Elaine Park vanished into thin air on Jan. 28, 2017, from Calabasas, the gateway to the Santa Monica Mountains located in Los Angeles County, Calif.
Elaine is a beautiful 21-year-old Korean-American young woman who is described as spunky, outgoing by those who know her. Before her disappearance, she had been looking forward to attending Pierce College. A young lady who loves performing in musical theater and dance companies. She has also worked hard to pursue her dreams as an actress.
Elaine has appeared in several roles in TV shows and some movies including Crazy Stupid Love, Role Models, E.R. Mad TV, and Desperate Housewives. Not yet a household name, she was certainly headed in that direction.
In a Hollywood Reporter article “Search for Missing Actress Intensifies as $250,000 Cash Reward Offered”, according to the family’s private investigator Jayden Brant located in Beverly Hills, Elaine’s case is classified as an “unwilling missing person” by authorities and foul play is suspected.
According to the FBI National Crime Information Center, as of Oct. 31, 2017, there were 87,643 active missing person cases in the United States. In Calif., there are 19,431 active missing person cases, with 1,829 classified as “Involuntary” and another 4,234 classified as “Endangered” within six categories of entry in the national database.
Elaine had stayed the night with her boyfriend Divine “Div” Compere. Compere is the son of Hollywood businessman Shakim Compere, who co-owns Flavor Unit Entertainment with Queen Latifa.
Compere told police that he and Elaine had gone to a movie the night before she mysteriously vanished and returned to his home at 1:00am that evening, taking Uber and later confirmed on surveillance. Compere also claims at approximately 4:00 am, Elaine suddenly woke up shaking and singing which he attributed to a panic attack. Surveillance captures Elaine walking to her car two hours later, not appearing distressed. Video also shows Elaine’s vehicle leaving Divine’s compound, near the 2600 block of Delphine Lane in the rugged Coldwater Canyon of Calabasas.
A resident of La Cresenta, Calif., Elaine was reported missing two days later when family became concerned she had not returned home, calls or responded to texts.
As reported in an NBC Dateline interview, “Mother Appeals for Continued Help in Search for Missing California Daughter,” Elaine’s mother Susan Parks said, “I called (police) and, because of her age, the police thought she had just not contacted me. So, I thought, OK, just wait one more day. But my fear kept growing. The official report was made Monday.”
Police had initially considered Elaine to be voluntarily missing until Feb 2, when Elaine’s charcoal gray 2015 Honda Civic, was found abandoned in a desolate area, approximately 20 miles away, along Hwy 1-Pacific Coast Highway just south of Corral Canyon Rd., in Malibu.
The vehicle’s doors were unlocked with keys still in the ignition. Personal belongings were found inside, including her keys, backpack, cell phone, purse, makeup, cash and laptop.
Police conducted a ground search with bloodhounds along the cliffs and shore but there was no sign of Elaine in the area
Elaine’s car was found along Pacific Coast Highway, near Corral Canyon.
“It’s suspicious in the way that we found her car, her cell phone and things, in the manner we did,” Glendale Police Sgt. Robert William told Dateline. “We can’t rule foul play in or out because plain and simple, we don’t have any evidence to do so.”
Authorities have said the boyfriend has been cooperative and not considered a suspect, but theories and suspicion abound on Internet sleuth sites.
At a news conference, Elaine’s mother Susan Park said, “It’s completely a mystery, unimaginable. How can someone just disappear without a trace?” Park has made numerous public pleas for help to find her missing daughter including an emotional plea and “time-limited” $500,000 reward offered for information.
Rolling Stone writer Neil Strauss, partnered with Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger to raise awareness wearing T-shirts with “Find Elaine Park.” Einziger, along with his wife Marie who live in the area where Elaine went missing. Appearing on KROQ, they asked the public for help to keep the search for Elaine going.
Marie Einziger, Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger, and Rolling Stone writer Neil Strauss – Courtesy KROQ
Now, with the $500,000 reward expired, along with lack of leads, Elaine’s family and friends are even more desperate to find her. The family has created a presence on social media with a Facebook page “Help Find Elaine Park” dedicated to the continued search for information that may help find her. Her mother has posted fliers and searched places Elaine loved to go, including the boardwalks. The family is doing what they can, but they need additional help.
“Missing person investigations can be quite complex, and one must always think outside the box during an investigation,” says private investigator and MissingLeads.com contributor Thomas Lauth. Lauth has over two decades private investigation experience on missing person cases and headquartered in Ind. “As important as it is to pound the pavement to obtain information, I can’t stress enough, the importance of engaging the public in the search for a missing person. Many crimes are solved by raising awareness, generating that one lead, and social media is a vital tool.”
In Andy Nguyen’s report in the L.A. Times, “$250K reward offered in missing LaCresenta missing woman’s disappearance,” family private investigator Jayden Brant says, “It’s our strong contention that Elaine Park is an involuntary missing person and that foul play is involved in her disappearance.”
The passing months torturous for Elaine’s mother Susan, enduring having her child missing, one of the most traumatic of human experiences. With only the strength a mother could muster, Susan Park remains focused on finding answers, most importantly and no matter the outcome focused on bringing her daughter home.
