the case. ... Like any lead we hope that it has a positive outcome. ... I don't want to allude to (the idea that) we're looking for a body. We're looking for evidence of a crime based on this lead that we have."

Will County Sheriff's spokesman Pat Barry said his office was unaware of such a tip and that Drew Peterson has been held in solitary confinement. Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky called it a publicity stunt aimed at hurting Peterson's image ahead of his trial for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, scheduled to start in early July: "They're trying to dirty up the defendant with an irrelevant search.

It's a despicable tactic." By yesterday evening, after 12 hours of searching, Sgt. Burek said, “We’ve exhausted the digging portion [of the search] with the anthropologist," and announced they had no plans to pick up the search today. Burek did note, though, that they would return to the area soon: "We are pursuing some other avenues in reference to this lead and we will be back in this area."

Van der Sloot Arrest "Not Enough" for Holloways

(CBS) Joran van der Sloot is now on his way back to Peru to face charges in the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores.

Investigators say Flores was found on Sunday by a hotel maid face-down, her neck broken, in a hotel room registered under van der Sloot's name.

Five years ago, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway went missing on the island of Aruba and van der Sloot was the chief suspect in that case, as well. He was never formally charged in Holloway's death.

On "The Early Show" Friday, Natalee's stepfather, "Jug" Twitty and Carol Standifer, a close friend of Natalee's mother, Beth Twitty, discussed Flores' murder.

Twitty said he hopes Flores' investigation in Peru is conducted better than Natalee's in Aruba was.

Twitty said, "We could have had the answers in the first couple of days down there had they done their job right. And this should have never happened what's happened in Peru. And I actually lay blame on the one person in particular, that's the (police commissioner, Jan van der Straten), in charge at that time. Because he knew what happened. And it just happened to be political connections and friendship that kind of let Joran slip off the hook."

As for the Holloway family, Standifer said Beth Holloway is "overwhelmed" now at the news of Flores' death.

"She's just really very disturbed," Standifer said, adding, "Every Memorial Day weekend, it's hard for her and it's hard for all of us who went through this because it brings it back, and we remember what happened."

Could the arrest and possible prosecution of van der Sloot be enough for the Holloways?

Twitty told "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, "It's a start. It's not enough. I think what Beth has worked so hard for, and will continue to work hard for, is to find out what happened to Natalee. And to find if it there are remains from Natalee. That's what we want."

Rodriguez pointed out the FBI is also charging van der Sloot with extortion after he allegedly accepted $250,000 to reveal the location of Natalee's body -- the information he provided turned out to be false, authorities say.

Standifer said she's not surprised by these charges, nor about any of the other news she's heard about van der Sloot.

She said, "There's nothing that could happen that would be shocking because we've had such unusual events happen throughout the last five years."

Missing Family Seen with Map?

CNN- The brother of a Southern California man who disappeared along with his entire family reported a possible new lead in the three-month-old mystery.

Michael McStay said he learned through an investigator that a waiter believed he served Joseph McStay, his wife, Summer McStay, and their children, Gianni, 4, and Jospeh, 3, at a restaurant in Guerrero Negro, Mexico in late February or early March.

Guerrero Negro is a city in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.

According to Michael McStay, he recalled that the family left behind a map. McStay said he did not know any further details about the map. He said it was handed over to the FBI, who did not return calls for a comment.

McStay also said the waiter commented at the time on what he thought was a bump on the little boy’s head. It was actually a birthmark, Mcstay said.

McStay told CNN that the waiter remembered that Joseph McStay “looked ill, he looked sick.”
“My understanding was in the last year he’d been having these vertigo type symptoms,” McStay said. “He was in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and on the (February) 4, he was talking to my mother and he had to pull over when he was driving home because he felt vertigo type symptoms.”

The Mcstays have not been seen or heard from since February 4.

Information gathered on the McStay's home computer reveal the couple was making travel inquires about Mexico on the internet a week before they were reported missing, authorities said.

