OH OH - Stephanie Van Nguyen, 26 (fnd dec.) & Kristina, 4 & John, 3, Cincinnati, 18 Apr 2002

[mysteriew]

Van Nguyen came to the United States from Vietnam as a teenager. Her parents wanted their four children to have a better life and more opportunities.

Van Nguyen found the opportunity to work at the Argosy Casino as a dealer. She also found a husband.

Nguyen's family said she endured a miserable marriage for their two children, John and Kristina. However, the couple later decided to end the marriage. Nguyen talked about ending her life.

This year divers searched using high tech sonar equipment. Like all the other searches, cars are always found, but not Nguyen's Nissan Pathfinder.
http://www.wkrc.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=C317DE49-8428-41C2-940A-4C5E1FACEE3B

 

[shadowangel]

In the '70s, a young woman moved to the CA area from Japan. She soon met and married a young gentleman from her home country. After the birth of their second child, she discovered the husband had been cheating on her. In a tradition of her culture, she blamed herself for failing her husband. Again following tradition, she took her children under her arms and walked into the ocean. On-lookers were able to save her, but not the children. She was tried for murder, but due to the strong cultural tradition bred into her both the prosecution and jury were lenient.

It would appear a similar tradition exists in other eastern cultures...

 

[mysteriew]

When I read the story, I wondered if the family had made contact with the people in the village she came from. If maybe she could have gotten a false passport and id's and have gone back to Vietnam. If so, LE is not likely to find her, but there is a chance that the family might. A personal visit from the family to that village, might prompt information if she kept in contact with anyone there, or if she had ever returned there. The family seems pretty certain that she may be alive.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Missing Since: April 18, 2002 from Cincinnati, Ohio
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: February 14, 1999
Age: 3 years old
Height and Weight: 3'0, 40 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Asian male. Black hair, brown eyes. John's nickname is Tai

Missing Since: April 18, 2002 from Cincinnati, Ohio
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: June 14, 1997
Age: 4 years old
Height and Weight: 3'8, 60 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Asian female. Black hair, brown eyes. Kristina's ears are pierced. Her nickname is Hang

Details of Disappearance


John was last seen in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 18, 2002. He was accompanied by his mother, Van "Stephanie" Nguyen, and his older sister, Kristina Nguyen. Stephanie left behind a note for her husband and parents, stating her failed marriage had driven her to death. She wrote she was going to drive into the Ohio River near the Grand Victoria Casino.


The Nguyen family was last seen on April 19, the day after they left home, when a police officer stopped Stephanie in her car, a green 1997 Nissan Pathfinder with Ohio license plates numbered ADH7739, near a boat ramp to the Ohio River. He stopped her for failing to dim her headlights. The officer noticed two children, presumably Kristina and John, asleep in the backseat of the vehicle. None of them have been seen since.


An extensive search of the Ohio River turned up no sign of the Nguyens or their car. The family may still be in Cincinnati, or they may be in Indiana. Caution is advised when approaching them. Delhi Township, Ohio authorities are handling the Nguyens' disappearances.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Delhi Township Police Department

513-922-0060

Charley Project

NCMEC​

​

​

​

​

 

[summer_breeze]

North American Missing Persons Network

http://www.nampn.org/cases/nguyen_van.html

http://www.nampn.org/cases/nguyen_kristina.html

http://www.nampn.org/cases/nguyen_john.html

NamUs

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/10840/1/

NCMEC profiles

http://www.missingkids.com/missingk...NCMC&seqNum=2&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

http://www.missingkids.com/missingk...NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

 

[butters]

Bumping case up

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

With regards to the paragraph in the opening thread that a custodial parent is subject to criminal prosecution and a non-custodial parent is not is not correct - especially in the State of Ohio.

A non-custodial parent who fails to support his child or children is subject to a charge of felony non-support which on conviction can carry a term of up to five years in the state penitentiary. I know of a number of individuals who have been convicted of this in Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio and served time. At the same time, a non-custodial parent who has been ordered to pay support by a judge may be found in contempt (which is a civil finding) for this failure and be sentenced to jail for 30, 60 or 90 days.

 

[Gardener1850]

• NCMEC: 938710

John Nguyen

• • Missing Since
  • Apr 19, 2002
• • Missing From
  • Rising Sun, IN
• • DOB
  • Feb 14, 1999
• • Age Now
  • 20
• • Sex
  • Male
• • Race
  • Asian
• • Hair Color
  • Black
• • Eye Color
  • Brown
• • Height
  • 3'0"
• • Weight
  • 40 lbs

John's photo is shown age-progressed to 13 years and Kristina's photo is shown age-progressed to 14 years. The children and their mother, Van Nguyen, were last seen on April 18, 2002. They were traveling in a green 1997 Nissan Pathfinder with Ohio license plates ADH7739. John's nickname is Tai. Kristina's ears are pierced and her nickname is Hang. While the children and mother were last seen in Rising Sun, Indiana, Delhi Township Police Department in Ohio is interested in their whereabouts.

