Last year I wrote this piece to honor Brandy Hanna’s November 16th birthday. I’m in awe that another whole year has passed and there is still no sign of her. Another year that she is missing and is missed by her family and friends. As I look back on the happenings over the course of this year, many missing persons have been found. Some of the resolutions were joyful and some were quite sad, but yet, they all brought a certain amount of peace to the families that had been searching.
Another birthday, another vigil, another day that she is gone.
Brandy, wherever you may be, know without a shadow of a doubt that you will be found some day.
As time ticks forward, Donna Parent wakes up November 16th knowing it is her daughter’s birthday. It won’t be a day of usual parties and celebrations for this event. Brandy Hanna has been missing without a trace for over three years.
Brandy had her share of life’s ups and downs, but by all indications she was turning a bend in her life, living on her own, although struggling to make ends meet. The day she was reported missing it is stated everyth
ing in her apartment looked like she had just stepped out of the room. All her belongings, money, cell phone, even the glass of tea she was drinking was left as if she would be back in a second. It has been three long years and she has not come back to finish that glass of tea.
Each year’s events are marked with vigils, candles, prayers, balloon releases, all in order to keep the awareness of Brandy Hanna in the public eye. Donna Parent works tirelessly with organizations to accomplish that goal. It is the united effort of all family members of missing persons that will keep these cases fresh.
Detectives have followed every lead provided them with no success in finding Brandy. Family and friends don’t believe Brandy left her home on her own accord, she did not 
even own a car, and no one has been named a suspect yet questions still remain as to Brandy’s whereabouts and what happened to her on May 20, 2005.
If you believe you have any information regarding this case that will be helpful in this investigation please contact:
North Charleston Police Department at (843) 745-1015
CUE Center for Missing persons along with Porchlight International and many other missing persons organizations have helped the family tremendously with searches and gathering information about Brandy’s case.
For those of us who have taken it upon our hearts to communicate and work with family members of missing persons, there are always certain cases that one draws close to.
Help Find The Missing has always been a great source for me, and among the case information on missing persons can be found a lot of caring members. Low on drama and high on details and friendship has always been a requisite for me and they fit the bill!
One of the members there holds Samantha Smith, her case, and her family close to her heart. Living near the area from where Samantha vanished, she is able to get a first hand look at the facts and also speak to those who who were close to Samantha.
Many times waking hours are spent going over the clues, re-enacting the “what ifs” in your head, digging for anything new that might shed light on what could have happened to that person that seemingly vanished into thin air. It’s often a breath of fresh air to see that someone can make that missing person real to us, and regardless of media exposure (or lack thereof) and speculation, each missing person deserves to be more than a face on a poster.
She has made Samantha real to us just by the outpouring of her own feelings about her and her case. This is the one she wants desperately to be solved. Thanks for being the light in the darkness for Samantha!
Quoted :
Well, it’s here. November 5, 2009. Three years ago Samantha Renee Smith vanished! I can’t tell there is much difference in every day life… Few people in our area recognize her name. You never see her face on missing posters. The ones I put up are always gone within a day or two. You don’t hear Nancy Grace or any of the others for that matter, even mention her name. And believe me I have contacted many people in the media. Reminders of today and I hope, maybe one will run a story about her.
I wonder if the new police chief, or Safety Director, has ever heard her name mentioned.
You don’t see her face flashing on every other myspace you look at. Almost no one would recognize her face if it scrolled across the top of this site.
But, Someone knows. And one day we will all know.
God bless you Samantha.
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: November 5, 2006 from Clinton, South Carolina
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date of Birth: July 13, 1984
Age: 22 years old
Height and Weight: 5′3 – 5′4, 110 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Red hair, green eyes. Smith’s hair is naturally blonde, but it was dyed red at the time of her disappearance.
Medical Conditions: Smith has a history of depression and may be suicidal. She has attempted suicide multiple times in the past. In addition, Smith suffers from asthma. She was taking medication for both her conditions at the time of her disappearance and may be in need of medical attention.
Details of Disappearance Smith was last seen in Clinton, South Carolina on November 5, 2006. At the time, she was living with her boyfriend in a house in the 100 block of Leila Street. Her boyfriend stated they got into an argument about religion and Smith walked into a wooded area behind her home and never returned. Smith has never been heard from again. She left all her personal belongings behind, except her purse. There is no evidence of foul play in Smith’s case, and her boyfriend has been ruled out as a suspect in her disappearance, but it is unclear what happened to her. Smith is described as an intelligent young woman. She enjoyed photography, hiking and horseback riding at the time of her disappearance. She was a student at Piedmont Tech and made good grades; she wanted to transfer to Lander University and become an art teacher. She has dropped out of sight before, but never for this long, and her family believes she may have come to harm. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Clinton Department of Public Safety
864-833-7512
NATIONAL ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE FOR MISSING PERSONS - Coming March 2010
Who Should attended? Families of the missing, advocates, law officers, coroners, forensic specialist, search personnel (all types), non profit missing person organizations, government agencies, private investigations and more.
National Round Table Conference Goals:
- Sharing a trained and professional view for solving cold case and search there of; missing persons
- Understanding the resources available to be deployed when needed, what their capabilities are and how to obtain them.
- Exploring the relevant positive and negative experiences of people who have experienced a missing loved one.
- Creating new approaches to missing persons cases, and effectively deploying available resources; building communication and support
- Developing a high-level view of the modifications needed to our current resources and organizational community over the next five years.
