NJ NJ - Meaghan McCallum, 30, Oakland, 10 March 2015

[MalloryPike]

More awareness before this weekend, especially, would help. Weather is warming up. I wish some locals involved with the search join WS, if they think it could help.

More awareness is definitely needed. I'd say 8 out of 10 people I talked to here have not heard. And some of these are people living in towns less than 5 miles from where she went missing.

 

[FindHG]

More awareness is definitely needed. I'd say 8 out of 10 people I talked to here have not heard. And some of these are people living in towns less than 5 miles from where she went missing.

Agreed.

 

[JerseyGirl]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...12391540.2025235.1189704967&type=1&permPage=1

 

[FindHG]

Nationwide search underway for Oakland woman missing for 2 weeks
Meaghan McCallum, 30, who suffers from mental illness, has vanished before but never for this long, relatives say
Raven Santana, FiOS 1 News, Mar 26, '15, 5:44 pm reports that (paraphrasing)

Meg's brother has been reviewing her web interests in various areas, and that she has left before with her, but never like this, not being in touch, without her dog or phone. They have very little idea of direction or where she may have headed towards to yet ask people to search a specific place.



Oakland woman still missing; wide-ranging search groups ready to help
By John Seasly, The Record, Mar 27, '25, 9:31 pm

"State search and rescue groups, ready to offer assistance, have reached out to the father of the missing 30-year-old borough woman last seen March 10."

[...]

“Our gut tells us that she’s local. That she’s still around here. … But at this point she could be anywhere,” James McCallum said.


No signs in family's 'unbearable' search for missing
by Myles Ma, NJ Advance Media Mar 26, '15, 3:00 pm

[...]

"During the day we're busy with all of this--phone calls and following up, but at night it's almost unbearable," Heidi said. "And then I wake up in the morning and I can't believe I'm facing another day not knowing where my daughter is."

[...]

And recent updates here

https://www.facebook.com/findmegnow?fref=nf

 

[NJGuy]

The biggest difficulty is that her family doesn't even know if she left voluntarily or was lured by the alleged date she had. It make searching for her and figuring this out incredibly hard.

 

[FindHG]

The biggest difficulty is that her family doesn't even know if she left voluntarily or was lured by the alleged date she had. It make searching for her and figuring this out incredibly hard.

Meg would not leave them confused as such, do you think? I'm wondering about those internet troll types that get into peoples' heads and lower their guards and such. It wouldn't have taken more than her stepping out of the house, since she seems to have left without her cell or Sweet Pea, her dog. Her car, if she cared enough to leave a beloved pup behind, why would then she take her car if she were planning something drastic? If she were planning something drastic, why would she just take her car? If Meg wanted to do something drastic, she worked with the elderly and would have had access to pills, so why would she chose to leave with her car and nothing else? It seems to me she would have no reason in her worst hour to put her family through this kind of unknowing, without a clue. Could she not have cared to be or wanted to be found? That doesn't seem like her from the impression I have.

There's a good deal of information about the search including recent a update of a sighting in a comment on the *O *UN* ME page for Meg linked in the "posts" here:
https://www.facebook.com/findmegnow

 

[JerseyGirl]

A graduate of Montclair State University, she had stopped taking her medication last fall, and had quarreled with her parents about that. That’s why Meaghan decided to stay with her grandmother in Montvale. Meaghan has gone missing in the past, but usually was found quickly. Meaghan made a call on her cellphone at 8:11 p.m. Tuesday, but her phone has since been turned off.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/family-searches-for-missing-oakland-woman-1.1289583

 

[FindHG]

http://www.northjersey.com/news/family-searches-for-missing-oakland-woman-1.1289583

Thank you, JerseyGirl, I remember that, but it was reported that she left without in later MSM, so wasn't sure if that report is confirmed.

And you had also linked the SM info too here

 

[NJGuy]

Meg would not leave them confused as such, do you think? I'm wondering about those internet troll types that get into peoples' heads and lower their guards and such. It wouldn't have taken more than her stepping out of the house, since she seems to have left without her cell or Sweet Pea, her dog. Her car, if she cared enough to leave a beloved pup behind, why would then she take her car if she were planning something drastic? If she were planning something drastic, why would she just take her car? If Meg wanted to do something drastic, she worked with the elderly and would have had access to pills, so why would she chose to leave with her car and nothing else? It seems to me she would have no reason in her worst hour to put her family through this kind of unknowing, without a clue. Could she not have cared to be or wanted to be found? That doesn't seem like her from the impression I have.

