Archive | Lilly Aramburo

My Childhood Memories of Lily

“This is 911 what is your emergency?” “My daughter Lily is missing and she left her purse, wallet, and phone at home!” Lily Aramburo, a close friend of the family went missing on June 1, 2007. Everyone misses her dearly, including me. Just imagine having a friend that comes to your house almost every day and then suddenly disappears.

   Right before her disappearance she had a baby boy. His name is Palden. He has brown curly hair and big brown eyes. Right now he is 5 years old. He is so sweet and adorable, he is like a little brother to me. It is heartbreaking to think that now he has no mom and his dad is nowhere to be found! Because of this, he is being raised by his grandmother, Lily’s mother. 

  Later, we celebrated her birthday, we went to her favorite spot in Miami Beach. The beach on 81st street and Collins Ave. A lot of her family and friends met us there. We wrote her name in the sand and formed a heart made of flowers. I still remember I used to go to that area of the beach and play with her there. We also released balloons with mantras (prayers) written on them. It was extraordinary to see them being released into the sky!


   The next year we held the first candlelight vigil at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove for the first anniversary of the day she disappeared. My sister and my friend Havana and I released butterflies in Lily’s memory. A lot of people came along with Power 96 and some people from the church donated water. My mom and I cut out butterflies, then we decorated them. Everyone signed it and we placed them on a poster board. Some people donated money. Money was donated because no one in the news had picked up the story so we were raising money for a billboard. Everyone was furious with that result. It is four years later and Lily is still missing.

  Lily Aramburo helped me with homework, played at the park, danced and rode bikes with me. She was an incredible friend and I will never forget her. She will always be in my heart and all the memories will stay with me. But I look forward to the day when someone can answer the question, were is Lily? Hopefully sometime soon.
*Written by my 12 year old daughter, Anastasia – Dec 2011*

Friends, please remember to tune in to Investigation Discovery on Monday December 12, 2011 at 9pm (Eastern time), Lily’s case will be featured on the show “Disappeared“.

To follow Help Find Lily Aramburo on Facebook click the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Find-Lily-Aramburo/193954499815

Please help spread the word! And help bring Lily back home. Share and if you tweet, please tag tweets with #Justice4Lily

Thank you for caring and for your continued support to Help Find Lily.

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Lily Aramburo Article Featured in Today’s Miami Herald!

I can’t thank David Ovalle and the Miami Herald enough for publishing this article in our hometown newspaper. We’ve been hoping and praying for so long! Thank you so much! 
Read the article below or click on the link. Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment on this blog post! And stay tuned… new post with updates coming soon!

Search continues 4 years later for missing Kendall woman
Direct link to the Miami Herald article:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/03/2148943/search-continues-4-years-later.html 

By DAVID OVALLE
dovalle@MiamiHerald.com
Homicide detectives have recently re-interviewed her boyfriend, who reported her missing one day after she allegedly left the apartment in her nightgown.
For nearly four years, Lucely “Lily” Aramburo’s vanishing has befuddled family and friends. They insisted the 23-year-old mother who disappeared in June 2007 would never have willingly abandoned her infant son.

They have mounted an Internet campaign to keep the case alive.

It seemed to has paid off. After languishing for more than two years with the Miami-Dade’s missing persons unit, the homicide bureau recently took over the case

The target of the investigation: her boyfriend, Christien Pacheco, who was among the last to see her alive.

In the past two weeks, homicide detectives questioned Pacheco twice, he said in an interview Friday. He even submitted to a polygraph, which he failed – results he disputes.

“It burns me up that they keep coming back up to us,” Pacheco, 36, said of police efforts. “We had nothing to do with her missing. She walked out of my apartment, on her own merit. She left.”

He said he is still wracked by guilt for not showing Aramburo enough affection.

Miami-Dade homicide detectives won’t discuss details of the case, but say Aramburo’s disappearance is suspicious.

“She was always in contact with her friends and her family,’’ said Miami-Dade Detective Ray Hoadley. “She isn’t the type of person who goes out on her own. She doesn’t have the temperament. She doesn’t have the resources. She isn’t the type of person to be living in a cave somewhere. It just doesn’t seem possible she’s alive.”

Raised in Miami, Aramburo was a waif of a woman who had struggled with drug abuse and depression. But relatives say she was getting her life together, and was buoyed by the birth of her son, Palden.

“He knows Lily to be in Heaven,” said Aramburo’s mother, Lucely Zaldivar, 44, who cares for the 4 ½ -year-old boy. “But he doesn’t call her Mommy.”

Pacheco is not the father of her son. The couple’s relationship was stormy and fueled by crack cocaine use.

