A teen from Mississippi escaped from the Harrison County Youth Detention Center on July 31, 1973 at the age of 17 according to Associated Press. The young man, Joseph Spears, was never seen or heard from again by his family. A month later, an unidentified teenager was killed in Texas City, Texas while trying to cross a freeway on August 23, 1973. The community of Texas City raised money to give the unidentified teenager a funeral and grave.
Cemetery worker, Chelsea Davidson, began to search for the young man’s family. Chelsea Davidson is an employee of
Hayes Grace Memorial Park in Hitchcock, Texas, which led her to look into the young man’s background in hopes of finding his identity and loved ones. Decades later, Davidson found Joseph Spears’ information on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), which led authorities to exhume the unidentified teenager’s body. Joseph’s mother, Mary Raskin, positively identified the body through photographs.
David Riddick, 1994.
Maryland police officials found a deceased male in 1994 with no identification and severe injuries to his face complicating positive identification. In 2008, Carla Tippie Proudfoot, the Director of the Maryland Missing Persons Clearinghouse, was helping the Maryland state medical examiner’s office load cold cases into the NamUs database and entered the information regarding the unidentified male with a forensic artist’s sketch of the man’s believed appearance. Later that year, a new image of the unidentified man’s appearance was uploaded to the NamUs profile. A local newspaper published a story about the unidentified man’s case with the inclusion of the new photo. Two weeks later, a woman came forward claiming that the unidentified man in the paper is her missing nephew, David Riddick. Authorities later confirmed the man’s identity and his body was finally sent home. Mr. Riddick’s family was able to bury their loved one after fourteen years.
The Importance and Effectiveness of NamUs
According to the National Institute of Justice, NamUs has helped government agencies to solved missing persons cases all across the country. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System helped to improve upon the local and statewide websites dedicated to providing information on missing persons. “Before NamUS”, as Mike Murphy points out, “it was more of a haphazard, disjointed, localized effort.” Mr. Murphy works for the Clark County Coroner’s Office in Nevada.
There was often incomplete data or information, or the search for information could lead one through dozens of different websites and databases before providing the needed information. According to a report by Beth Pearsall and Danielle Weiss, there are estimated 4,400 unidentified persons cases each year. NamUs helps provide necessary information to officials involved in solving missing persons cases.
NamUs is under the control of the United States Department of State with a budget of $3.5 million. The organization works with local and national law enforcement, non-profit organizations and medical examiners. NamUs employs a wide range of experts involved in solving missing persons cases including dad analysts, fingerprint experts and forensic dentists to help identify the unidentified. Since the debut of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, over 700 missing persons cases have been solved. Unfortunately while these cases are finally being solved, most of the missing persons are found to be deceased, very few are found alive.
How You Can Help
NamUs provides information about how average citizens can help find missing persons through the database, “NamUs is only as strong as the cases within it and those who use it.” NamUs urges anyone who believes they have information regarding a missing or unidentified person to report the information to local law enforcement immediately. The organization emphasizes that individuals should not put themselves in potentially dangerous situations and to leave the investigations to law enforcement or the appropriate authorities.
Other ways to help:
Visit NamUs’s news room for media updates
Reach out to local officials to raise awareness of NamUs and make sure they are using the NamUs database
Urge your state’s medical examiner or coroner to enter all the unidentified remains from your area into NamUs
Molly Miller was last seen on July 8, 2013, from Wilson, Oklahoma. Molly’s disappearance has been classified as endangered missing. Molly is currently twenty years old, but at the time of her disappearance she was seventeen years old. Molly is five feet five inches, with brown hair and blue eyes. She has a piercing on her lower lip on the right side as well as a tattoo of a star on her hip
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Early on July 8, 2013 Molly Miller and Colt Haynes disappeared from Wilson, Oklahoma. The night of the disappearance, both Molly and Colt were in a 2012 Honda Accord with James Conn Nipp, according to various reports James was driving recklessly and they were throwing stones at police cars. They were pursued by police, but eventually made it away.
Molly called 911 early July 8 at 12:47 a.m., but she did not say anything to the dispatcher. There are conflicting reports
about whether or not the dispatcher attempted to call Molly back a few moments later. According to Molly’s friends and family, she placed several calls saying she was somewhere in a field and needed someone to pick her up. Colt, according to reports, also called his friends pleading for help; he told his friends that he was lying in a creek with a broken ankle. Colt’s friends were not able to find him. Molly and Colt were never heard from again.