“It had to do with travel in Mexico with children and whether you needed to have passports for children,” Lt. Dennis Brugos, of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department said. “It looks as if there were some planning.”

Their two dogs were found unattended without food or water in the Mcstay’s San Diego house, investigators said.

An SUV belonging to the McStays was found abandoned on February 8 just two blocks from the San Ysidro border checkpoint, authorities said.

Surveillance video taken that evening appears to show the family “casually” walking into Mexico, the sheriff’s department said.

Michael McStay does not understand why his brother would, it appears, voluntarily abandon their life in the U.S.

“It’s like they are afraid of something,” he said. “That’s what to me it appears to me.”

“What I can’t gather is what’s compelling him to go down there…I can’t figure it out.”

Joseph McStay is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. Summer McStay, also known as Lisa Aranda-Martelli, is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 115 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the McStay family is urged to contact the San Diego County Sheriff's Department at 858-565-5200. Anonymous calls can be made to 888-580-8477.

Stockbroker Vanished; Husband Left Town With Kids

New York (CNN) -- Tom McLachlan, a police captain in West Valley, Utah, felt a surge of adrenalin when he received a phone call two weeks ago from authorities some 200 miles away in Idaho.

A motorist looking for a better cell phone signal had found female skeletal remains on a hilltop near Idaho Falls. McLachlan had a case on his desk involving a 28-year-old stockbroker and mother of two who vanished in December under suspicious circumstances.

Could the body be Susan Powell's?

McLachlan says he now has doubts. The skeletal remains seemed to have been there much longer than Susan Powell has been missing.

"Susan has been missing for five months, so the body is likely not her," he told CNN. "We need to wait until DNA tests come back, which could take up to a few weeks."

Susan Powell's disappearance is the kind of case that gets under an investigator's skin. Right now, police have plenty of suspicion but scant evidence.

Powell simply vanished, leaving her purse, wallet and cell phone behind in her home.

Her husband, Josh Powell, told police she was asleep when he left after midnight, taking their children, ages 2 and 4, on a camping trip in below-freezing weather.

He told police he spent the early morning hours of December 7 with his children in the family van in Simpson Springs Campground, a 90-minute drive from the Powells' home.

Police entered the case that Monday afternoon. The children had not been dropped off at day care and neither Josh nor Susan Powell had shown up at work. No one had heard from them.

"We were concerned that the family was in the house and some accident, maybe a gas leak, had injured them," said McLachlan. "So we broke into the home when no one answered the door."

Police sources told CNN that officers found a large wet spot on the carpet in the home. It was being dried by two fans, they said, but would give no further details.

West Valley police say Josh Powell is the only person they are looking at, but they are not calling him a suspect in his wife's disappearance. They say they have no physical evidence of foul play.

CNN called several times seeking comment from Josh Powell and his attorney, Scott Williams. The phone calls were not returned.

Police say they have been unable to confirm Powell's story about the camping trip. They searched the campground, but any potential evidence had been covered by heavy snow.

Police characterize Josh Powell as being uncooperative, saying he would not lead them to the exact location of the camp site. In January, he packed up his belongings and moved with the children to his parents' home in Puyallup, Washington.

Susan Powell's father, Charles Cox, told CNN she is not the kind of person who would go off on her own without contacting her family.

"She would never leave those two children behind," Cox said.

Susan Powell's father says there was trouble in the marriage, with financial pressures being the primary issue between the couple. Josh had been unemployed until just before his wife disappeared.

In the months leading up to her disappearance, Susan Powell had talked about getting a divorce, family and friends told CNN. They asked that their names not be published because the investigation is ongoing.

Police are asking for the public's help in solving this case. Susan Powell stands 5-foot-3, is 130 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Susan Powell is asked to call the West Valley Police Department tip line at (801) 840-4000. An $11,000 reward is offered.