It’s a rather startling number. At any given time, there are between 100,000 and 300,000 children in the U.S. alone at risk for child sex trafficking. While many people tend to think this horrific crime is something that only occurs in third world countries, they are sadly mistaken. This modern day form of slavery is alive and well in our own backyards. Girls are not the only targets either—so are boys.
“These are not children living in some faraway place, far from everyday life,” FBI Director James Comey stated. “These are our children. On our streets. Our truck stops. Our motels. These are America’s children. They are not for sale”
The Facts
To put the problem in perspective, consider these alarming numbers:
75% of underage sex trafficking victims said they had been advertised or sold online.
A pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child each year and exploits an average of 4-6 girls.
325,000 children are at risk for becoming victims of sexual exploitation in the United States.
The average age of entry into the sex trade in America is 12 – 14 years old.
U.S. Cities Notorious For Sex Trafficking
In 2003 as a part of its Innocence Lost National Initiative, the FBI identified 18 U.S. cities where child prostitution is a major problem. Atlanta ranked number one on the list—a number city and community leaders are obviously not too happy about. However, they’re determined to combat the problem head on.
“It’s a moral evil. It’s a moral cancer in the midst of a great city, and it’s something as a faith-based community are trying to address,” stated Cheryl Deluca-Johnson with the non-profit group Street Grace
Her organization is a non-denominational alliance of churches, community partners, and volunteers whose goal is to bring an end to commercial sexual exploitation in Atlanta and duplicate these efforts in cities across America.
“One of our initiatives is supporting at-risk neighborhoods,” she stated. “We know that if all we do is rescue rather than prevent children from entering it in the first place, then we’ll increase the number of children affected by it.”
Of course, Atlanta is not the only city grappling with this massive problem. According to the FBI, the other following cities are hubs for human trafficking:
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Knoxville
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Milwaukee
New Orleans
Norfolk
Omaha
Pittsburgh
Portland
Sacramento
San Diego
Seattle
Grooming: What It Is
Grooming is the process by which an offender draws a victim into a sexual relationship and maintains that relationship in secrecy. The shrouding of the relationship is an essential feature of grooming.
The grooming sex offender works to separate the victim from peers, typically by engendering in the child a sense that they are special to the child and giving a kind of love to the child that the child needs.
According to the organization, 68 percent of these likely sex trafficking victims were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran. However, victims could be anyone—your son, your daughter, neighbor, niece or nephew.
The Warning Signs
It’s not uncommon for a law enforcement officer to list a child as a runaway rather than endangered and a victim of sex trafficking. That’s why it’s so important to pay close attention to these ten warning signs below:
1. Unknown numbers on phone bills or unexpected credit card charges
It’s important that parents are attentive to a child’s phone bills. In an open and honest environment, it can be helpful to sit down and go over the charges/call with the child to learn who they’re interacting with.
2. Going missing from home at odd hours or for days
Although this warning sign may see somewhat obvious, it is usually the excuse or reasoning behind their absence or location that is cause or concern. Keep in mind that trafficker want to conceal the child’s activities by using threats or force, making it harder to verify their whereabouts.
3. Unexplained relationships or interactions with older adults
These types of relationships are clearly inappropriate, but the underlying danger is that the older individual could be manipulating or forcing the child to perform sexual acts or favors.
4. Alcohol or drug use
Alcohol and drugs are common ways that traffickers recruit children into the sex industry. The goal of the trafficker is to diminish a child’s natural resistance to unnatural situations and/or to get victims addicted so that they will do anything to get their next fix.
5. Bruising
Any signs of physical or sexual abuse are major causes for concern. Adults should be aware that predators seek anonymity; therefore, external signs of abuse may be hard to identify. More likely, evidence of abuse shows up in changes in behavior or emotions.
6. Delinquent behaviors or increase of criminal activity
Trafficked victims are not just forced to perform sexual favors. Traffickers force victims to steal, lie, cheat or con in addition to selling themselves. Many times, the victims are not engaging in these activities themselves but rather for the older adult.
7. Withdrawal or loss of interest in age appropriate activities
Children at risk of becoming victims exhibit low self-esteem and poor self-image. Predators will prey on children by convincing them that they are valued, thereby luring them away from normal activities and social interactions.
8. Sudden increase in absences and tardiness from school
If a child is not attending school or suddenly begins to miss a lot of school, then they are likely with someone else. Predators will seek to draw children away from activities that they don’t really like to convince them that more enjoyable activities can be had away from supervision.
9. New “street name”
Predators will convince children to go by other “street names” or pet names in order to conceal their identity and age.
10. Sudden change in dressing patterns, personal hygiene or grooming
This warning sign is not a typical teenager showing interest in make-up or nicer clothes. This is a sudden and drastic change in their appearance and grooming habits.