Weeks later, on July 22, the car both were supposedly last seen in was found in a field near the end of the police chase. The car had tens of thousands worth of damage; James Conn Nipp’s girlfriend, Sabrina Graham, who owned the Honda, initially told Police that Nipp had stolen her car, but later stated that she allowed him to borrow her car. Nipp and Graham were never strongly linked to the disappearances of Molly and Colt by police due to lack of evidence.
Potential Small Town Cover Up
James Conn Nipp is related to the Love County’s Sheriff, Joe Russell, who has been charged with “corruption while in office, habitual or willful neglect of duty, and willful maladministration” according to KXII-TV reports. Molly Miller’s family strongly believes that Sheriff Russell never thoroughly investigated the disappearances of Molly and Colt in order to protect Nipp, his cousin. Paula Fielder, Miller’s cousin, told The Daily Beast “Sheriff Russell… refused to allow her family to file a missing person report within days of Miller’s disappearance. The Love County dispatcher told relatives they needed to file a report with the Wilson Police Department because it was not Russell’s ‘problem’.” Fortunately, a grand jury has since filed charges against Sheriff Russell in order to remove him from office. However, since the Sheriff was released from jail he has returned to work. Miller’s family hopes that Sheriff Russell’s pending arrest will finally bring them answers.
The Importance of External Investigations
Molly and Colt’s disappearance demonstrates that police can actively and passively influence a criminal investigation, which can leave families waiting for answers for years. While corruption in United States law enforcement is not rampant, there are still cases of criminal investigations being conducted improperly. Private investigators can be a useful tool for families feeling that their loved one’s case is not getting enough attention. Private investigators can conduct their own investigation ensuring families’ get all the information they can. Moreover, private investigators can collect evidence and information to provide to prosecutors in a criminal trial. If you feel your loved ones case is being handled improperly, contact a private investigations firm in order to get the answers your family deserves.
18-year old Colorado teen, Ashley Doolittle, was reported missing Thursday, June 9 after she never returned home at her expected 7:30 p.m. time. Her mother called the sheriff’s office in Larimer County just before 8:00 p.m. after she found her daughters car abandoned near Lon Hagler Reservoir, near the family’s home.
Doolittle’s ex-boyfriend, Tanner George Flores, 18, was taken into custody shortly after she went missing. Authorities gathered through interviews that Flores was distraught over the young couple’s recent breakup. Flores’ father also reported to investigators that his .22-caliber revolver had been missing from his gun cabinet.
Flores’ truck was found at his deceased grandfather’s home after Ashley went missing. An eyewitness account contacted authorities and reported seeing Flores and his truck at the house. The eyewitness also explained they saw Flores pulling out what looked to be a bundled up blanket from the back seat. The eyewitness further reported that she might have seen an arm coming out of the blanket.
Authorities began the search for Doolittle on Friday the 10th and found a body near Mesa County, five hours from Larimer County. Authorities arrested Flores, who was found near the area that the unidentified body was found, and was booked to Mesa Country jail. The body was later identified as Ashley Doolittle. Flores admitted to shooting Doolittle twice in Larimer County and dumping her body in Mesa County.
The Warning Signs of Potential Violence after a Teen Breakup
Why would Flores turn to murder over a breakup? Not much is known at this point, but friends of Flores stated, “They had never seen Tanner so depressed before.” Authorities were told that Flores was posting updates on his social media that suggested a depressed state. Suzanne Lachmann Psy.D. explains that a depressed state is common during the grieving process after a breakup. After a breakup, Lachmann explains, an individual may become desperate in making sense of what has occurred. Their thoughts become clouded in search for clarity. In a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, sociologists explain that this clouded judgement can lead to depression. Sociologists found that 40% of the 114 individuals they assessed after a breakup were clinically depressed, and of that 40%, 12% were severely depressed. This depressed state, however, isn’t enough to explain the extreme violence that the young teen committed.
An arrest affidavit states that Flores shot Doolittle “because he was angry with her.” Lachmann makes note that anger is another stage of the grieving process after a breakup.” Further insight from the American Psychological Association explains that violence arises because serotonin levels drop during the anger stage and may cause an individual to become violent and impulsive. This may lead a teen to turn towards violent acts to express their anger, or as a way to retaliate against a person they care about who has hurt them. Lachmann explains that this is a crucial stage in the grieving process because either the individual can use the anger in an empowering way, or it can consume the individual.
The grieving process after a teenage breakup, combined with fluctuating hormones, may be a potential for an increase in teen violence. Parents and friends are advised to keep an eye on both parties after a breakup to ensure violence does not arise.
