News
August 1-14
1 August |
ABC
News Online
Police step
up search for missing toddler
A police search
for a missing Kempsey child, Julia Beaman
has been intensified with numerous homes in New South Wales and Queensland
searched. In December last year, two-and-a-half year old Julia Beaman was
picked up in Kempsey by her father Benjamin Beaman for a one-day access
visit. He failed to return her, sparking a massive search by Queensland,
New South Wales and Australian Federal Police. Late last week the search
was stepped up, with police carrying out searches at 18 homes in Sydney,
Kempsey, Taree, Wauchope, Scone and northern Queensland. However, neither
Julia nor her father were found. Australian Federal Police have again renewed
an appeal for public help. Julie is described as Caucasian, with an olive
complexion, slim with straight brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her father
has a dark olive complexion, is around 190 centimetres tall, slim with
dark brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information should ring CrimeStoppers.
1 August |
ABC
News Online
Search on
for missing man
Emergency
services are conducting a full scale search for a missing man in Maryborough
this morning. Ronald Genrich, 78, was last seen at his home two
nights ago, although police are checking a report that he could have been
near the Mary River yesterday. His family say Mr Genrich is acting completely
out of character, but he may have health worries. Search coordinator Sergeant
Greg Dickson says police and State Emergency Services (SES) personnel are
working together on the search. "I've got 14 SES people door-knocking from
house to house and a couple of people on motorbikes at the moment," he
said. "We'll have a boat in the river very shortly - it's an SES boat to
look at the bank between Lamington Bridge upstream." Anyone with information
that could be helpful in finding the missing man should phone CrimeStoppers
on 1300 333 000.
2 August |
The
Daily Telegraph p21
Silence and
an empty sadness
THEY are the
victims without a voice -- men and women, young and old, who have vanished
without a trace. Every year hundreds of people disappear across NSW. Most
return unharmed or contact their families to say they won't be home but,
tragically, far too many are permanently lost, their snapshots appearing
once a year during Missing Persons Week. Rest
of article here.
2 August |
ABC
News Online
NSW Boy found
safe and well at school
A Byron Bay
boy whose apparent disappearance sparked a search has turned up safe and
well at school. There were concerns for the safety of eight-year-old Dane
Thornquest who was thought to have gone missing from his home yesterday
morning. But by early afternoon his father determined his whereabouts,
that a taxi had picked Dane up and taken him to school some hours earlier.
The boy has a disability and his father had been trying for weeks to arrange
a taxi to take him to Biala Special School in the mornings. They were reunited
when the taxi returned him from school in the afternoon.
3 August |The
Courier-Mail p 9, story by Amanda Watt
Famlies Fear
the Worst
PICTURED above
are the faces of just four of Australia's 3000 missing people. Every 18
minutes someone new joins that list -- either because of mental illness,
foul play, financial hardship or family problems. Australia-wide 30,000
are reported missing every year, 5000 of them in Queensland. Rest
of article here
4 August |
The Courier-Mail p 32, by Kim Sweetman
Questions
that haunt me over my missing son Tristan Price
Questions
that haunt me over my missing son a plea by Wendy Norman mother of missing
20-yr-old Tristan Price.
NewsHC
4 August |
Queensland
Police Media Report 2/8
Missing
Brisbane woman sought
Police, family
and friends are concerned for the safety and well-being of an 80-year-old
woman reported missing from Mount Gravatt East today. Mrs
Joan Standen, who suffers from dementia, was
last seen in the Foxglove Street area at 3pm. When last seen she was wearing
a brown cardigan, pink skirt and possibly wearing red slippers. Mrs Standen
walks with a mild stoop. She is described as being 170cm tall and with
short, grey hair. Anyone with information on Mrs Standen’s whereabouts
is asked to contact police on 3364 6464 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
4 August |
Queensland
Police Media Report 2/8
Brisbane
woman Found
An 80-year-old
woman reported missing today has been located safe and well. Mrs Joan Standen
was found close to her nursing home. NOTE: Police wish to thank the media
for their assistance in this matter.
