Anna Christian Waters (Missing 1/16/1973 from Half Moon Bay, CA)

[PonderingThings]

There is no context to the "tot is dead" statement. They could have been talking about TV, a book, a patient, a neighbor... anything.

Anna was the only child of George Waters. She has younger half brothers.

Also I don't think the family was against the idea as much as they don't feel its either time or appropriate at the moment - just clarifying.

 

[Annasmom]

PT, thanx.
I didn't realize the family was against the idea. I am going to start looking on the adoption sites. I feel Anna is alive. The comment overheard by her stepdad when he was monitoring Waters and Brody in the motel has me questioning that though. "I'm glad the tot is dead"...

I'm sure this has already been posted on the thread, but was Anna's brother also Waters's child? I ask that only because of the support issue.

Thank you for your offer to look on the adoption sites. It's not that we're against the mass e-mails so much as that this somewhat duplicates other efforts made by Dr. Doogie and the private investigator who was working on the case. There were some other things Doogie wanted to try first, and he will be posting the results of today's efforts, I'm sure. Anna had (has) two half-brothers, six and nine years older than she.

 

[Annasmom]

There is no context to the "tot is dead" statement. They could have been talking about TV, a book, a patient, a neighbor... anything.

Anna was the only child of George Waters. She has younger half brothers.

Also I don't think the family was against the idea as much as they don't feel its either time or appropriate at the moment - just clarifying.

Thanks for the clarification, Pondering, as well as your heartening suggestions to Dr. Doogie. I was having computer problems yesterday, so I couldn't post anything. You will be hearing from Doogie about today's activities...nothing conclusive, but as always a tremendous and dedicated effort from him.

 

[PonderingThings]

Dr. Doogie IS wonderful Anna's mom and we are all awaiting word!

I'm sorry about the misinformation I gave out... I thought her brothers were younger, not older....

just goes to show people can't ask the questions often enough.

Hope you and the family are bearing up well over this excitement... its a roller coaster ride for you guys... I don't envy you... but I sure am glad you are all willing to take it!

 

[Dr. Doogie]

Dr. Doogie,
I am familiar with many of the adoption sites. I will persue that avenue. May I have permission in advance to PM you with info before I post it?

Absolutely. Thanks for your help.

 

[Dr. Doogie]

I viewed the adoptee's yearbook photos and the conclusion is...inconclusive. I was hoping for either a clear match or an obvious no-match. Instead, what I found was a girl who's hair seemed darker than I was expecting with a more angular face and a nose that came to a sharper point than any of Anna's pictures. However, she definitely had pronounced dimples like Anna and nothing in the picture ruled her out. I was only able to find pictures of her for her freshman and sophmore year. The junior yearbook was missing from the libraies files and she received her GED during her senior year and did not graduate with her class, so no senior picture.

I have still not heard from her directly. While I was in her hometown, I tried to speak with the local police department, but they had no one available for the holiday weekend (AAARRRRGH!). I was hoping that I could sell them on contacting the adoptee themselves (not providing me with the info) and let her know to contact me, but no luck.

One other interesting point that Annasmom and I discussed on Friday - it dawned on me that Anna would have started kindergarten in early September (a few weeks before her fifth birthday). This seemed odd to me because I always thought that a student had to be at least five at the start of the schoolyear, so Anna should have been starting school the following year. Annasmom does not recall why that occured early for her. Interestingly, the adoptee (who was born on the same day) also was on an educational track where she would have started kindergarten the same year (in other words, both seem to have been on the same excelerated track). I do not know if the adoptee attended kindergarten (I have only been able to track her back as far as first grade), but both would have been attending the same grades at the same time. I do not know if this is significant, but I found it curious.

 

[mysteriew]

Dr. Doogie, did you check to see if her county court has online access? Two possibilities are the traffic offenses and the property taxes. Traffic offenses most likely won't give you an address, but will give the officer's name.
Property taxes probably will.

 

[Dr. Doogie]

Dr. Doogie, did you check to see if her county court has online access? Two possibilities are the traffic offenses and the property taxes. Traffic offenses most likely won't give you an address, but will give the officer's name.
Property taxes probably will.

I did do a court search for the adoptee and found a divorce case listed. It did not show an address online, but a call to the clerk informed me that the address would be on file if I came to the courthouse and reviewed the files. The clerk was nice enough to inform me that the paperwork only showed a Post Office box, not a physical address. Since I already had a P.O. box in my research, I did not make the trip to get that info.

 

[PonderingThings]

Dr. Doogie, I know where I am that Kindergarden wasn't mandatory, and wasn't available in all school districts. If it was available, you had to be 5 years old by October 15th of that year. If you were 5 on October 16th you only began the following year.

The cut off date was different in different areas. I have no idea what it was in California.

Perhaps this can explain it?

