Pseudonymph
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I'm confused by the two sentences I bolded. If his gf last saw him at around 1 am, who saw or heard from him later at 3.30 am?
He picked up the papers.
I'm confused by the two sentences I bolded. If his gf last saw him at around 1 am, who saw or heard from him later at 3.30 am?
His ex claims he called her. Anyone have access to this article? http://www.pressenterpriseonline.com/daily/122916/page/1/story/missing-mans-ex-claims-he-called-her
In a missing persons case, if a phone call is claimed to have been made, why would they NOT check the phone records for confirmation???Yes,
BERWICK A Bloomsburg man who has been missing for nearly a year made a surprise phone call to his former girlfriend last week or, at least thats what the former girlfriend says.
Michelle Zeiber contacted the Press Enterprise on Dec. 20, saying Steven Whitenight Jr. had called her early that morning.
Whitenight, 30, was reported missing Jan. 14 after he failed to return home from his newspaper-delivery route. Police found his car with keys and cell phone inside parked near the East Bloomsburg Bridge.
Whitenights father, Steven Whitenight Sr., doesnt believe Zeibers strange tale and says shes most likely lying about it to get noticed.
I think its her way of getting attention or notoriety, Whitenight Sr. said. Im not surprised shes pestering you guys.
Zeiber, who now lives in Berwick, says she no longer has a record of the phone call. She deleted it from her phone for reasons, she said. And the call was so short, she doesnt think police will be able to trace it. She did contact Bloomsburg Detective Melanie Readler, who is in charge of the missing mans case, Zeiber said.
Everyone on Steves side
Zeiber says she was on her way to work at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville early Tuesday, Dec. 20, when she got a call from a private number. At first, she didnt recognize the voice, but then the caller told her, Its Steve, she says.
He said he wanted to see how I was doing, Zeiber claims. That he didnt leave because of me he left because of the stress of being a foster parent, of buying the house.
Zeiber says she and Steve were foster parents to a 10-year-old girl named Angelica, who had to be placed in a different home after Whitenight disappeared. She believes he deliberately disappeared after she discovered hed been lying about buying a house.
Well, you know the hell you have put me through this year? Zeiber recalls asking him.
I bet, he reportedly replied.
They spoke for a few more seconds about the couples dogs, one of which had to be put down this summer, and then Zeiber told him she had to go. She didnt want to be late for work, she said.
Even though they talked for only a minute, it was comforting to hear his disappearance wasnt her fault, she said.
It seems like everyone was on Steves side.
When she got the call, she sent a text to Whitenights dad, letting him know. But he didnt answer back, she said.
If the missing man does return, she has no intention of being with him, Zeiber said. Shes now engaged to someone else.
Id like to see him for closure, she said. Id like to do many more things, but that would be illegal.
Father skeptical
Whitenight Sr. says if theres even the smallest chance Steven is alive, hed like the police to investigate. But he says Zeibers tale is unbelievable.
Im skeptical, to say the least, he said.
That she cut the call short, after just a minute, was the biggest red flag for him.
She just went to work and went about her business, Whitenight Sr. said, incredulous.
Instead of pulling over and continuing to talk and asking him where he is she hung up, he says. Then, instead of going straight to the police station and turning over her phone, she walked into work as if it was any other day.
There were too many things that she should have done, and that she shouldnt have, that dont make any sense, said the father.
There were other red flags, too, said Whitenight Sr. Two weeks after his sons disappearance, she was dating another guy, she told him. And shes been sending him strange texts and making weird phone calls, telling him shes scared because the police are watching her.
A news station called him a few weeks ago for an interview, which he granted, he said. But when Zeiber learned he had gone on television without her, she was furious, he noted. She called him, asking why he didnt include her in the interview. Then she phoned the news station, asking why it would run a story without her involvement, said Whitenight Sr.
If this report of a phone call is just another grab for attention, he wants the police to be involved.
If I have to get on the police chiefs desk and scream, I will, Whitenight pledged. This is a bunch of crap.
Det. Readler says its possible Whitenight made the call, but she hasnt looked at the phone or phone records to confirm it either way.
I live in Bloomsburg, and my wife and I have taken an interest in getting Steven found.
While there haven't been any news updates on the case, Steven's father is still actively searching for him.
I drove over to the airport where SW parked and retraced the footprints up on to the bridge. The bridge is dozens of feet above the water, meaning if he fell in it is unlikely that he would have remained conscious after impact.
On the other side of the bridge is nothing but forested hills, followed by a long stretch of open farm land. If he continued on past the bridge there was really no where for him to go besides some scattered homes, which there was no report of him visiting.
I pulled the weather data from NOAA for the day he disappeared. In Bloomsburg the high temperature was 22 degrees and the low was 17. I also pulled the data for the water level of the river, which on the day he disappeared was gauged at between 6 and 7 feet. Assuming he fell into the river, the temperatures were not survivable, and if I had to guess the water level meant it was flowing pretty fast.
Still assuming he fell in, the Susquehanna river is very long, and very wide at many points, making the search area huge. I dont know much about water dynamics, but one thing that sticks out to me is the large number of sizeable river islands downstream from the bridge that can only be accessed by boat.
Most of the islands have scrub and small trees on them, and are partially covered by water in the winter and spring months. To me that says that something floatingg down river has a good chance of being snagged there. This is only my theory of course, but it seems to me that since Steven hasn't been found on the banks it would be a great place to search. Much easier said than done of course.