6
August | NSW
Police Media Release 6/8
Concern
For Safety Of Missing 11-Year-Old Girl
Police are
appealing for public assistance locating a girl who went missing from a
children’s refuge at Lewisham on Sunday. Eleven-year-old Angie
Anderson was last seen at the refuge on The
Boulevarde around 4pm on Sunday, 4 August. Police believe she may have
walked to nearby Dulwich Hill Railway Station to travel to Cabramatta,
where she has relatives. Around 7.30pm Angie spoke with a worker at the
refuge by phone and has not been in contact with family or friends since
that time. There are concerns for the missing girl’s welfare due to her
age and the length of time she has been out of contact. Angie has been
described as being approximately 150cm tall, of white/European appearance,
solid build, with brown shoulder length hair. She was last seen carrying
a blue backpack and wearing a blue-coloured T-shirt under a jacket with
a zipper, knee-length denim shorts and sports shoes. Anyone with any knowledge
of the missing girl’s whereabouts is asked to contact Marrickville Police
on 9568 9299
6 August |
NSW
Police Media Release 6/8
Information
Sought On Missing Paddington Man
City Central
Police have issued an appeal for information concerning a person missing
from Paddington since July 21. Constable Jaime Griffin said there are serious
concerns for the welfare of 19-year-old Taku
Umezawa, of Paddington. “Mr Umezawa was
last seen by his father, who left their home on Sunday, July 21 at 6am
to run a few errands,” Cst Griffin said. “His son was wearing blue
jeans, a blue shirt and a blue jacket on the day he went missing. He was
also wearing a pair of Nike sneakers and may also have a bicycle with him.”
Mr Umezawa is known to frequent the George St cinema strip, Darling
Harbour and Chinatown areas. Cst Griffin said Mr Umezawa is of Asian appearance,
170cm tall, of medium build, has short dark hair and brown eyes. His family
is very concerned for his safety, as Mr Umezawa is developmentally delayed
and cannot adequately care for himself. “Mr Umezawa’s family are hoping
that someone may have information about his whereabouts,” she said. Anyone
with information they feel may be relevant to this investigation is urged
to call City Central Police on 9265 6499 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333
000. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous if they wish.
7
August | The Daily Telegraph 7/8 p13 by Stavro Sofios
Hector
thieves make contact - Breakthrough in the parrot-napping mystery
HECTOR
the abducted galah is alive, "safe and happy" with the animal liberationists
who stole him - and his owner doesn't necessarily want him back. The kidnappers
made contact with The Daily Telegraph yesterday, claiming the 32-year-old
parrot was freed from his "prison-like existence" to live with other birds
in a large enclosure. The liberationists received qualified support from
Hector's owner Doug Eyre, who offered to give up the community icon if
they could prove the galah was now in a better environment.
"If you
can show me he is happier in this new place, then keep him. Let him live
out his last days happy," the West Ryde Pet Shop owner said yesterday.
"My family needs closure, the people around here need closure and I
won't push for charges if we can talk about it face-to-face. "If you really
think this was the right way to go and if you're part of a fair dinkum
liberation cause, why not prove it to us? Show me Hector in a good aviary
and I might not take him away."
Expert analysis
of the letter sent to The Daily Telegraph reveals it was written by the
person who stole Hector and is also consistent with witness reports of
the kidnappers -- two greyhaired women in their 50s with a "social conscience".
The women took Hector, in his distinctive cage, from the footpath outside
the West Ryde pet shop on July 20. The theft caused community uproar, with
a reward of $7000 quickly offered for the return of the popular bird. "It
says something about our society when $7000 is rewarded to put a galah
back into a miserable existence in a cage no larger than a couple of milk
crates rather than $7000 being offered to release a bird to his or her
natural environment," read the letter, printed on a laser printer and
sent in a yellow envelope. "Hector is safe and happy. Hector has not
been released in the wild but now has the freedom to move around in a very
large enclosure enjoying the company of other birds."
7 August |
NSW
Police Media Release 7/8
Information
Sought On Missing Minto Man
Cabramatta
Detectives have issued a new appeal for information concerning a person
missing since August last year. Detective Senior Constable Tracy Nelson
said there are serious concerns for the welfare of Ian
Charles Draper, of Minto, who was aged 37
when he went missing after finishing work on 3 August 2001.
“Mr Draper
finished work at the Mt Pritchard Community Club about 3.30am was last
seen leaving the club in his white Ford Falcon, NSW registration ACD 45Q,”
Snr Cst Nelson said. “He was wearing long dark pants, a blue shirt and
a blue fleece-lined jacket. “Mr Draper has not been sighted since that
time and his personal accounts have not been accessed.” Snr Cst Nelson
said Mr Draper’s car was found near Leppington about a month after his
disappearance.