Volunteers Search Pond For Sign of Stacy Peterson

(BOLINGBROOK, Ill.) (WLS) -- Volunteers searched a southwest suburban Bolingbrook pond last Wednesday in hopes of finding clues to the disappearance of Stacy Peterson.

Wednesday's effort was organized by Stacy's sister, Cassandra Cales. Police were not involved in the search near Weber Road and Boughton.

Nothing was found.

Stacy Peterson disappeared in October 2007. Authorities are calling her husband Drew Peterson a suspect.

Drew Peterson is being held on $20 million bond in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. That case is set to go on trial in June.

FSU Grad Student's Body Found

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- Police have identified the body found Wednesday morning in a field in St. Johns County is that of a 29-year-old Florida State University graduate student reported missing earlier this month.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said investigators found a man's body about 8 a.m. in an open field near the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 16 in St. Johns County.

FDLE said the body was found by agents who were looking for evidence as part of an ongoing investigation.

Wednesday afternoon, the Tallahassee Police Department released a statement saying the body was that of Vincent Binder, who was reported missing from his Tallahassee apartment on April 2.

Authorities said Binder's his death is linked to three prisoners who escaped from Louisiana and were arrested in Miami on April 12.

Louisiana officials said Kentrell Johnson, 39, Peter Hughes, 22, and Quentin Truehill, 22, escaped from a jail in Avoyelles Parish on March 30 after holding a makeshift knife to a corrections officer's throat.

WPBF-TV said one of the fugitives told one of the officers that arrested them in Miami that they might have something to do with Binder's disappearance.

Police said the body was found due to FDLE's search of hundreds of miles from Tallahassee that ended when they found the body in St. Johns County.

FDLE's crime scene unit is processing the scene and the body was turned over to the medical examiner for an autopsy. Detectives with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and FDLE agents are investigating.

As 3 Women in Region Remain Missing, Police Try To ID Bones

CNN-- Suspense builds as authorities try to identify remains of a woman found four days ago on a remote hill near Ammon, Idaho.

While police reportedly say the body is not likely that of Susan Powell, 28, a stockbroker who vanished in December, they have not ruled it out.

According to police, a wind turbine repairman found the skeletal remains just hours from Powell’s home in Utah.

If the remains are not Powell’s the mystery becomes even more intense, because they would belong to someone else who may have been the victim of foul play.

More than two years ago, a woman from Idaho Falls, Stephanie Eldredge, vanished, and police are exploring the possibility it could be her.

Twenty-one-year-old Eldredge is a mother of three.

Investigators are also working around the clock to determine if the remains could belong to 20-year-old Amber Hoopes of Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was last seen at her grandparents’ home, wishing them a good night.

An autopsy on the body was reportedly finished today and now the DNA test results are eagerly awaited but could take several weeks.

Powell has been missing since last December, when she failed to show up for work at Wells Fargo Financial.

Her husband, Josh Powell, aroused suspicion and widespread media scrutiny with his alibi: he was camping with their two young children.

He was named a person of interest, and he recently moved to the state of Washington.

Remains ID'd As Woman Who Left Club with Sex Offender

New York (CNN) -- Remains found in Pennsylvania have been identified as those of a woman who disappeared in New York in 2008 after leaving a Manhattan nightclub in the company of a convicted sex offender, authorities said Monday.

Forensic testing determined the remains recovered April 11 from Mount Cobb, near Scranton, Pennsylvania, are those of Laura Garza, said police and prosecutors from New York and Pennsylvania.

"We have not determined a cause of death but, to be perfectly honest, that is something we would not have this quickly," said Capt. Wayne Olson of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation for the New York State Police.

A family spokeswoman said Garza's relatives were gathering in Texas. "They weren't completely shocked because they had an idea that is what happened," said Awilda Cordero.

A watch found with the skeletal remains first led investigators to suspect they were Garza's, police said. DNA samples were collected and tests confirmed that the bones were hers.

Garza was 25 when she vanished in the early hours of December 3, 2008.

