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

[SCHMAE]

Shelly, I haven't forgotten about you or your sister and am working behind the scenes. I am trying to get some advice from some folks who may be able to provide us with some guidance on how best to proceed. I'm also trying to pull together some resources that we can maybe go through and see which ones are feasible or which ones you've already contacted. I was thinking that there must be a way to also search whether or not she has ever filed for a marriage license anywhere. I'm not sure at this point how to do that or if there is some national database or whether we would have to look state by state or county by county. Anyone know?

Awesome Jan, you're such a rock star.
This is so frustrating that LE refuses to do
their job. I can only say blast them on media, internet
and in any other way you can until you get their attention.
Call and write them daily. Write and call your local district
attorney.

Start here https://www.facebook.com/AltoonaPD?fref=ts

 

[SCHMAE]

Shell are the x' s parents still alive?

 

[shellbellz216]

OK, that's terrific! Do you remember when you submitted the information so I can log that?

Please note that I had been told previously that the administrator for DOE was on a "sabbatical" of sorts and was returning 1-1-13 (or somewhere around there). I think it was a tremendous amount of work for her and she just needed a break. So will just note that we need to f/u on that in the near future until we see her on there!

I would say within the past few weeks I submitted it.

 

[TxJan1971]

Shelly, see my previous post #133 - I have some questions there. Thanks!
And, what are the initials only of ex bf.
Thanks

 

[TxJan1971]

Schmae - do you know of any WS member who is good with tracking down information (i.e. marriages, divorces, addresses)?

 

[MissSunshine]

Schmae - do you know of any WS member who is good with tracking down information (i.e. marriages, divorces, addresses)?

I know I am not Schmae but thought I would answer.

Those of us that participate in the unclaimed forum are pretty good at it. Some of them are REALLY good.

 

[TxJan1971]

Shelly, can you provide the address where she lived at the time she went missing?

I'd like to get a map of the area and plug in all the known places she would have frequented at that time in order to see what was around that area and where one would begin a search.

We could add markers in for where her place of employment was, where your dad lived, where she lived, and any other spots that would be familiar to her, her ex, her b/f at the time, her friends, etc.

I'm willing to do this - I just need her address at the time and any other addresses you can provide. If you don't know specifically, even a street or a public place (i.e. Publix Grocery Store) if that's close to a friend's house that you don't have an exact address for.

Sorry for making you have "homework" LOL

 

[TxJan1971]

I know I am not Schmae but thought I would answer.

Those of us that participate in the unclaimed forum are pretty good at it. Some of them are REALLY good.

TERRIFIC! May I appoint you as my official assistant! LOL I could use some help as I'm just throwing out thoughts as they come.

What can you take with and run with? Can you invite one of those folks over here to assist or to try to see if there are any UID's that may match? Or even just to provide some guidance. I'm just trying to keep this moving forward and not lose steam.

I have a document started that I think will be beneficial for Shelly in the long run. I'm tracking every possible thing we can find out about Sherry so that at some point Shelly she may be able to use it as a tool when she requests an official meeting with the APD to go over what she has done on her end and ask them to complete the remaining work! hehehe

 

[chris24]

I've always thought the same thing, why drop her off a block away. As far as I know, they are the last to see her on that day.

It is very odd to drop someone off not at the door to work.

Could the ex's parents SAY they dropped her off a block away from work, but in all actuality, never even took her? Think about it. If a person goes missing and someone says, "Well, I dropped them off at the door to work," there are usually security cameras to prove that or security cameras in the area (on another business across the street, etc) or someone to say, "Yes, I saw the person come in the front door of the office." But if they claim they dropped her off a block away from work, for whatever reason, there may very well be no one to confirm or deny it, whereas at a work place, there is usually some way to prove if the person was there.

 

[raine1212]

Schmae - do you know of any WS member who is good with tracking down information (i.e. marriages, divorces, addresses)?

TxJan.. that is what we do in the unclaimed, track down family.. Is there anything I can help with

 

[shellbellz216]

I do have a document started that I think may help in the long run. Once I pull it all together, I will ask a mod for permission to post in here and then can share and it will be easier to add on to as we gather more information.

You may also be able to use it down the road to make a "road trip" of sorts down to the Altoona PD to demonstrate to them that you are serious and that you have already done the homework for them. We'll talk about that later.

Shelly, I pulled this statement from a previous post and want you to clarify:

Sheldon Dumm, Sherry's father, who passed away in 2005, last saw his daughter on Sunday, September 26, 1999 when her ex-husband's parent's dropped her off at work a block a way.

My question to you (if you know) - the above sentence leads me to believe that Sherry saw your dad on the same day as her ex-husbands parents dropped her off.

Is this accurate, and if so, do you know if he saw Sherry before or after they dropped her off ? Did your dad live close to her and her ex's parents?

I believe Sherry was living with her estranged husband at the time, or was she living with her ex-husband's parents and he lived somewhere else?

TIA

Not sure where the statement came that my dad seen Sherry that day. My dad did not see Sherry on that day. Her ex-husband & his parents were the only ones to see Sherry on that day.
Sherry was staying with her exhusband & his parents until she could get her own place.

 

[shellbellz216]

Shelly,
For future reference, I will refer to ex-hub as AL and will need initials only for ex-bf from Maine. AL is listed in MSM, but I won't sleuth him as he has not been named a POI at this time. Same with ex-bf.