There's a good deal of information about the search including recent a update of a sighting in a comment on the *O *UN* ME page for Meg linked in the "posts" here:
https://www.facebook.com/findmegnow

My only worry is that she has gone missing on her own before, and was off her meds. It's just so tough to get a handle on her frame of mind that night. I think both avenues of investigation (leaving on her own and being lured to meet someone) are about equal at this point, just my own thoughts. It is troublesome that her car has not been found yet. I'm also glad they are searching Rockland County in NY now, that is just a few minutes drive from Montvale. Being in northern NJ, space is at a premium, so I would've thought her car would've been found by now, in a parking lot, or abandoned somewhere, or at least seen somewhere.

I'm glad the family listed good places to search on the GO Fund site...hotel parking lots, park and ride lots, train stations, etc. They also said she loved to hike - I'm sure they've checked the local hiking spots for her car, Ramapo Reservation etc. I wonder if they've checked Harriman State Park. Those places are patrolled pretty well, I feel like if her car was parked there somewhere, it would've been found by now. I grew up about 5 minutes from where Meg lived and I currently live right between Oakland and Montvale. There are a lot of great hiking trails and mountains in this area. Not sure why she would drive to a hiking spot at 3 a.m. but everything needs to be checked.

 

[FindHG]

My only worry is that she has gone missing on her own before, and was off her meds. It's just so tough to get a handle on her frame of mind that night. I think both avenues of investigation (leaving on her own and being lured to meet someone) are about equal at this point, just my own thoughts. It is troublesome that her car has not been found yet. I'm also glad they are searching Rockland County in NY now, that is just a few minutes drive from Montvale. Being in northern NJ, space is at a premium, so I would've thought her car would've been found by now, in a parking lot, or abandoned somewhere, or at least seen somewhere.

I'm glad the family listed good places to search on the GO Fund site...hotel parking lots, park and ride lots, train stations, etc. They also said she loved to hike - I'm sure they've checked the local hiking spots for her car, Ramapo Reservation etc. I wonder if they've checked Harriman State Park. Those places are patrolled pretty well, I feel like if her car was parked there somewhere, it would've been found by now. I grew up about 5 minutes from where Meg lived and I currently live right between Oakland and Montvale. There are a lot of great hiking trails and mountains in this area. Not sure why she would drive to a hiking spot at 3 a.m. but everything needs to be checked.

Could she have gone south to see somebody, or into the city, or her car be parked in a commuter lots around there, some kind of parking lot, long term ones, where it wouldn't stand out. Would she be familiar with places like that? Whether she went alone or with somebody it would make some sense to leave a car in such places, I suppose?

A map with some points mentioned, if you wish something added?



A tilt view you can use to look at the area around Montvale

A tilt view looking at a broad area south of Harriman, toward Montvale, way on the horizon.

 

[tresptip]

I'm thinking maybe she was depressed,couldn't sleep,so she just decided to go for a drive in her car and listen to some music.Being so late at night she didn't take her phone because usually no one calls late at night as everyone is sleeping.She starts driving,going into new territories for the fun of it,and eventually takes too many turns that lead her into unfamiliar territory.Before she knows it ,shes lost.Where shes at maybe the few stores and gas stations were all closed to ask for directions.She continues to try to find her own way back but notices shes running low on gas ,so she decides to pull over,rest,and wait till morning.
Maybe where she happened to rest was a bad part of a town.Someone saw her parked in her car with no one around and.....well

 

[FindHG]

I'm thinking maybe she was depressed,couldn't sleep,so she just decided to go for a drive in her car and listen to some music.Being so late at night she didn't take her phone because usually no one calls late at night as everyone is sleeping.She starts driving,going into new territories for the fun of it,and eventually takes too many turns that lead her into unfamiliar territory.Before she knows it ,shes lost.Where shes at maybe the few stores and gas stations were all closed to ask for directions.She continues to try to find her own way back but notices shes running low on gas ,so she decides to pull over,rest,and wait till morning.
Maybe where she happened to rest was a bad part of a town.Someone saw her parked in her car with no one around and.....well

Thanks for thinking through and expressing it so well. My gut tells me Meg would find her way back from such a ride, it's hard to get that lost, but I may be wrong. What besides that would bring her out at that hour, being in a possibly impulsive mind set, wanting to be out there, and did she indeed make that call?

 

[tresptip]

Thanks for thinking through and expressing it so well. My gut tells me Meg would find her way back from such a ride, it's hard to get that lost, but I may be wrong. What besides that would bring her out at that hour, being in an possibly impulsive mind set, wanting to be out there, and did she indeed make that call?