“Detectives
and Mr Draper’s family are hoping that someone may have information about
his whereabouts or the circumstances of his disappearance,” she said. “Police
have also received two anonymous letters concerning Mr Draper’s appearance
and we are anxious to speak with the person who wrote them. Anyone with
information they feel may be relevant to this investigation is urged to
call Cabramatta Police on 9725 8999 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Callers to
Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous if they wish and may be liable for
rewards of up to $1000. A photo of Mr Draper is available on request from
the Police Media Unit.
10 August
| NSW
Police Media Release 10/8
Police
Appeal For Help Locating Missing Toddler
Blacktown
Police are appealing for public assistance locating a toddler and a man
who went missing from a home in Doonside yesterday morning. Fifteen-month-old
Taro West and
21-year-old Matthew Longobardi
were last seen by Taro's mother at their Saturn Way house about 8.30am
yesterday. Police inquiries indicate the pair boarded a city-bound train
at Doonside at 10.10am yesterday, but they have not been seen since. Taro
is described as being of Aboriginal appearance with an olive complexion,
chubby features, and about 90cm tall. He was last seen wearing a blue jumper
with teddy bears and a nappy and was being pushed in a green stroller with
a floral pattern on it. Matthew has been described to police as being of
white/European appearance, about 174cm tall, with a medium build, brown
hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing navy blue track pants with
white stripes, whit t-shirt and a light blue zipped windjacket. There are
grave concerns for Taro’s safety due to his young age and Matthew’s short
association with the toddler’s mother. Anyone who might have seen Taro
or Matthew, or knows their whereabouts, is urged to contact Blacktown Police
on 9622 0000 or Crime Stoppers on 1 800 333 000.
10 August
| NSW
Police Media Release 10/8
Missing
Doonside Toddler Returned Home
Fifteen-month-old
Taro West has
been returned to his mother safe and well and is now being medically assessed.
Police are still hoping to talk to a 21-year-old man regarding the circumstances
surrounding the toddler's overnight disappearance. Taro was last seen by
his mother at their Saturn Way home about 8.30am yesterday. The man returned
the boy to his Doonside home shortly before midday today, before leaving
the scene. Police would like to thank the media and public for their concern
and interest.
11 August
| NSW
Police Media Release 11/8
Police
ask: Have you seen nine-year-old Jack?
The family
of missing nine-year-old Jack Hendry have asked Flemington police
for help in locating him. Flemington Duty Officer, Acting Inspector John
Raby said Jack was last seen by his mother around 9am today at Mason Park
in Underwood Road at Homebush. The pair had gone to the park for a Sunday
outing. “Police, including officers from Flemington Local Area Command
and the Dog Squad, began searching the area and called in Polair to assist
the police on the ground in their efforts to locate the youngster. We are
concerned for Jack’s wellbeing due to his young age, “ Acting Inspector
Raby said. “Today we have searched the bushland, marsh and canal area
of Mason and Bicentennial Parks as well as speaking to people at nearby
railway stations such as Concord and Olympic Park. “Police have also conducted
extensive patrols of the aquatic centre at Homebush and the Olympic Park
Railway Station. Tomorrow police will be conducting further inquiries to
locate the boy and hopefully re-unite him with his mother." Jack is
described to police as being of white/European appearance, 140cm tall,
of slight build, with shoulder length blond hair and wearing a dark blue
t-shirt with a basketball motif on the front and light grey pants. Anyone
who knows of Jack’s whereabouts is asked to contact Auburn Police on (02)
9646 8699.
12 August
| NSW
Police Media Release 12/8
Police
Seek Missing Man (Missing since 1985)
Police from
Operation Taradale are appealing for information from the public in relation
to the disappearance of a French national in 1985. The 27-year-old Bondi
resident, Gilles Mattaini,
was last seen in September of 1985. Detective Sergeant Steve Page said
investigators were keen to piece together the last known movements of Mr
Mattaini.“Investigators from Taradale have been investigating a number
of serious assaults committed near Marks Park at Tamarama during the late
1980s. “At this time we are trying to determine if the disappearance of
Mr Mattaini can be linked to any of the other disappearances or assaults
in the area,” Det Sgt Page said. “I urge anyone with information about
Mr Mattaini’s disappearance to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
“As always callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and a reward
of up to $1000 is payable for information which leads to an arrest,” Det
Sgt Page said. Mr Mattaini has been described as being of white/European
appearance, 170cm tall, between 55 and 60 kgs, clean-shaven and with collar
length brown hair. Editors note: An image of the missing man is available
from the Police Media Unit.