"She had a dream to become a professional dancer here in New York City, but she was also a hard-working lady," said Cordero. "She had just become an assistant manager in a shoe store."

She was last seen leaving the Marquee Club, a popular nightspot in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, with Michael Mele, police said.

Mele, a registered Level 1 sex offender, has been questioned several times about Garza, police said. He has never been charged in connection with her disappearance.

He is now serving time in prison for violating terms of his probation, according to court records.

"We still consider him a suspect in her death and disappearance," Olson said. "We are looking to see if he has any connection to the area where the remains were found."

Authorities said the remains were found "in a remote location" and had been there for "a protracted period of time."

"We are certainly not overjoyed in finding her remains, but we have some renewed hope and direction to try and bring the person responsible to justice," Olson said.

Father: 'Growing Pains' Actor Andrew Koenig 'Took His Own Life'

VANCOUVER — More than a week after scouring the city for missing American actor Andrew Koenig, friends who had organized their own search discovered the 41-year-old man's body in the vast urban park that he favored when he lived here more than 10 years ago.

Walter Koenig, also an actor known for his role as Chekov on the original Star Trek series, said his son's body was found Thursday by friends in Stanley Park.

"Our son took his own life," Koenig said, struggling to maintain his composure. "He was obviously in a lot of pain."

Koenig, flanked by his wife, Judith, said their son, known for his role as Richard "Boner" Stabone on the popular 1980s TV series Growing Pains, was in the midst of a life-long struggle with depression.

"If you learn anything from this," Koenig said, directing his comments to those who also suffer from depression, "there are people out there who care."

"In his pain," Judith Koenig said, "he didn't realize help was available to him."

Police Constable Jana McGuinness said the body was found in a densely wooded area just off one of the park's most popular trails for joggers and bicyclists.

McGuinness said investigators did not suspect foul play. She declined to identify the specific cause of death, but she said no weapons were involved.

In a briefing at the police department's horseback patrol precinct in the park, not far from where the body was found, McGuinness said police had searched the general area without success.

Koenig was last seen by friends Feb. 14. He was scheduled to return to the Los Angeles area Feb. 16. When he did not arrive, McGuinness said his parents became increasingly worried and then reported him missing Feb. 18.

From the start, police focused their search in the park after learning that the actor frequently took walks in the 1,000-acre sanctuary, not far from downtown, now teeming with visitors to the Winter Olympic Games.

Police have said Koenig had come here to visit friends, not to attend the Olympic games.

Discovery of Koenig's body came just a day after his parents arrived in the Olympic host city from California to appeal for assistance in locating their son.

McGuinness declined comment on whether a suicide note was found.

On his personal website, however, Walter Koenig earlier in the week acknowledged receiving a troubling letter from his son who had sounded a "despondent tone."

Judith Koenig also said the family had recently learned that their son was giving away some of his personal possessions.

"He was much loved," the mother said, "and he had lots to contribute to this world."

Missing 'Growing Pains' Star Andrew Koenig Gave Warning Signs, Says Friend

NY Daily News- Missing "Growing Pains" star Andrew Koenig may have given ominous warning signs before vanishing in Canada last week, a haunted friend said Monday.

Brooklyn-born filmmaker Lance Miccio said Koenig returned a book and other personal items to his doorstep and turned down two new editing jobs before leaving to visit friends in Vancouver.

"I asked him to work on a couple gigs last time we spoke (Feb. 4), and he just refused. It was unusual. He was kind of fed up with the Hollywood business," Miccio said.

"He was a really talented guy, but he may have just said enough is enough and gone off into the wild. He was a nature boy. I keep hoping for a happy ending," he said.

Miccio said he found the items from Koenig hanging on his doorknob when he returned from a trip Feb. 2. The bag included footage from their projects together and a sci-fi novel Miccio had given Koenig as a gift - "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Phillip K. Dick.

