GUILTY PA - Sherry Leighty, 21, Altoona, 1 October 1999

[belimom]

Everything matches but the estimated age. Height. Time frame. She bore at least one child.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/275ufwv.html

I wonder about the 'high quality dental care' mentioned. There must be evidence of some dental work. But Shelly has said they don't have any dental records. I'm assuming there would be dental records if she had had any dental work.

 

[belimom]

The best thing I can think of at the moment is to bring some sort of formal complaint against the local LE for failing to do their due diligence at the time. Yes, she was an adult and could choose to leave if she wanted. However, it appears to be hearsay from the ex's family that her "friends" said she was thinking of leaving. It does not seem that they ever investigated at all -- did they ever question her friends? Did they question the recent BF? Did they question the ex or his parents?

I wonder if a petition was signed or if an official complaint was filed by Shelly and by Sherry's friends to allege negligence of some sort, if this could be the basis for getting the state or the FBI involved in the investigation?

 

[jn0920]

I agree with TxJan.

Shelly is it possible your sister felt at danger living with her ex husband? Or maybe her ex boyfriend from Maine. I would go to the Social Security Online website and see an attempt to mail a letter to her last employer and last address on file turns up anything. I can't imagine how difficult it could be to think she possibly left on her own terms but its worth checking out.

Here is the website...
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/foia/html/ltrfwding.htm

Let me know if you have any questions using it since I have successfully mailed in before.

 

[SCHMAE]

I don't have a real relationship with her ex & just in the past two years my nieces & nephew have come around us since they are older and can make their own decisions. It's a shame that we haven't had a relationship with them because I know if my sister was still around we all would be so close like we used to be.

Hi Shellz, welcome and so sorry
One question and sorry if it's been covered.
Her ' estranged' x is NOT the same as the x who she had the children with?
You said her estranged x and his parents were last to see her. Are we talking about 2 different men? Did the estranged x harass her and give her trouble while she was with the new man who was the daddy of her 2 kids? tks !

 

[shellbellz216]

Shell, Can you confirm the date your sister was last seen? It states your dad last saw her on 9-26-99, and NAMUS reports date last seen as 10-1-99 at 10:01. Which is correct?

Also, do you have a copy of the official police report that listed her missing (i.e. a case # of sorts)?

Sept 26, 1999 was the last day she was seen by anybody. I noticed that too on the NamUs website, I believe that's an error on the detectives part who reported it to Namus.

 

[shellbellz216]

Has anyone checked with Social Security to see if it has been used since 1999?

I was told her ss# was ran nationally & nothing came up.

 

[shellbellz216]

What's Sherry's DOB ?

Born in Pa?

Sept 30, 1976 born in Altoona, PA

 

[shellbellz216]

I wonder about the 'high quality dental care' mentioned. There must be evidence of some dental work. But Shelly has said they don't have any dental records. I'm assuming there would be dental records if she had had any dental work.

My sister had dental care but the detective said when they contacted her dentist the didnt have her records because they only keep them for so long.

 

[shellbellz216]

The best thing I can think of at the moment is to bring some sort of formal complaint against the local LE for failing to do their due diligence at the time. Yes, she was an adult and could choose to leave if she wanted. However, it appears to be hearsay from the ex's family that her "friends" said she was thinking of leaving. It does not seem that they ever investigated at all -- did they ever question her friends? Did they question the recent BF? Did they question the ex or his parents?

I wonder if a petition was signed or if an official complaint was filed by Shelly and by Sherry's friends to allege negligence of some sort, if this could be the basis for getting the state or the FBI involved in the investigation?

They never took names of these so called friends so no one was questioned. They didn't talk to anyone, her friends, family, estranged husband or his family, or ex boyfriend, nobody!

The FBI told me even though I feel like the local police dept aren't doing their job, they can't get involved unless the APD ask for their assistance.

 

[belimom]

They never took names of these so called friends so no one was questioned. They didn't talk to anyone, her friends, family, estranged husband or his family, or ex boyfriend, nobody!

The FBI told me even though I feel like the local police dept aren't doing their job, they can't get involved unless the APD ask for their assistance.

Shelly, I am so sorry about your sister, and I feel that LE botched this investigation long ago in its early stages. I just wonder if there isn't some action you can take *now* in forms of a complaint that would get the state to look into the case. Not just a phone call but a formal legal complaint that the local LE didn't interview friends, didn't listen to those who said 'something's up', didn't take notice of the protective order that she filed then dropped, didn't look at the pending divorce, etc.

There needs to be a search warrant for the ex's parents' property, IMO.

Families shouldn't have to beg LE to take notice. But you're doing the right thing to try to find out what happened to your sister and to get justice.

 

[shellbellz216]

Hi Shellz, welcome and so sorry
One question and sorry if it's been covered.
Her ' estranged' x is NOT the same as the x who she had the children with?
You said her estranged x and his parents were last to see her. Are we talking about 2 different men? Did the estranged x harass her and give her trouble while she was with the new man who was the daddy of her 2 kids? tks !

I said estranged husband because they were seperated at the time, she was dating another man but when she got caught talking to her boyfriend in the alley near her estranged husband's house by her husband, they got in a fight (boyfriend & husband), then she broke it off with the boyfriend.

Now he is her ex-husband because he filed for divorce after she went missing. All three children belong to him.