RL is her ex boyfriend initials.

 

[shellbellz216]

Shell are the x' s parents still alive?

Yes they are very much alive.

 

[shellbellz216]

Shelly, can you provide the address where she lived at the time she went missing?

I'd like to get a map of the area and plug in all the known places she would have frequented at that time in order to see what was around that area and where one would begin a search.

We could add markers in for where her place of employment was, where your dad lived, where she lived, and any other spots that would be familiar to her, her ex, her b/f at the time, her friends, etc.

I'm willing to do this - I just need her address at the time and any other addresses you can provide. If you don't know specifically, even a street or a public place (i.e. Publix Grocery Store) if that's close to a friend's house that you don't have an exact address for.

Sorry for making you have "homework" LOL

sent you the address in a PM & thanks again for all your help

 

[TxJan1971]

TxJan.. that is what we do in the unclaimed, track down family.. Is there anything I can help with

Raine, thanks for your speedy response! I'm just trying to help here and thought if we could get some advice from those of you who have been doing this a lot longer. Any advice you can give on what you can do would be appreciated. We probably need to know if Sherry has used her SS# (PD Dept. say that ran it... but ?) Can we do that? Also, can we look up any marriage/divorce type records if she did run away and is living out of state?
How do we go about finding someone that has been missing since 1999 and very little info to go on?

I'm all ears and willing to help...

 

[TxJan1971]

Shelly, I pulled this statement from a previous post and want you to clarify:

Sheldon Dumm, Sherry's father, who passed away in 2005, last saw his daughter on Sunday, September 26, 1999 when her ex-husband's parent's dropped her off at work a block a way.

My question to you (if you know) - the above sentence leads me to believe that Sherry saw your dad on the same day as her ex-husbands parents dropped her off.

Is this accurate, and if so, do you know if he saw Sherry before or after they dropped her off ? Did your dad live close to her and her ex's parents?

I believe Sherry was living with her estranged husband at the time, or was she living with her ex-husband's parents and he lived somewhere else?

TIA

Not sure where the statement came that my dad seen Sherry that day. My dad did not see Sherry on that day. Her ex-husband & his parents were the only ones to see Sherry on that day.
Sherry was staying with her exhusband & his parents until she could get her own place.

Shelly,
The statement was copied and pasted from this article:

http://www.examiner.com/article/she...ported-missing-after-13-years?cid=db_articles

Sheldon Dumm, Sherry's father, who passed away in 2005, last saw his daughter on Sept. 26 when her ex-husband's parent's dropped her off at work a block a way. Dumm found out later from her employer, Labor Ready, that Sherry never showed up for work that day.

So we now know that it is INACCURATE.

 

[shellbellz216]

Shelly,
The statement was copied and pasted from this article:

http://www.examiner.com/article/she...ported-missing-after-13-years?cid=db_articles

Sheldon Dumm, Sherry's father, who passed away in 2005, last saw his daughter on Sept. 26 when her ex-husband's parent's dropped her off at work a block a way. Dumm found out later from her employer, Labor Ready, that Sherry never showed up for work that day.

So we now know that it is INACCURATE.

THey had several things wrong when they sent me the story to proof read, I must have missed that part. But to make it clear, my father did not see my sister on that day.

 

[SCHMAE]

Schmae - do you know of any WS member who is good with tracking down information (i.e. marriages, divorces, addresses)?

No, I"m a horrible sleuther and searcher truly.
My best bet is thinking and sharing my thoughts.
I have to see what others have unearthed.
But I did sleuth a neighbor last year and had
some pretty good success. What are you
wanting found specifically ?

 

[SCHMAE]

It is very odd to drop someone off not at the door to work.

Could the ex's parents SAY they dropped her off a block away from work, but in all actuality, never even took her? Think about it. If a person goes missing and someone says, "Well, I dropped them off at the door to work," there are usually security cameras to prove that or security cameras in the area (on another business across the street, etc) or someone to say, "Yes, I saw the person come in the front door of the office." But if they claim they dropped her off a block away from work, for whatever reason, there may very well be no one to confirm or deny it, whereas at a work place, there is usually some way to prove if the person was there.

Good thinking but we have to remember 13 yrs ago there were a tiny fraction of the security cams that there are today. In fact 13 yrs ago I'd say about the only places with security cams were banks and other high cash volume places and places that are easily robbed. Even if a smaller place had a cam it would not have the capability it did today and probably didn't record and store but ran in a loop every 12 hrs or so and re corded over what it had before . Mooo of course.

 

[SCHMAE]

Raine, thanks for your speedy response! I'm just trying to help here and thought if we could get some advice from those of you who have been doing this a lot longer. Any advice you can give on what you can do would be appreciated. We probably need to know if Sherry has used her SS# (PD Dept. say that ran it... but ?) Can we do that? Also, can we look up any marriage/divorce type records if she did run away and is living out of state?
How do we go about finding someone that has been missing since 1999 and very little info to go on?

I'm all ears and willing to help...

Ah, you just gave me an idea ! Did the x HUB re marry ? If so, how did his marriage to sherry end? See? He either had to prove her ....... missing .....or abandonment on her children or something. So I'm betting he's remarried in all this time, so I wonder what his status was just prior to re marrying !