Koenig, 41, was last seen at a bakery in Vancouver's Stanley Park neighborhood Feb 14. Best known for playing Kirk Cameron's sidekick Richard "Boner" Stabone on the hit 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains," he never boarded his flight back to the U.S. two days later.

His dad Walter Koenig, the actor who played Pavel Chekov on "Star Trek," said Andrew suffered from depression and sent a "despondent" letter that arrived Feb. 16.

The last time Andrew Koenig called his parents was Feb. 9, they said. His cell phone last received a text Feb. 16 and is now turned off, according to Walter Koenig's website.

The Vancouver Police Missing Persons Unit said Monday it was following up on a "substantial" number of tips - and at least one official said he believes Andrew Koenig is okay.

"Electronic information leads us to believe that Andrew is still in the Vancouver area," Constable Tim Fanning told RadarOnline.com. "We think Andrew is just lying low."

Miccio said that Koenig "left his apartment in Venice, and maybe he just wanted to return everything and start over.

"He lived in Vancouver before and talked about moving back. But I think he would tell his parents. I'm at a loss," Miccio said.

"He has a lot to live for," Miccio added. "He was doing vital stuff and is loved by a lot of people."

Cameron, who played Mike Seaver on Growing Pains, told Life & Style magazine he was praying for Koenig's safe return.

"Andrew, if you're reading this, please call me," Cameron said."Mike and Boner could always work things out when they put their minds to it. I'm praying for you, pal. Hope to hear from you soon."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/02/23/2010-02-23_missing_growing_pains_star_andrew_koenig_gave_warning_signs_says_friend.html#ixzz0gUPkw0Sp

People Mag- Fighting tears, Walter Koenig looked into the news cameras on Wednesday desperately hoping his missing son was watching.

"I just want to know you're okay," he said in the emotional appeal to Andrew Koenig, the Growing Pains star who disappeared earlier this month. "If it means you just want to stay here, that's okay. You don't have to come back. Just let us know that's your intention."

Walter Koenig, also an actor – he played Mr. Chekov on the original Star Trek TV show and movies – was joined by wife Judith at the televised press conference at the Vancouver Police Department.

Police say the younger Koenig was last seen in the British Columbia city on Feb. 16, the same day his phone and ATM activity stopped. The search most recently went to a Vancouver park he frequented, but mounted officers found no sign of the 41-year-old Koenig.

Koenig, who had long battled depression, cleared out his Los Angeles apartment about three weeks ago before traveling to Vancouver, where he once lived. Constable Tim Fanning says police were hopeful Koenig was still in the area and "doesn't want to be found."

Missing Yale Student's Body Reportedly Found

Fox News- New reports about missing Yale University graduate student Annie Le, are painting a grim picture to what could end the search for her.

Police sources told FOX 61 in Connecticut that the 24-year-old's body was found inside the building she was last seen.

Bloody clothes and other evidence was also found reported found in the ceiling of the same building, the New Haven Register reported.

More information is expected to be released at a news conference Saturday evening.

Detectives questioned a Yale professor Friday who suddenly canceled class about the same time graduate student Annie Le vanished, a police source told the New York Daily News.

Le, 24, a doctoral student in pharmacology at the Ivy League university, was supposed to attend the class Tuesday afternoon. But the course was canceled shortly before Le was reported missing, according to the News.

A New Haven police source told the paper that investigators grew suspicious about the timing and questioned the professor. It wasn't known what came out of the interview.

University Vice President and Secretary Linda Lorimer told the Yale Daily News that there is no reason to believe a professor is a suspect in the Le case, and authorities are "interviewing tons of people." Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said police haven't named any suspects in the student's disappearance.

Meanwhile, the missing woman's family canceled her Sunday wedding on Long Island, N.Y., according to a supervisor at the hall where the ceremony and reception were to have taken place.

"The wedding is off," Nadeen Fotopoulos, a manager at the North Ritz Club in Syosset, told the News. She said 160 guests were supposed to attend.

"It's very sad," she told the paper. "The hall will be dark Sunday morning."