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
More than three months after Peggy McGuire, a nurse, vanished, investigators still don’t know what happened to the young mother. However, family members are not keeping silent. They’ve been very active on the Bring Peggy Home!!! Facebook page–including the missing woman’s own mother who, based on her recent post, believes something bad has happened to her daughter:
The person(s) responsible are not coming forward! I don’t know how you can live with yourself knowing you got rid of my daughter! Pray nothing like this ever happens to one of your loved ones! It’s a feeling of hurt and emptiness wondering if you will ever see her again and not knowing where she’s at! I pray everyday all day someone will come forward! I don’t know why you just didn’t let her go on with her life! You took everything and what do you got nothing! cause you let it control you! God will forgive you but you will live with this thru eternity!!–Betty Davis, Peggy’s mother
Via McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office
The Details
McGuire was last seen dropping her young son off at school outside Eufaula, Oklahoma.
A grainy image captured the next morning around 5:00 a.m. shows Peggy’s Toyota truck being parked at T&J’s Ice House, a rural bar along Highway 9. A dark, unidentified figure can be seen walking away from the vehicle through an early morning storm.
That’s when the trail appears to go cold, leaving family, friends and thousands of complete strangers painfully anxious.
“The Sheriff’s Department is continuing this investigation and have spoke to numerous people as information is discovered. At this point we unfortunately do not have any further information to disclose. Anyone with information regarding this case needs to contact the Sheriff’s Department day or night,” duties wrote on the official McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office official Facebook Page.
The Investigation
Witnesses reported seeing a man leaving Peggy’s vehicle and walking away from it before it was discovered during the search for her.
Forensic evidence has been retrieved from the vehicle and sent for analysis, but no reports have indicated whether or not any of the evidence was relevant to the disappearance of the Oklahoma woman.
The last person to reportedly speak with Peggy was her stepfather, whom she phoned that morning on her way to the home she shares with her son and the boy’s father. She was going to call him back shortly with the measurements for a new deck, her mother said.
Authorities in Oklahoma have not yet addressed whether or not they suspect foul play in Peggy’s disappearance. However, it’s been confirmed that search warrants are being issued in the search for her this week, indicating that detectives are working in at least one specific direction.
Can You Help?
The family of Peggy McGuire is offering a $25,000.00 reward for anyone with information that leads to the location of Peggy or arrest and conviction of the person responsible for her disappearance. PEGGY WAS LAST SEEN AT HER HOME. You may call in ANONYMOUSLY to the McIntosh county Sheriff 918-689-2526 or the OSBI Hotline at 1- 800-522-8017.
Kathleen Haley, a 37 year old woman missing from Newport, Virginia, has not been seen since August 22nd. Kathleen’s sister, Diane Roman, was the last person to hear from Ms. Haley, speaking with her on the phone on September 1st. This is very unusual according to their mother, who said that she typically talked to Kathleen at least twice a week. In fact, they had plans for Kathleen to help her mother get her car inspected, but Kathleen never showed up. After Kathleen’s mother couldn’t locate her at her apartment on the 7th of September, combined with the fact that she had not been heard from in a week now; Kathleen’s mother reported her missing.
It is reported that there were several items missing from Haley’s condo. However, in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, the police have not yet released exactly what those items are. It is known, however, that her dog, a boxer, is missing from the condo. Haley’s brother in law, Manuel Roman, made a comment regarding the missing items, saying “It’s just stuff you don’t take with you if you’re going on a trip. Stuff you don’t necessarily take anywhere.”
Kathleen’s family portrayed her as leading a private life, not sharing a multitude of details with anyone, and being annoyed by nosy people. Her family could not think of anything that seemed to be bothering her leading up to her disappearance. Kathleen’s car is parked in her driveway, which the family says is very unusual. Manuel Roman stated, “It’s just totally unlike her to not call, to not be on Facebook, to not move her car.”
The family is concerned for her safety, and asking for the public’s help. They are seeking any information, no matter how big or small, regarding her disappearance and/or whereabouts. Roman posed the question, “If you had someone who was missing, wouldn’t you want somebody to come out and say ‘I know this little bit?’” If you have any information regarding this case, please immediately call the Newport News Police at (757) 247-2500. You can remain anonymous by calling The Crime Line, at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Spencer Shank, writer for MPAN
An 18 year old woman went missing from Kosciusko County in Warsaw, Indiana a week ago today, by the name of Aurora Shoemaker. There is not an abundance of information on this case, due to her abrupt disappearance.
The young adult is described as being 5-foot-6, a slender build, short blonde hair, green eyes, and piercings in her lip. She was seen last Thursday at approximately 4:00 P.M. leaving her mobile home at the Acres Mobile Home Park going out for a walk, however, she never returned. The sudden disappearance, coupled with her cell phone going unanswered caused her family to contact the Sheriff’s Department on Sunday to report her missing.
Police say that as far as they know, she does not have a history of running away. They are also requesting the public’s help in finding Aurora, so if you know anything about this young woman’s disappearance, please contact the Sheriff’s Department at either their anonymous line 574-372-2494 or their regular line at 574-267-5667
U.S. cities where child prostitution is a major problem. Atlanta ranked number one on the list—a number city and community leaders are obviously not too happy about. However, they’re determined to combat the problem head on.
“One of our initiatives is supporting at-risk neighborhoods,” 
