Part 4 of Kimberly’s Story Takes us Back to Day 1 and the Investigation Starts again
Kimberly Sue Doss
Part 4: How YOU Can Help!
“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” ~ Laini Taylor
Undoubtedly, hope keeps the Doss Family going, even after all the mistakes made throughout the last 44 years of searching for Kimberly. The heartbreak endured, without hope, could have been highly detrimental, and in some ways, it was. For the Doss Family, the fight and hope have never stopped regardless. Schelly, Kimberly’s sister, has taken over the reins from their mother to continue fighting and searching for answers as to what happened to her sister back on March 20th, 1980.
Schelly now resides in Illinois, but she is not far from where she grew up in Davenport, Iowa. As one can presume, being the sister of a missing loved one, she needs all the hope possible. Schelly was 16 years old when Kimberly disappeared, and Kimberly was just 14 years old. Their lives were beginning. The sisters' lives should have been celebrating all of life's accomplishments together. Instead, life consists of Schelly fighting for answers regarding Kimberly's disappearance.
As previously mentioned in Part 3, there is a new Detective handling Kimberly’s case. Det. Lauren Anderson is from DPD, and these past few weeks since she has taken over, she has already given back glimmers of hope to Schelly and Kimberly’s loved ones. Det. Anderson did not dismiss the need to correct the errors in Kimberly's case. Unfortunately, these errors have hindered Kimberly’s investigation for 42 years since Linda, Kimberly’s mother, could finally file the report in Davenport. Det. Anderson listened to Schelly’s requests and immediately went to work to correct Kimberly's missing dates. Doing so now allows organizations to update their records with the correct information. The dates of Kimberly's disappearance have been an unnecessary battle that, unfortunately, Schelly and her family have been fighting to have corrected all these years.
The other request that needed immediate attention was the incorrect information that Kimberly used as an alias. Unfortunately, information that was incorrectly tied to Kimberly’s file was that Kimberly used the alias “Kimberly Kathleen Gardner.” Together with Det. Anderson, we want to clarify that Kimberly Sue Doss has NEVER used an alias. Her name should NEVER have had Gardner's name attached to it to begin with. Kimberly Kathleen Gardner is an alias for a woman who has willingly given her DNA to prove she is NOT Kimberly Sue Doss. This incorrect information has caused irreparable harm in the search for Kimberly. Det. Anderson has already taken the initiative and requested the alias's removal from all organizations and sites.
Fortunately, correcting the dates Kimberly went missing now allows DNA to be checked for a match between 1980 and 1982. Unsurprisingly, this is also an issue Schelly has worked tirelessly, alongside her mother, to change. Det. Anderson has informed Schelly that they are re-submitting Kimberly’s information to see if there is a match. Even after 44 years, this progress gives hope. Presumably, it is possible there may not be a match. However, this is a positive step in the right direction.
All involved are grateful for what Det. Anderson has accomplished and portrayed in such a short time for Schelly and the Doss Family. In advocating for families, there are glimmers of hope when new detectives take over, but not every family experiences the same outcome. We are hopeful that more detectives will be willing to listen, help, and correct what needs to change for the families of missing loved ones.
Social media has been extremely helpful in the missing person community. Flyers, information about missing people, designated groups, and pictures all circulate quickly and can help solve many cases, but only when people speak up. This is how you can help Schelly and the Doss Family…
If you see information circulating that still shows Kimberly’s dates as missing September 1, 1982, instead of March 1980, please report it. If you see information about Kimberly Sue Doss with an alias connected to her name, please report it for false information. Please join the Facebook group for Kimberly below which was created and run by Schelly, and family advocate Liana Wiechnik.
Together with Liana, we are working alongside Det. Anderson to correct all the misinformation on sites and organizations online. We ask that if you see something still incorrectly posted, please report it. These errors could ultimately hinder Kimberly’s investigation more than it already has. It is worth noting, that goes for any case. If you see information that has been deemed incorrect, please reach out to whoever has posted it and allow them to at least attempt to correct the issue. In many instances, they are unaware as they are sharing many cases.
We are grateful that Schelly has trusted AVoice4TheLost to share her voice. This allows the facts and real story to circulate and correct the misconceptions.
Please continue to share Kimberly’s story. Each share matters and could possibly reach the right person. It could possibly reach someone who may know more but did not know it was relevant. All these years someone may have overheard a conversation or possibly knows who “Kathy” is, the friend that Kimberly was allegedly going on the bus with to Illinois. Or a completely different situation occurred between Kimberly and the people she was hanging around with.
Kimberly needs her voice back, and this is only the beginning. Together with Schelly and Liana, we will continuously strive to give Kimberly her voice back. We look forward to updating you on Kimberly’s case as information becomes available, and we remain hopeful for answers.
If you have any information, no matter how big or small, regarding the disappearance of Kimberly Sue Doss, please contact the Davenport PD 563-326-7979.
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Agency Case : 82-46115
The Doe Network : 503DFIA - Kimberly Sue Doss (doenetwork.org)
Missing Person Case (namus.gov)
Have you seen this child? Kimberly Sue Doss (missingkids.org)
Sources:
Family of Kimberly Sue Doss
Our partner on this feature and head advocate for Kimberly Sue Doss - Liana Wiechnik ~Freelance InterNet Detectives US (FIND US)
Davenport Iowa PD
FB Missing Kimberly Sue Doss: Still Missing, What Really Happened
Log into Facebook
The Resource Center For Cold Case Missing Children’s Cases – Where are they? (rcccmcc.com
rcccmcc.com