In my opinion its easy to get lost,especially at night,driving tired,with your mind wandering.Theres always roads you haven't been down before,and if you take enough of them you can get lost.The reason why I thought of this is because it happened to me.I was fortunate and lucky enough though to have a kind stranger come upon me though where as maybe she didn't get so lucky and met someone who had evil intensions.

Theres no other reason that I can think as to why she wouldn't take her phone.She planned on not being gone too long,just going for a ride.
Also maybe her phone was still charging and she didn't have a car charger.

 

[Tssiemer]

Map of bodies of water?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FindHG]

In my opinion its easy to get lost,especially at night,driving tired,with your mind wandering.Theres always roads you haven't been down before,and if you take enough of them you can get lost.The reason why I thought of this is because it happened to me.I was fortunate and lucky enough though to have a kind stranger come upon me though where as maybe she didn't get so lucky and met someone who had evil intensions.

Theres no other reason that I can think as to why she wouldn't take her phone.She planned on not being gone too long,just going for a ride.
Also maybe her phone was still charging and she didn't have a car charger.

Yes, exaclty. I hear you.



from here:

http://www.bergenswan.org/watershed.aspx

http://www.watershedpost.com/towns


Update from Meg's family below:

https://www.facebook.com/findmegnow/posts/1568312903452121:0

https://www.facebook.com/findmegnow...419900708088/1568311700118908/?type=1&theater


I keep wondering about this, did Sweet Pea bark because he/she needed to be let out, or was something up at that point? Did Meg normally take Sweet Pea out for walks then? I wonder if late night places open past midnight may have noticed anything? The other thing that comes to mind is how much gas could she have had in her car? Would it be possible, if she paid with a card, or always went to the same place, to get some idea, as at that hour in that area there would be some choices, but as many as earlier in the night?


From here: http://pix11.com/2015/03/25/a-new-jersey-familys-plea-find-meaghan-mccallum/

“My mom went to bed at 11 p.m. She woke up at 3:30 a.m. The dog was barking and Meg was gone,” said Meaghan’s mother, Heidi McCallum. “We haven’t seen her, heard from her. Her phone has been off. Her car hasn’t been seen.”

 

[FindHG]

A great picture of Meg and mom hanging out have been updated to her page

https://www.facebook.com/findmegnow?fref=nf

 

[NJGuy]

HG,

I didn't to quote the map for space purposes, but thank you so much for adding that. It can be very helpful. All of the towns listed on the Watershed map are nice places to live - middle to upper middle class. The concern is that if she did go into Pearl River, NY, which is nice but a few towns away in Spring Valley has its problems. It is not a safe area, especially at night and alone. I have no clue if she did venture that far, but it's a possibility I guess.

I think you raise a good point about commuter lots..Many of these small, Bergen County towns have park and rides, train stations etc. The only thing is that my guess would be family and/or LE has checked them as well. It's usually one of the first places LE check when they are looking for a car.

I also thought I read that Meg had purchased gas the day before she disappeared, I will try and find the link somewhere. The problem then is, since there is very little to go on, we have to cover a large geographical area. I'm still wondering if anything has come out about her supposed online date.

 

[NJGuy]

The other thing is that, if you look on the map on Page 2, once you go west, it's a lot of forest and parks. Many acres of open land. Into West Milford, NJ and Sussex County (where an initial unfounded sighting was reported) and then into NY with Sterling Forest. Sterling Forest is a vast space, with a small ski mountain, a lot of office parks, and a lot of wooded areas.

 

[hot cawfeee]

Can Meaghan"s family hazard a guess as to how much cash she has on her person? Does her car have an EZ pass??? Does she have bonus cards for CVS, Walgreens, Panera Bread? Perhaps those have been used and not checked yet.......
Sorry if I am repeating questions........Sending love to Meaghan's family and friends........

 

[FindHG]

Can Meaghan"s family hazard a guess as to how much cash she has on her person? Does her car have an EZ pass??? Does she have bonus cards for CVS, Walgreens, Panera Bread? Perhaps those have been used and not checked yet.......
Sorry if I am repeating questions........Sending love to Meaghan's family and friends........

Same here, send love as well. Thank you, hot cawfee. I can see her going out to get a snack with some cash, if she didn't smoke. It doesn't make sense that her car was not captured on any security cameras, or traffic cameras. Could that indicate that care was taken to avoid them?

"UPDATE: Oakland Moms Come together to #FindMeg"
http://theoaklandjournal.com/local-events/oakland-moms-come-together-to-findmeg/