12 August
| NSW
Police Media Release 12/8
Police
Concerned For Missing Girl
Police are
appealing for public assistance to locate a girl who was last seen on the
evening of Friday, 9 August when she left her home at West Ryde. Leah
Frost is 14-years-old and suffers from a medical
condition for which she has no medication. When last seen she was thought
to be in the company of another young girl and possibly frequenting the
Parramatta area. Police and the girl’s family are concerned for her welfare
as her disappearance is out of character. Leah has been described to police
as being of white/European appearance with a medium complexion and dark
hair. She was last seen wearing a green and black ‘Adidas’ jacket, white
‘Adidas’ sneakers and black tight trousers. Anyone with any knowledge of
the missing girls whereabouts is asked to contact Gladesville Police on
98799699. Editors note : an image of the missing girl is available from
the Police Media Unit.
International
News:
1 August |
PRNewswire-FirstCall
& Yahoo
Missing Kids
banner campaign launched across the Yahoo! Network
The National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Yahoo! Inc., and ChoicePoint
(NYSE: CPS) today announced a new online program that will alert thousands
of consumers to reports of missing children and will provide them with
information, images and reporting tools to help in recovery efforts.
NCMEC will have the ability to post missing children's alerts within minutes
of receiving a new tip or lead and to quickly create banner advertisements
using such information.
NCMEC has
launched a targeted banner campaign across the Yahoo!(R) network that alerts
consumers to children who have been reported missing and whom NCMEC believes,
based upon lead information, may be in the consumer's geographic area.
Thanks to Yahoo!'s ability to target by zip code, the alerts will be seen
by consumers within a specific area. When consumers click on an alert,
they will be directed to call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST. The child's
detailed information will appear on both http://www.missingkids.com and
http://www.choicetrust.com , the Web address of ChoiceTrust(R), which is
ChoicePoint's consumer initiative.
"Time is the
enemy in missing child cases.
The
sooner we get the information out, the better chances of a safe recovery."
"Every day,
nearly 2,000 children are reported missing in the U.S. One in six
of these children are recovered when someone recognizes them from a photo,"
said Jerry Yang, co-founder and chief of Yahoo! Inc. NCMEC has worked with
law enforcement on 84,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery
of 67,000 children. NOTE: Sunday, August 4, is National KidsDay http://www.kidsday.net
1
August | US
ABC News & Reuters story by Dan Whitcomb
Kidnapped
Teenagers Saved.
California
police on Thursday rescued two kidnapped teenagers and killed the man who
abducted them, ending a 12-hour ordeal for the girls who were seized in
the early hours of the morning from a desolate spot north of Los Angeles.
Hundreds of law enforcement officials launched an intensive air and ground
search after learning of the abductions of kidnap victims Tamera Brooks,
16, and Jaqueline Marris, 17 at about 3:30 a.m., scouring remote canyon
roads in the high desert north of Los Angeles.
Waldie said
the kidnapper, identified as wanted rapist Roy Ratliff, was spotted driving
a white Bronco on an isolated country road in Kern County about 100 miles
north of the spot where the girls were abducted. The Kern County Sheriff's
department gave chase. Ratliff, 37, crashed the Bronco and fled on foot,
leaving Brooks and Marris in the vehicle. The two girls were taken to a
local hospital to see if they had been sexually assaulted and to be interviewed
by officials. Ratliff struck at just before 2 a.m. when Brooks and Marris
-- who did not know each other -- were parked with male companions in separate
cars in Quartz Hill, about 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
1 August |
AFP
& Yahoo News
13 dead, 11
missing in Ukrainian mine blast
KIEV - 13
people were killed and 11 were reported missing late Wednesday after a
mine blast in eastern Ukraine, emergencies ministry spokesman Dmitry Boguslavsky
told AFP. A previous toll had three person killed and 21 missing. The blast
at the Zasyadko coal mine in the Donetsk region, at a depth of 1,076 meters
(3,530 feet), was the latest in a series of disasters that have crippled
Ukraine's's dilapidated coal-mining industry. Six miners were killed and
18 injured in a mine blast in the southeastern Dniepropetrovsk region on
July 26. And last Friday Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Dubina announced that
12 officials at a mine in Ukrainsk in the Donetsk region, where 35 people
were killed in a fire earlier this month, had been sacked for violating
safety rules. Another 20 people had been hospitalized. Some 160 Ukrainian
miners are estimated to have died in incidents since the start of the year.