As for the sleuthing about Anna, KEEP GOING! Sounds like you are doing a terrific job!

 

[mjak]

One other interesting point that Annasmom and I discussed on Friday - it dawned on me that Anna would have started kindergarten in early September (a few weeks before her fifth birthday). This seemed odd to me because I always thought that a student had to be at least five at the start of the schoolyear, so Anna should have been starting school the following year. Annasmom does not recall why that occured early for her. Interestingly, the adoptee (who was born on the same day) also was on an educational track where she would have started kindergarten the same year (in other words, both seem to have been on the same excelerated track). I do not know if the adoptee attended kindergarten (I have only been able to track her back as far as first grade), but both would have been attending the same grades at the same time. I do not know if this is significant, but I found it curious.

Kindergraden cut-offs, as its called in the education world is different for every school district. Some schools have an october cut- off for turning 5 , others have a January. I was 4 when I entered kindergarden as my school district had a January cut off. As long as a child turned 5 by January 1 they were elidgable to start kindergarden. Kindergarden was also not a mandatory attendance when i was in school and I am about the same age as Anna.

mjak

 

[Dr. Doogie]

It sounds like the kindergarten starting date for both Anna and the adoptee is a red herring. Evidently, it is not that unique. Thanks for the clarification, WSers.

 

[mysteriew]

You are doing good Dr. Doogie. But you can't be right all the time, LOL. Just keep doin' what you're doin'.

 

[Dr. Doogie]

Today is the 33 year anniversary of Anna's disappearance. I am hoping it is the day of the final answer of what happened to Anna. I will contact the local police at where the adoptee lives tomorrow if I do not hear from her today. I am hoping that with their assistance, I can make contact with her and settle this once and for all.

 

[PonderingThings]

Dr. Doogie we are all right there beside you!!! We are excited and WANT TO KNOW!!!!!!

BUT... please be gentle with her... at best she's a kidnap victim who was torn from her family and raised by another. Lied to about her origins, and probably unsure of anything of her childhood now.

At worse, its not her. The adoptee will have to, once again, gather their emotions and go on looking to find her origins. Her own personal roller coaster ride.

Find out for us.... but please do so with the care and gentleness you have thus far demonstrated.

 

[gardenmom]

Anna's mom,
I am thinking of you today and praying for answers. Love, gardenmom

 

[Dr. Doogie]

I have spoken to the adoptee and she is not Anna. The adoptee was adopted at age five weeks and based on that has no memories of her birth family. Anna was abducted at age five years and would have some memories, however vague. The adoptee has adoption papers from a legitimate private agency (one that has been around for more than a century), so absent any evidence of falsified paperwork, there is no reason to believe that she is Anna.

I passed this information on to Annasmom before I posted here and she took it amazing well (probably much better than I did). We will need to re-examine where we stand and develop another strategy of research.

Thanks to all of you for your hopes and prayers. I believe that Anna is still out there and the circumstances that lead us to believe that remain. All that we have discovered is that this particular woman is not Anna. We search on.

 

[PonderingThings]

We search on.

It may seem odd to be cheering at this time... but I MUST! Thank you Dr. Doogie for saying you will continue the hunt!

Anna's Mom, and family, my thoughts are with you....

There is still lots more to be done!

May the adoptee find her origins... meanwhile we will search for Anna!

Take heart... Miami just reopened their oldest missing child case (I posted the info here in the Cold Case forum), perhaps the local police will do the same, sometime in the future, for Anna's case?

 

[itsreenw]

Annasmom,
I want you to know I think you are a wonderful mother and should be commended for never giving up on finding Anna. :clap: :clap:

After 33 years you are still diligently looking for your daughter and have recruited people across the nation to assist in the search. I feel in my heart we will find Anna and she will know just how much her family loves her.

I will pray this day as I do every day that you and the families of other missing, abducted and adopted persons will reunite with their loved ones.

 

[mysteriew]

Unfortunately, when there is a missing child, there are always going to be ups and downs, false hopes followed by disappointment. I am sure this is not the first time, and hopefully won't be the last time a potiential match is found. But inevitably when you find a match you take the risk of disappointment. But better that than to give up entirely.
Anna's mom, I am so sorry this wasn't it. We all had our hopes pinned on this as a match, but I know it has to be much harder on you.
Dr. Doogie, I commend you on your persistance along with the sensitivity that you have shown. You are right, all it really means is one more person who has been ruled out. So the search is on again.

 

[Dr. Doogie]

Thanks, everybody, for your kind words. It is difficult to not feel down after a promising lead turns out to be a dud, but setbacks are not defeat.

When I spoke to the adoptee, I promised her that as I uncovered any information that may be of benefit to her in her search for her birth-parents, I would pass them on. In that vain, if anyone out there could volunteer any knowledge about the adoption process, please PM me so we can discuss a couple of issues off-forum. Thanks!