How to Recognize Potential Violence in Teens
Ashley Doolittle was victim of horrific violence that occurred after a breakup. As the story develops, we will learn more about Flores and if violence had been a part of his past. But signs of potential violence in teens should be recognizable to deter any future lives being taken.
The problem with teen violence is that there is no direct cause as to why it occurs. Research and professionals suggest that violence in teens may arise, especially when close relationships become strained. These strained relationships come in many different forms. They may be due to unchangeable factors such as:
Being victim to bullying
Witnessing/being victim to violence at a young age
Lacking empathy for others
Having a family member condone violence
Other unchangeable factors unrelated to strained relationships stem from things such as:
Having a history of aggressive behavior
Experiencing trauma at a young age.
Drug or use
Gang membership
Withdrawal from social matters
Feeling rejected/alone
Fascination with guns
If you are a parent that believes your teen may become violent or is showing patterns of violence, visit the links below for help.
Every 40 seconds in the United States, a child becomes missing or is abducted. Scary, huh? However, contrary to popular belief, many child abductions are not carried out by strangers. The reality is most children who are kidnapped are taken by their own parents.
Parental Abductions: Why Do They Happen
According to the latest stats, nearly 204,000 were victims of family abduction in 2014. This is done for a wide variety of reasons, but usually occurs when a custodial order is not viewed as being “fair” by one of the parents.
When this parent is allowed their court-appointed time with their child, they choose to leave the area and not return their child to their custodial parent. Leaving the area doesn’t necessarily mean they leave the state. It might just mean that they don’t return to their home or return the child to their home.
International parental child abduction rates have dropped by 12.23% over the last 4 years—however, that’s still not high enough in our books.
Child victims of international parental kidnapping are often taken from a familiar environment and suddenly isolated from their community, family, and friends. They may miss months or even years of schooling.
The child may be moved to multiple locations in order to stay hidden or out of reach of the parent remaining in the United States. In some cases, the child´s name, birth date, and physical appearance are altered or concealed to hide identity.
At Lauth Investigations, we’ve handled quite a number of parental abduction cases for our clients over the years. One of our more high-profile cases involved the kidnapping of Jasmin, 9, and Felix, 6, of Germany.
Several years ago, their father abducted them to the United States, prompting the mother, Susanne, to take every necessary action to return them back to Germany—but it was no easy task.
She reached out to lawyers in Germany and the USA, the FBI, the American embassy as well as organizations that specialize in parental abduction cases. However, none of these agencies appeared to move fast enough or provide her with the answers she so desperately needed in a timely manner.
That’s when she reached out to us. To make a long story short, it took us just two days to learn that Susanne’s children were living with their father in Charlotte, N.C. Local authorities were contacted and they eventually took the children, placing them temporarily in foster care. As soon as she learned the news, their mother left Germany to see her children after nearly two month of them being taken from her.
Eventually, a judge soon ruled in Susanne’s favor. She was able to return with her children back to Germany. Unfortunately, like many parents involved in similar cases, Susanne made the mistake of solely relying on the authorities for help. In fact, he cost her six weeks.
“Police, youth welfare office, embassy, Federal Office of Justice are all necessary, but don’t help searching,” she told a German newspaper. “You, yourself, have to take the first steps, take care and take advantage of the experience of others.”
The Challenges Of International Parental Kidnapping
Resolving child custody issues can be quite challenging and often times emotional. When that battle over custody transcends across the globe and jurisdictions of different countries, there is always a heightened level of complexity involved—especially when there may be communication barriers.
In the United States, federal law prohibits a parent from removing a child from this country or retaining a child in another country with intent to obstruct another parent´s custodial rights.
However, it’s important to understand: The FBI has no investigative jurisdiction outside the U.S., except on the high seas and other locations specifically granted by Congress.
Hague Convention On The Civil Aspects Of International Child Abduction
This is the primary, go-to civil law mechanism for parents seeking the return of their children from other treaty partner countries. Countries that are party to the Convention have agreed that a child who was habitually resident in one Convention country, and who has been removed to or retained in another Convention country in violation of the left-behind parent’s custodial rights, shall be returned.
Once the child has been returned, any custody dispute can then be resolved in the courts of that jurisdiction. The Convention, however, does not address who should have custody of the child; it addresses where the custody case should be heard.
The circumstances of every abduction case are different and each requires a tailored response. It’s so important that you call and discuss your child’s case with a country officer as soon as possible to determine options available to you in seeking the return of your child. However, don’t completely rely on law enforcement authorities to locate your child. Take matters into your own hands and seek the help of an agency who specializes in international parental kidnapping cases. They can guide you in the right direction.
Need Help?