Have you seen this child? JOHN NGUYEN

• NCMEC: 938710

Kristina Nguyen

• • Missing Since
  • Apr 19, 2002
• • Missing From
  • Rising Sun, IN
• • DOB
  • Jun 14, 1997
• • Age Now
  • 21
• • Sex
  • Female
• • Race
  • Asian
• • Hair Color
  • Black
• • Eye Color
  • Brown
• • Height
  • 3'8"
• • Weight
  • 60 lbs

John's photo is shown age-progressed to 13 years and Kristina's photo is shown age-progressed to 14 years. The children and their mother, Van Nguyen, were last seen on April 18, 2002. They were traveling in a green 1997 Nissan Pathfinder with Ohio license plates ADH7739. John's nickname is Tai. Kristina's ears are pierced and her nickname is Hang. While the children and mother were last seen in Rising Sun, Indiana, Delhi Township Police Department in Ohio is interested in their whereabouts.

Have you seen this child? JOHN NGUYEN

Van Nguyen

• • DOB
  • Sep 17, 1975
• • Age Now
  • 43
• • Sex
  • Female
• • Race
  • Asian
• • Hair Color
  • Black
• • Eye Color
  • Brown
• • Height
  • 5'3"
• • Weight
  • 110 lbs

John's photo is shown age-progressed to 13 years and Kristina's photo is shown age-progressed to 14 years. The children and their mother, Van Nguyen, were last seen on April 18, 2002. They were traveling in a green 1997 Nissan Pathfinder with Ohio license plates ADH7739. John's nickname is Tai. Kristina's ears are pierced and her nickname is Hang. While the children and mother were last seen in Rising Sun, Indiana, Delhi Township Police Department in Ohio is interested in their whereabouts.

Have you seen this child? JOHN NGUYEN

 

[Aurora90]

Bump

 

[miyahmonroe21]

They have been found in the Ohio river in Aurora Indiana on October 14,2021. May their family now have closure.

 

[Aurora90]

Wow, I was recently thinking of them, which was why I had bumped the thread..
while the circumstances are unfortunate, o am So glad to hear that their families can begin their journey of healing...

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Lt. Joe Macaluso with Delhi Township Police said the Nissan Pathfinder pulled from the river is the vehicle belonging to a mother who disappeared with her two children in April 2002. At the time, the woman was 26 years old, and her children were both under 5 years old. After months of searching the Ohio River back in 2002 and finding nothing, the case went cold.

Six months ago, Delhi Township Police reopened the cold case. Last week, side sonar scans found three cars. One of them was the Pathfinder last seen 20 years ago.
Car pulled from river connected to missing persons case from 2002

 

[IceIce9]

A car was pulled from the Ohio River last night connected to a 19-year-old missing persons case, authorities say.

The case involves a mother and two children, ages 3 and 5, who disappeared in 2002, according to the detective.

The car is a Nissan Pathfinder.

Macaluso says police had information in 2002 that the mother and children were in the river. He says they exhausted all their leads at the time but restarted the investigation as a cold case approaching the 20th anniversary.

Car pulled from Ohio River connected to missing persons case from 2002

 

[lindylou]

Hopefully, someone will get answers.

 

[oviedo]

A car was pulled from the Ohio River last night connected to a 19-year-old missing persons case, authorities say.




Car pulled from Ohio River connected to missing persons case from 2002

snipped
Macaluso says it’s too early to tell if their bodies are in the car but that he’s happy he can give the family this new lead.

“This is been an investigation we have worked on for a long time. Two different detectives from Delhi have since retired. I’ve made them aware of the findings,” he said.
---
Why is it to early to tell? Wouldn't the bodies be skeletons and would show inside?

 

[IceIce9]

They have been found in the Ohio river in Aurora Indiana on October 14,2021. May their family now have closure.

Have you seen a report that their bodies have been found? All the reports I have seen state the vehicle has been found.

 

[HM99]

snipped
Macaluso says it’s too early to tell if their bodies are in the car but that he’s happy he can give the family this new lead.

“This is been an investigation we have worked on for a long time. Two different detectives from Delhi have since retired. I’ve made them aware of the findings,” he said.
---
Why is it to early to tell? Wouldn't the bodies be skeletons and would show inside?

There could be a lot of mud and other debris in the car after all this time.

 

[IceIce9]

Police said Nguyen left a note that she was going to drive into the Ohio River. A lengthy investigation began; however, police were never able to find the mother or her children and the case went cold.

With the help of a Hamilton County dive team and Indiana State Police, officials located a Nissan Pathfinder that the family was last seen in at the bottom of the Ohio River in Aurora, Indiana. The vehicle had been underwater for around 19 years.

Indiana State Police are now assisting Delhi Police to determine if Nguyen and her children were in the vehicle.

Car connected to 2002 missing persons case pulled from Ohio River

 

[iamnotagolem]

I’m curious about the other two cars they found at the same time. Any other missing persons in the area?

 

[LadyL]

Nguyen, then 26, left a note that she was going to drive into the Ohio River, but her vehicle was not located at the time, police said.

Delhi Township, Ohio, police Lt. Joe Macaluso said Thursday that it was too early to tell if any bodies were in the SUV.

Macaluso said sonar scans of the river last week found three submerged vehicles.

SUV of mom and her 2 kids missing since 2002 found in Ohio River