Detectives were spotted Saturday questioning a man outside the lab where Le worked. When they finished talking, the man got in the front seat of an unmarked car and one of the FBI agents got in the back seat. The car then drove away.

Authorities previously said they had no evidence to indicate foul play in Le's disappearance. More than 100 investigators are working on the case.

On Friday, Yale offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the missing student. Investigators searched her office, the lab facilities where she did research and her apartment.

Agent Bill Reiner said the FBI wouldn't answer any questions about the investigation while it's ongoing.

Le was last seen about 10 a.m. Tuesday morning on surveillance camera outside a lab in the Yale School of Medicine complex, less than a mile from the main campus in New Haven, Conn.

About the same time, she swiped her Yale ID at the facility's entrance. There was no footage of her leaving the building, in spite of a fire alarm that went off about 12:40 p.m. The alarm isn't thought to be connected to her disappearance.

Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office, a few blocks from the lab. She has not contacted her fiance, family or friends since Tuesday.

Investigators were examining security camera footage from some 75 cameras near the building where Le was last spotted.

"They are going frame by frame, looking at every image," Conroy said Friday.

Le, a California native, was to be married to Jonathan Widawsky, a graduate student in physics at Columbia University. The two met as undergraduates at the University of Rochester. Widawsky has been cooperating with the investigation and is not considered a suspect, authorities say.

Le is 4-foot-11, 90 pounds and of Asian descent with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on Le’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Yale Police Department at (203) 432-4400.

Police: Yale Student, a Bride-to-Be, Disappears

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Police are searching for a Yale University graduate student and bride-to-be who disappeared and was last seen outside a school of medicine building.

Co-worker Debbie Apuzzo told CNN affiliate WTNH-TV that Annie Le, 24, is scheduled to be married Sunday, and "her fiance hasn't heard from her."

"Annie Le's purse containing her cell phone, credit cards and money were left in her office," a Yale University Police Department news release said, adding that friends, family members and co-workers had not heard from her since Tuesday.

CNN has calls in to the Yale Office of Public Affairs, which is handling all Yale Police Department requests.

Bill Reiner in the FBI's New Haven office said the university "asked for our assistance; we are assisting them. We are not getting into any details."

Officer Joseph Avery of the New Haven Police Department said he believes New Haven police are working closely with Yale authorities, but he wasn't certain in what capacity.

"Right now, it's their case, and I can't comment," he said.

Apuzzo, an accountant in Yale's Department of Pharmacology, told CNN affiliate WFSB that Le was conscientious, energetic and "very excited" about getting married.

Contacted via e-mail by CNN, Apuzzo declined to comment, saying her superiors had asked her to refer all media inquiries to the university's public affairs office.

She did, however, forward a letter sent by Yale University Police Chief James Perrotti to all faculty, students and staff.

The letter states Yale police, the FBI, Connecticut State Police and New Haven police are investigating Le's disappearance. Her friends, colleagues, family members and fiance are assisting police, the letter said.

"The State Police have searched the area of Ms. Le's last known appearance with their bloodhounds; law enforcement officers are continuing to undertake detailed searches of the surrounding area; and security officials are reviewing images from closed-circuit cameras in the area," the letter said.

Several media outlets reported that her fiance, Jonathan Widawsky, is a graduate student at Columbia University in New York. Widawsky could not be immediately reached.

A university surveillance photo showed Le was wearing a knee-length brown skirt, a bright-green short-sleeved T-shirt, brown shoes and a brown necklace.

She is 4-foot-11-inches tall, weighs 90 pounds and has shoulder-length brown hair, police said.

She was last seen outside the 120,000-square-foot Yale School of Medicine building on 10 Amistad St. The four-story building houses three of the school's research programs. Le is a pharmacology graduate student.

According to the Yale police news release, Le had no known medical issues. She also does not have access to a vehicle, police said.

Anyone with information on Le's disappearance can call university police at (203) 432-4400.