Some 600,000 people work in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine's 200
mines.
2 August |
Daily
Telegraph story by Christina Almeida in California
Lover's lane
kidnap: Girls freed
TWO teenage
girls abducted at gunpoint from a lovers' lane in the US have been rescued
and their alleged kidnapper shot dead. "The girls are safe in the custody
of Kern County," said Los Angeles County Assistant Sheriff Larry Waldie
today. The suspect was killed in a shoot-out with Californian law officers,
authorities said. Tamara Brooks, 16, and Jacqueline Marris, 17, were abducted
about 1am local time in the Quartz Hill area of Los Angeles County. They
were with their dates when a gunman struck, leaving their partners bound
with duct tape. The crime set off a massive manhunt.
2 August |
Reuters
& Yahoo News
Bodies of
13 immigrants wash up on Spanish coast
The bodies
of 13 people who Spanish police suspect were Africans trying to get into
Europe illegally washed up on Spain's southern coast on Thursday.
2 August |
Reuters
& Yahoo News
At least two
dead as Bangladesh ferry capsizes
A Bangladeshi
river ferry sank on Wednesday, killing at least two children and leaving
nearly 30 other people missing, officials said. Nearly 20 people were either
rescued or swam to safety when the ferry M. L. Lucky Star carrying some
50 passengers capsized on the Buriganga River at Khoamara, 10 km (six miles)
from Dhaka.
3 August |
AP
& News Interactive
Investigators
find mass grave
FORENSIC experts
have recovered enough body parts from a mass grave in northeastern Bosnia
to fill 169 large sacks, an official said today. The body parts had been
recovered in the past 10 days near the Serb-held village of Kamenica, 70km
northeast of Sarajevo, said Amor Masovic, head of the Muslim Commission
for Missing Persons. Masovic said he expected several more by the weekend,
when the exhumation of the grave is scheduled to end. He estimated the
remains were those of at least 100 bodies. The remains will be sent to
DNA-labs in Bosnia for attempted identification. The body parts are believed
to be of victims of the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which Bosnian
Serb troops killed up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys. "Up until now, we have
discovered over 5,000 Srebrenica victims," Masovic said.
14
August | Reuters
by Edward Newton
L.A. Celebrates
Reunion of missing girl and parents
LOS ANGELES
(Reuters) - A relieved city on Wednesday celebrated the tearful reunion
of a missing 4-year-old with her frantic parents while police tried to
puzzle out why a 34-year-old woman kidnapped her in yet another of the
summer's highly publicized child abductions. The girl, Jessica Cortez,
was back with her parents after workers at a clinic where the alleged kidnapper
had taken her for treatment recognized her from police flyers. The woman
is being held on suspicion of kidnapping and police said she had four children
of her own -- but none living with her. Clinic officials said that Patricia
Cornejo had taken the child there for treatment of a sore throat two days
after her abduction from a busy east Los Angeles park where her parents
worked as pushcart vendors. Police said the child had not been assaulted
physically or sexually and did not appear to suffer from any sort of trauma
from her ordeal.
Jessica's
abduction ended happily unlike several other highly publicized abductions
of children this summer. Acting Los Angeles Police Chief Martin Pomeroy
described Jessica's reunion with her distraught mother as hysterical with
joy. "There were shrieks of delight on both sides," Pomeroy said at a news
conference Wednesday. "The mother was weeping hysterically, and Jessica
started laughing hysterically. Then she too began to cry. They put their
arms around each other, and they were inseparable from that moment."
Police arrested
Cornejo and said she enticed Jessica away from her parents.
Even as the
neighborhood celebrated the return of Jessica Cortez, a 1-month-old girl
was snatched from a parked van in Texas while her mother stepped just 10
feet away to return a shopping cart, police in Abilene said on Wednesday.
Police and the FBI were hunting for a woman who sped away in a car after
grabbing the infant, Nancy Crystal Chavez.
The
Holly Wells & Jessica Chapman Case
News
August 15-30
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