 

[shellbellz216]

Shelly, I am so sorry about your sister, and I feel that LE botched this investigation long ago in its early stages. I just wonder if there isn't some action you can take *now* in forms of a complaint that would get the state to look into the case. Not just a phone call but a formal legal complaint that the local LE didn't interview friends, didn't listen to those who said 'something's up', didn't take notice of the protective order that she filed then dropped, didn't look at the pending divorce, etc.

There needs to be a search warrant for the ex's parents' property, IMO.

Families shouldn't have to beg LE to take notice. But you're doing the right thing to try to find out what happened to your sister and to get justice.

I don't know if there is anything we can do either. I don't really have the financial capability to hire an attorney & it's sad because I would give anything to just have answers & find my sister. I wish I could come up with reward money too but it's just not realistic. The thing is, you would think that the police dept would do their job. I've heard several times from the detective that it's been 13 years & it's going to be real hard to find evidence after all this time...it's not my fault it's been 13 yrs, my father did what he could back then to find his daughter but they failed us & Sherry.

 

[Coldpizza]

This is a helpful organization and also very active on WS.

http://lostnmissing.org/

 

[chris24]

20, 15 & 14...They don't talk to me about their mom but the girls post on her facebook.

Her Facebook? Do you mean a memorial page?

 

[shellbellz216]

Her Facebook? Do you mean a memorial page?

Her facebook that I created to help find Sherry.

 

[chris24]

Her facebook that I created to help find Sherry.

Oh okay thank you. I was thinking that Facebook wasn't around in 1999 so that would be odd.

 

[sreshowtime]

sorry Shell , trying to get this straight-
Sherry was separated from AL- but his parents supposedly dropped her off to work.
Where was she living?
Where were the children when she was supposedly dropped off for work?

So according to the Namus- Date last seen October 01, 1999 10:01 ( That was a Friday)

As far as seeing her last - you say your father last saw her on Sept 26? that was a Sunday-
But AL's parents supposedly dropped her to work on Oct 1 (Friday) ??

And I looked again- what date was she originally reported missing by your father? What were the circumstances that led to him believing a report should be made?

Didn't anyone else see or talk to her between Sept 26 and Oct 1? What was she doing all that week that you are aware of?

Did she not work any of those other days between sun and Fri???

Who, other than AL and any of his relatives, actually saw her on that Friday? Any one else where she was staying/living?

What type of work did she usually do? Had she been working for Labor Ready very long?

Did she have a cell phone, or a pager?
Were any of her belongings missing from where ever they were? Who would have noted that?
Did she have a bank account?
Did she have a drivers license with her, money, purse?

Did the (ex) boyfriend definitely leave town before she went missing?

 

[shellbellz216]

sorry Shell , trying to get this straight-
Sherry was separated from AL- but his parents supposedly dropped her off to work.
Where was she living?
Where were the children when she was supposedly dropped off for work?

So according to the Namus- Date last seen October 01, 1999 10:01 ( That was a Friday)

As far as seeing her last - you say your father last saw her on Sept 26? that was a Sunday-
But AL's parents supposedly dropped her to work on Oct 1 (Friday) ??

And I looked again- what date was she originally reported missing by your father? What were the circumstances that led to him believing a report should be made?

Didn't anyone else see or talk to her between Sept 26 and Oct 1? What was she doing all that week that you are aware of?

Did she not work any of those other days between sun and Fri???

Who, other than AL and any of his relatives, actually saw her on that Friday? Any one else where she was staying/living?

What type of work did she usually do? Had she been working for Labor Ready very long?

Did she have a cell phone, or a pager?
Were any of her belongings missing from where ever they were? Who would have noted that?
Did she have a bank account?
Did she have a drivers license with her, money, purse?

Did the (ex) boyfriend definitely leave town before she went missing?

She was staying with her estranged husband at his parents house at the time.

She was dropped off a block away from Labor Ready on Sept 26, 1999. Her estranged husband & his parents where the only ones to see Sherry on that date. She never showed up for work that day.

For some reason NamUs has Oct 1, that's not the correct date.

I don't know the exact date that my father called to report her missing, I know it was shortly after her birthday because she never called him to pick up her birthday card that my dad always had for us on our birthdays.

I was told Sherry didn't take her purse with her that day, which also was very odd because she never went anywhere without her purse. She had no cell phone at the time.

Her ex-boyfriend left about a month after Sherry went missing.

 

[SCHMAE]

Mods, I have a question on this . Can Shells post the names of both the x ( just found his name in the msm) and the bf and can we sleuth them? I have no idea how it would work given the TOS/ victims and vic's families terms.
The x has me wondering because she tried to file for divorce but he refused to sign. That indicates that he didn't want to let her go. SO red flag there that she immediately goes missing. The bf at that time who moved back to Maine is one to look at.


I'm wondering if she was into partying or hanging out with a rough crowd at all? Any
way through face book any of her old friends could be looked up and find out? It's possible she was behaving in front of her family but might not be so in front of her close friends.

When I was wild, no one in my family had any idea or what type of crowd I was running with !

 

[SCHMAE]

Shellz, were you pretty young when she went missing? I figure younger siblings don't know that much about an older sibling not living at home as far as details about her friends and her marriage etc. Do you remember any of her friends' names ? Do you remember any ofthe marital trouble, like maybe what the restraining order was about ?