Lauth Investigations and Thomas Lauth are experts in helping families locate missing loved ones.
While each missing persons case is different and results will vary, Lauth has been helping families for more than 20 years and boasts nearly an 85% success rate.
If you or someone you know need assistance, call them today at 1.800.889.FIND or 317.951.1100.
Detra Duncan, nicknamed DD, has been missing since before Christmas. Photo from: KSAT 12 News
16-year-old Detra Yvonne Duncan was last seen on Dec. 23 at about 10:30pm near the 200 block of Nacogdoches Road in San Antonio. The area where Duncan disappeared is just blocks away from her school—Alamo Heights High School.
According to the San Antonio Police Department, several facts lead investigators to believe that the Texas teen may have been a victim of human trafficking.
Duncan’s father, Juan Armenta, told reporters from San Antonio’s KSAT 12 News that sheriff’s deputies had found his daughter, on multiple occasions, at the home of an individual that Armenta says has been rumored to participate in human trafficking.
“The second time, they found her with two other little girls there. They said he was involved in trafficking,” Armenta said.
According to a report from KSAT 12, police officials said that they have seen numerous indicators and red flags that point to human trafficking. Officials also said that Detra could be with an adult, Hispanic, male.
Armenta said that he believes his daughter left with this man, in part, because of the fact that she left him a note asking him not to contact police. Armenta also told reporters that his daughter has emotional problems and described her as a recurrent runaway.
Anyone with information about Detra Duncan’s disappearance, or her whereabouts, is being asked to contact either the Heidi Search Center at 210-650-0428 or the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7662.
UPDATE: Black and Missing, Inc. posted a statement on their Facebook Page, on February 6, saying that Detra Duncan has been located. No details have been released, but we will report the latest when details have been made public.
Thelma Thomas (second from right) of Merrillville, mother of the missing Rochelle Thomas Stubblefield, listens to investigators Friday (December 12) during a news conference seeking the public’s help in the case. -Damian Rico/Photo (The Times)
Rochelle Thomas Stubblefield of Merrillville, In. was supposed to celebrate her 21st birthday on December 25 with friends and family. She was also supposed deliver her first child on Dec. 15—a boy, who she had already decided to name “Amir”.
However, the 21-year-old went missing on Nov. 10 after attending classes early in the day and going a girls basketball game later on. Her family reported her missing on Nov. 12. Almost three months later, investigators are still unable to locate Stubblefield.
The Calumet College student was attending school on a track scholarship. Calumet College of St. Joseph is a private college that is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Stubblefield was a criminal justice student who had hopes of becoming a police officer upon graduation.
Stubblefield was proud of her school, and she was last seen wearing a maroon Calumet College sweatshirt, black jeans, and glasses.
Stubblefield’s friends and family are still desperate for answers.
“We need to find her. Help us,” Stubblefield’s cousin, Lajuaina Riley, told the Chicago Tribune in late December, “If anyone has any information, don’t be afraid.”
Police Detective George Dickerson from the Gary Police Department told reporters that investigators do have a person of interest in the case, but declined to comment further. Dickerson did say that this person is someone that Rochelle Stubblefield knows, and that the individual is not cooperating with police.
Investigators have also recovered some personal items belonging to Stubblefield, but would not comment on the location that these items were found.
“We don’t want to compromise the integrity of the investigation,” Detective Dickerson told the Chicago Tribune.
Police did say that they suspect foul play, but were unable to comment any further.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call (219) 755-3855 or the anonymous tip line at 866-CRIME-GP.
according to Associated Press. The young man, Joseph Spears, was never seen or heard from again by his family. A month later, an unidentified teenager was killed in Texas City, Texas while trying to cross a freeway on August 23, 1973. The community of Texas City raised money to give the unidentified teenager a funeral and grave.
regarding a missing or unidentified person to report the information to local law enforcement immediately. The organization emphasizes that individuals should not put themselves in potentially dangerous situations and to leave the investigations to law enforcement or the appropriate authorities.
family strongly believes that Sheriff Russell never thoroughly investigated the disappearances of Molly and Colt in order to protect Nipp, his cousin. Paula Fielder, Miller’s cousin, told The Daily Beast “Sheriff Russell… refused to allow her family to file a missing person report within days of Miller’s disappearance. The Love County dispatcher told relatives they needed to file a report with the Wilson Police Department because it was not Russell’s ‘problem’.” Fortunately, a grand jury has since filed charges against Sheriff Russell in order to remove him from office. However, since the Sheriff was released from jail he has returned to work. Miller’s family hopes that Sheriff Russell’s pending arrest will finally bring them answers.