Time: March 18, 2010 to March 21, 2010
Location: Holiday Inn Conference Center, Market Street
Street: Public welcome for all concerned or that has a missing loved one and or victim of crime
City/Town: Wilmington, NC
Website or Map: http://www.ncmissingpersons…
Phone: 910-343-1131 or 910-232-1687
Name: Gayle Moran
Alias: Clarkie
Date of Birth: 08/29/1939
Date Missing: 07/31/2009
Age at time of disappearance: 69
City Missing From: Lake Placid
State Missing From: Florida
Gender: Female
Race: White
Height: 5 ft 6 in
Weight: 225 lbs
Hair Color: Gray with brown undertones
Hair (other): Short/Straight
Eye Color: Hazel: Brown/Green
Complexion: Light
Identifying Characteristics: Glasses, scars from double knee replacements and right shoulder operation rotor cup. Birthmarks and numerous moles all over her body, both ears are pierced
Clothing: Dark lime green top and bottom, similar to a sweat suit or green t-shirt with elastic waist blue jeans. Brown or beige sandal type shoes, Purse, deep with strap. May have kept a red sweater in her vehicle.
Jewelry: Two gold rings, 1 wedding, 1 engagement, several bracelets, and wore two or three on each wrist. 24″ long necklace with a baby Jesus charm, Seiko gold watch, half circle gold rope earrings.
Circumstances of Disappearance: Gayle was last seen at home in bed at approximately 2:30am by her daughter, who was checking on her. Gayle seemed disoriented and was asked by her daughter if she wanted medical attention. Gayle indicated she was ok. Her daughter checked on her again at 3:45am, and found that both Gayle and her vehicle were gone. It is assumed that she woke up, dressed, and left in her 2006 red Nissan Murano with FL tags TO7-2XC. She has not been seen or heard from since. At the time of Gayle’s disappearance, her husband was terminally ill and was receiving in-home care. He passed away on 8/12/2009. There is a yellow paint scratch on the passenger side of Gayle’s vehicle where the front and back doors meet.
Medical Conditions: Limited mobility due to two knee replacements, right shoulder rotor cup surgery. Gayle has high blood pressure and diabetes. She takes medication, but does not have it with her.
similar vehicle:
Investigative Agency: Highland County Sheriff’s Office
Agency Phone: (863) 402-7200
Investigative Case #: HCSO090FF005471
NCIC# M278269797
CUE Center for Missing Person
PO Box 12714
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 343-1131 or (910) 232-1687
by Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio,
Phil Picardi, Minnesota Public Radio,
Ambar Espinoza, Minnesota Public Radio
St. Paul, Minn. — It’s been 20 years since 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling, his younger brother and a friend set off on their bikes to rent a movie in St. Joseph one night.
As they rode back home in the dark, a masked man with a gun stopped them and told them to get off their bikes and lie face down in a ditch. After telling the man how old they were, 10-year-old Trevor Wetterling and 11-year-old Aaron Larson were told to run away.
Then the man took Jacob, who hasn’t been seen since.
Thursday’s anniversary, like past anniversaries, will likely come and go for Jerry and Patty Wetterling without them finding out what happened to their son. The Wetterlings and their three other children have learned to survive and cope through the years while never losing sight of the possibility that Jacob could turn up alive.
“That’s the grandest hope, and it’s certainly there,” Jerry Wetterling said this week.
The Wetterlings find hope in recent cases in which kidnapped children were miraculously found alive years later. They also know that anniversaries also often trigger new leads as law enforcement officials and the public hear about the case again through news media reports.
“It just seems to trigger more calls and people kind of researching their memory,” Wetterling said.
“Each time it’s emotional because you’re hoping for the one. And you’re waiting and yet it’s hard to get too into that particular lead because repeated, repeated disappointments of it not being the one can dampen your spirits,” he said. “You learn not to get too swept up into one particular lead.”
Despite the regular leads the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department still gets each week, little has changed in the Jacob Wetterling case. What has changed is how law enforcement officials handle missing children cases and track those who might kidnap or otherwise harm children.
States have established and toughened sex offender registries, and the national AMBER alert system was put into place to broadcast urgent bulletins when a child is abducted.
“The changes are dramatic,” said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “More missing children come home safely today than ever in American history.”
Allen said AMBER alerts, sex offender laws and eliminating mandatory waiting periods for law enforcement to search for a missing child have all helped keep more children safe. So has increased awareness among parents, he said.
But there’s still room for improvement, he said, adding that sex offender registries must come with enforcement and consequences for those who violate the terms of their release.
“Our view is that at a minimum, we need to know where these offenders are,” Allen said. “Two thirds of these offenders are not in jails or prisons, they’re in our communities.”
The Wetterlings and Aaron Larson learned the hard way that a boy from a small town in Minnesota could be taken away so quickly. On the other hand, such incidents remain few and far between: Only in about 100 cases a year are children abducted and never seen alive again.
“This whole situation with witnesses there at night in the dark and with a gun and mask and all that — that’s very rare…kind of haunting,” Jerry Wetterling said.
The incident left Jacob’s best friend, Aaron Larson, troubled. He became scared of the dark, didn’t sleep well and worried the masked man would return.
“You would lay in bed and think about these things,” Larson told the St. Cloud Times.
Through the years, Larson has also thought about how things could have been different.
“That’s hard for me sometimes,” he told the newspaper. “Why am I still here and he’s not?”
Since the abduction, Patty Wetterling and her family have put their efforts into pushing for legislation to help keep children safe. The federal law requiring states to maintain sex offender registries has been in place since 1994 and is named after Jacob. Patty now directs a program on sexual violence prevention for the Minnesota Department of Health.
“The interest, the response, and I really believe the essence of Jacob himself and how he has captured the hearts of so many people … it’s kind of spurred us on to really try to make this better,” Jerry Wetterling said.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
