GUILTY NH - AH, 14, North Conway, 9 October 2013 - #12

[Psychic Sleuth]

And sad. People are so busy with their own stuff...if it does not pertain to them directly, seems like not much gets through. Jmo

That is so true. And even if you tell them about a missing person (or share a flyer on your facebook etc) the majority will breeze right past it and pay no attention. I don't know anybody personally who knows anything about any missing person. They are busy with their lives and really aren't interested. I am always amazed that in every single missing person case here on WS people make comments about there is no way that person could walk around and people not recognize them. So not true!! Abby easily could have been living in my small town and I can almost guarantee you that the only person who might recognize her would be myself.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

i just really think LE have their job duties and this is not one of them. They have enough on their plate. They're not parents, school teachers, counselors. Let this kid speak with a psychologist if he is experiencing continued anguish. LE is obligated to work their case, not counsel this child.

His emotional aftermath is best served by a mental health professional, not LE.

Great solution, Gitana... Thanks... :seeya:
There are alternate resources that can be utilized to help this young man should he be experiencing emotional distress...

(By the way... I just found out the pronunciation and the meaning of your name, from the bottom of your posts! Love it! :sunshine

 

[LookingHoping]

I'm not sure I agree. I'm not a missing persons follower. I do know about the ones in my area as I pay attention to the news. I came here to read when Abby went missing as she is local to me. Many friends in my area knew/know about her story. Locally, of course. I would not know if a missing child from the west coast was walking around my east coast town.

 

[Fireweed]

Just a quick analogy: I lived Hollywood for five years. There are a lot of famous people there of course. I cannot count how many times my boyfriend would say "Wait, you didn't see Brad Pitt? He walked by our table three times!" (or something similar). I bring that up because a big celebrity is of course someone you would instantly recognize, but for some reason, the brain just does not always process it (mine seems to be especially bad - took my boyfriend to point out an actor I had told for years I thought was just so hot :shame.

I also worked at a restaurant right by the theater. There were often famous actors in the plays, and some of them would grab dinner at that restaurant before the show. Essentially every diner at the restaurant was there to see that play. Well, the star, the person they had come to see, would be sitting nonchalantly at one end of the bar and I saw several times where not one person went to talk to them or even looked there way. They would go unnoticed the whole time - from the people who came out that night just to see them. It happened all the time.

I do not think we "take in" our surroundings as much as we think we do. Very often we are focused on other stuff. I am confident that the only way many missing persons would ever be found is if a family member or friend just so happened to run into them.

 

[newguy123]

Also, with a hair cut or colour change, would anyone recognize her?

 

[momrids6]

Dozens Of People Pass By A Boy Whose Face Is On "Missing" Posters All Around Them.


[video=youtube;DI7OHCmIsAE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI7OHCmIsAE#t=17[/video]

 

[bessie]

Honestly, there are unknown teens around all of the time here. With a military base here, people frequently move in. Then we have kids who are here visiting their other parent. My youngest son (15), has 2 friends who live alone- 1 16 and 1 17. Their parents have moved to be with a mate, and have left the kids here.

Would you take one in to live with your family without verifying that s/he is not a runaway? That was the original point I tried to make.

I wouldn't take in a stray cat without doing due diligence to ensure s/he was not someone's lost pet. I'm confident that the majority of my friends and relatives would do the same. For a child, the effort would be tenfold. Anyone who would take a child into his/her home without ascertaining that LE is not looking for the child is asking for big trouble.

JMO

 

[momrids6]

Would you take one in to live with your family without verifying that s/he is not a runaway? That was the original point I tried to make.

rsbm; Me- no: I already have two that basically stay here more than they stay at their home, and no one stays here unless I speak to a parent. What I meant, is there have been a few that stay one or two nights with each friend- and few question if the kid has a home or not. They ask " did you call your parent and ask"? but no follow through. And the 2 that live alone... well, no one there to supervise...

 

[Fireweed]

Would you take one in to live with your family without verifying that s/he is not a runaway? That was the original point I tried to make.

I wouldn't take in a stray cat without doing due diligence to ensure s/he was not someone's lost pet. I'm confident that the majority of my friends and relatives would do the same. For a child, the effort would be tenfold. Anyone who would take a child into his/her home without ascertaining that LE is not looking for the child is asking for big trouble.

JMO

I agree but people do it all the time, especially with kids 15+. It should just be par for the course that anyone who knows a minor who lives alone, ought to contact law enforcement, but no one does it. I recall in high school two girls who everyone knew lived with their (adult) boyfriend. I am sure I am not the only with a story like that. Not one person treated it as the crime it was. Heck, all the teachers and administrators knew too. No one was that bothered by. Well, I guess if a 15-year-old girl can be charged with the crime of prostitution, maybe law enforcement does not really see teenagers as minors in need of certain protections.

 

[momrids6]

I agree but people do it all the time, especially with kids 15+. It should just be par for the course that anyone who knows a minor who lives alone, ought to contact law enforcement, but no one does it. I recall in high school two girls who everyone knew lived with their (adult) boyfriend. I am sure I am not the only with a story like that. Not one person treated it as the crime it was. Heck, all the teachers and administrators knew too. No one was that bothered by. Well, I guess if a 15-year-old girl can be charged with the crime of prostitution, maybe law enforcement does not really see teenagers as minors in need of certain protections.