Longing for stability and fresh out a troubled stay in rehab, she moved in with Pacheco in his one-bedroom Kendall apartment at the Villages of Dadeland.

Police have arrested Pacheco, a former U.S. Marine, on a slew of minor drug and trespassing charges since 2001. He is on two years of state probation for resisting arrest with violence and driving without a valid license.

He says he’s sober now, and keeping out of trouble.

Kelly Rae Starling, Pacheco’s ex-girlfriend and Aramburo’s friend, told The Miami New Times in 2008 that Pacheco once “lunged” at her during an argument, and she had to pull the man off Aramburo.

Pacheco denies that claim, saying the fight was between the two girls.

Starling could not be reached for comment.

The events leading up to Aramburo’s disappearance started the night of June 1, 2007. Pacheco, Starling, Aramburo and another friend known as E.J. smoked crack cocaine together, and later returned to the Kendall apartment, according to records.

Pacheco claims that Starling went to the bedroom, sparking a fight between him and Aramburo because Aramburo didn’t want her sleeping there. He said he went into the bedroom for a few minutes to talk to Starling. When he came out, he said, Aramburo had left.

Pacheco claims he looked for her that night, to no avail. “Maybe she was going outside to chill and relax for a few minutes, and she got into someone’s car and things went bad from there,” Pacheco said.

He reported her missing on June 2, 2007, telling Miami-Dade police that she had left the apartment at 2 a.m., wearing nothing more than a long white nightgown and toting two bungee cords. Aramburo, he told police, suffered from schizophrenia and had a history of suicide attempts, according to a police report.

“Were we a bunch of people messed up on drugs at the time? Yes, but we wouldn’t do anything crazy, like hide somebody’s body,” Pacheco said. “No. We’re not like that.”

There were some puzzling behavior that family members and police looked at. Aramburo’s mother says Pacheco didn’t call her until a full 24 hours later, and only to tell her he filed a police report. Pacheco says that in the drug-fueled haze of those days, he doesn’t remember when he called her.

The case was assigned to detective Aaron Mancha, of the missing persons bureau. In interview several years ago with The Miami Herald, he downplayed Aramburo’s disappearance, saying she had been sighted at the Camillus House homeless shelter in February 2008.

Miami-Dade police now say those sightings have been deemed not credible. One of Pacheco’s friends told investigators that Pacheco asked him to lie about one sighting — something Pacheco denies vehemently.

The case dragged in the initial months after the disappearance, her supporters say.

Aramburo’s friend, new media strategist Janet Forte, began a tenacious Internet campaign, starting a blog and social networking pages dedicated to the case. The sites feature links to news accounts, online videos about Aramburo and photos of vigils dedicated to the missing woman.

“I was really frustrated with the lack of help in getting the story out there in the news,” Forte said. “It was the only avenue I had to get awareness out there.”

Thanks to her efforts drumming up publicity, private investigators Ana Lanuza and Joe Carrillo, of Leverage Investigations Inc., volunteered to begin working on the case in 2008. They’re still working.

The case finally ended up in the hands of detective Hoadley, who secured a conviction last year against a North Carolina man in the 1993 south Miami-Dade disappearance of Trinity Robinson — whose body remains missing.

Detective Hoadley praised Forte’s persistence: “If not for her efforts, who knows if the investigation would have continued?”

Anyone with information can call Miami-Dade’s homicide bureau at 305-471-2400, or Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

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News Update: Lily Aramburo Case Reopened

Lily’s case has been cold for a long time. It’s been a long, agonizing 3 and a half years since the night of June 1, 2007. But finally we have a news update to share. If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you may have noticed that I have had my issues with law enforcement, mainly with Detective Mancha’s handling of Lily’s case. Out of desperation, we tried (almost) everything including a week long hunger strike in order to attain police attention and coverage from local media. Nothing worked. In the process, I’ve made my share of mistakes.
The good news is, to our relief, the investigation into Lily’s disappearance has been reopened and reassigned to a new detective. Detective Ray Hoadley from Miami Dade Police Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Bureau is now lead detective. Lily’s family, Private Investigator Joe Carrillo and I have all met with the him. We are working closely together. I’m hopeful as never before. And I have absolute faith in Detective Hoadley. He’s got over 20 years of experience under his belt and has investigated many difficult cases. He’s very effective at what he does. Det. Hoadley is working daily to find the answers which will bring about a resolution to this case.
  Lily Aramburo updated flier:
Miami Dade Police Investigative Case #: 070602291858
NCIC# M497579638
NamUs MP # 1542
Once again we’re reaching out and asking anyone with information to come forward. If you believe someone you know might be involved, please call immediately and share that information. It may be nothing or it may be the missing piece of information that will help bring closure to Lily’s family and little boy. The truth shall set you free.
We know someone knows what happened to Lily and they need to step forward now, not tomorrow or next week or month or year from now – NOW! Make the call to Detective Hoadley at 305-471-2400 or you can email him at rbhoadleyjr@mdpd(.com).
If you wish to remain anonymous please contact Miami Dade County Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477) OR 1-866-471-8477. crimestoppersmiami.com You may be eligible to receive a reward.
Lily Aramburo pictures