You would not believe the amount of emancipated minors around. And in Ga, a 17 yr old can move out or live alone. The 16 yr old is emancipated.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I think the only (still) missing persons (in recent years) whose cases are well-known by the general public are Natalee Holloway, Madeleine McCann, and Stacy Peterson. And it took a massive amount of media coverage for those cases to gain wide recognition. I do not find it shocking that people do not know about Abby or most missing persons b/c they don't receive that much national coverage. They need to be *everywhere* for the average person to know about them b/c people get their news from such a wide range of sources.

 

[bakerlady]

I think the only (still) missing persons (in recent years) whose cases are well-known by the general public are Natalee Holloway, Madeleine McCann, and Stacy Peterson. And it took a massive amount of media coverage for those cases to gain wide recognition. I do not find it shocking that people do not know about Abby or most missing persons b/c they don't receive that much national coverage. They need to be *everywhere* for the average person to know about them b/c people get their news from such a wide range of sources.

I actually just had to google Stacy Peterson. Never heard of her. I do remember the name Drew Peterson from Laci but now I realize there are two murderers named Drew Peterson. Oy!

ETA: I think the only difference between Madeleine and Natalee's cases compared to all the others is that the actions of the parents, getting the word out in the media, spending hours upon hours begging and pleading.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I actually just had to google Stacy Peterson. Never heard of her. I do remember the name Drew Peterson from Laci but now I realize there are two murderers named Drew Peterson. Oy!

I think you mean Scott...he was Laci's husband

 

[katydid23]

Honestly, there are unknown teens around all of the time in my town. With a military base here, people frequently move in. Then we have kids who are here visiting/splitting time with their other parent. My youngest son (15), has 2 friends who live alone- 1 16 and 1 17. Their parents have moved to be with a mate, and have left the kids. There is only one high school, with 3300 kids- even my husband who teaches there does not ever meet them all.

Awww, no. That makes me so sad. They are still babies. 16 and 17 yr olds still NEED their parents. I think more than ever they need their parents. That makes me feel so sorry for them. The teen yrs can be overwhelming. So many 'bad choices' and so many times each day taht one can slip up and make a poor choice. I cannot imagine how they would manage to make it through all alone.

 

[bakerlady]

I think you mean Scott...he was Laci's husband

Oh geez yes Scott. But oddly enough Drew and Stacy had a daughter named Lacy. Anyhow....there are literally thousands of missing kids in the US alone and yet our media focuses on Kim Kardashian more than any of them...I'm feeling a rant coming on and I will stop myself but I'm sure you all get the point.

 

[bakerlady]

Awww, no. That makes me so sad. They are still babies. 16 and 17 yr olds still NEED their parents. I think more than ever they need their parents. That makes me feel so sorry for them. The teen yrs can be overwhelming. So many 'bad choices' and so many times each day taht one can slip up and make a poor choice. I cannot imagine how they would manage to make it through all alone.

I know some teens who emancipated themselves at 16. They were better off without their parents who were drunks and drug addicts. These kids were taking care of their parents for years and barely got any love in return. Those types of kids are usually wiser beyond their years and I feel for them. IMO if a kid feels so strongly that they want to be emancipated then it is probably in their best interest to do so. Sadly...

 

[Fireweed]

You know, I think it would be nearly impossible for a missing person to be recognized by someone who did not know them, and who only saw their photograph (when going through day to day life).

Has such a thing ever happened? I mean, back in the day, America's Most Wanted would show photos of missing people. The person who called them in always knew them before the show. I do not mean that they knew them before they went missing, I mean they would see the photo and say, "Hey isn't Mr. X who works at the store?"

Can anyone cite to a case (besides Elizabeth Smart), where the person who found the missing person found them solely because they saw them on a missing person's photo?

 

[margarita25]

(Slightly O/T:

Just getting in and catching up here, but wanted to say I spent the afternoon watching episodes of "Catfish" on MTV, lol, after Jaci provided the link re: my inquiry as to what is catfishing. :wave:


IMO, this show is worthy of a viewing for educational purposes. So far, I would recommend these episodes to get the jist: (Those guys are great sleuthers, Nev and Max. I got a couple cool tips from them, lol):


Tyler and Amanda:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md1ZTFNyhe0

Jen and Skylar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SsfDC-laCQ )

 

[Linda7NJ]

Oh geez yes Scott. But oddly enough Drew and Stacy had a daughter named Lacy. Anyhow....there are literally thousands of missing kids in the US alone and yet our media focuses on Kim Kardashian more than any of them...I'm feeling a rant coming on and I will stop myself but I'm sure you all get the point.

Hey it's all cool....for years every single time I was talking about Drew Peterson, I called him Scott! Lmao!

You're the ying to my yang

 

[margarita25]

(Still O/T, I did a search of "catfish" here at WS. So many threads came up sadly. In the first thread I clicked on, the girl was lured by a 31 year old rso online: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/deer_park/news/missing-teen-found-alive-suspect-arrested/article_e60b5511-e81c-52b1-afb4-4b2377146fed.html )