Assist in the search for Lily by sharing this post with all your friends across the internet. Follow @HelpFindLily  on Twitter and connect with us on Facebook. And please be sure to stay tuned to America’s Most Wanted

Thank you so much for your help and continued support. Many heartfelt thanks for all your prayers for Lily and her family. We are especially grateful to those special individuals who have donated so much of their time and effort into the search for Lily; thank you Joe Carrillo and team. Thank you kindly for your dedication and hard work. And last but not least, sincere thanks to Miami Dade Police Detective Hoadley.

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Justice for Lily Hunger Strike on Monday November 16

Monday, November 16, 2009 would have been my best friend, Lilly Aramburo‘s 26 birthday. Lily has been missing since June 2, 2007. Her plight has been featured on Nancy Grace and Americas Most Wanted.
Lily disappeared from the apartment of her heroin addicted boyfriend in the Dadeland area. Since then, her mother Lucely and I have launched an exhaustive search for her only to become disillusioned and extremely frustrated with the lack of effort of the Miami Dade Police Department. (Lucely on Lily’s 2 Yr anniversary)

Police failed to locate two witnesses that were present the night she disappeared. We’ve been working with private investigator Joe Carrillo and his team for over a year locating the two witnesses within days. A convicted killer has been identified by the investigators as a person of interest in her disappearance. After four meetings with the missing persons detectives, a convicted killer who served time for murder has yet to be interviewed even though identified and located by the private investigator. Why? Police refuse to answer the why.

Lily’s mother and I desperately need to bring attention to her disappearance and want answers from the Miami Dade Police Department. We’re both commencing a hunger strike Monday at 9:00 AM in front of the Miami Dade Government Center until we get answers.

RSVP via FACEBOOK and please join the Find Lily Aramburo Facebook Cause!

Location: Government Center
111 NW 1 Street
Miami, Fl.

View Justice for Lily Aramburo Protest Rally & Hunger Strike in a larger map

We’d like to thank all of you for supporting us in our fight to find Lily and for keeping Lily in your hearts and minds. PLEASE do not stop passing on this blog to all you know! You can also help support the search for Lily by donating to Lily’s reward fund via paypal or by purchasing a T-Shirt.

Justice for Lilly Aramburo uses Google Friend Connect to power our site’s community, please connect with us Google Friend Connect.

Anyone with information pertaining to the disappearance of Lily Aramburo is urged to contact Private Investigator Joe Carrillo at 305-926-3110 or call Miami Dade Police at 305-418-7200.
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Video of Lily Aramburo on AMW My Story

Young Mom Lily Aramburo Disappears
Lilly Aramburo has been missing since June 2007.

In the early hours of June 2, 2007, Lilly Aramburo left her boyfriend’s apartment, never to be seen again. As her family and friends have told us, she would never leave her baby son behind on her own free will.

Now, they have turned to America’s Most Wanted for help.

Lilly is described as friendly and always willing to listen and help a friend in need. A blog has been started, called Justice in Miami, to raise awareness about her case.

At 22, she was not without problems. She struggled with drugs, and may have found herself in a situation where people she knew did her harm.

Those who love her have great concerns about her not being alive when she left that house.

Private Eye Working To Find Lilly
Lilly’s friends are desperate for answers in her disappearance.

Law enforcement sources say they know the last place she was seen alive, a private home on the street.

Those who love her have great concerns about her not being alive when she left that house.

A South Florida private investigator has received some great tips that have been passed on to Miami law enforcement.

Those that know Lilly think some people might be afraid to come forward. Lilly’s loved ones want to know what may have been done to her.

Continue reading Lily Aramburo America’s Most Wanted “My Story”

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Missing Persons and Nonprofit Organizations on Twitter

Do you tweet? I began using Twitter right around the time my good friend Lily Aramburo disappeared, over two years ago. I knew I had to do something. As a Social Media Strategist, I used my know-how to start a blog, created a MySpace for Lily and Facebook Cause, and turned to Twitter to create awareness and to try to get media attention for Lily. I update my network daily, sharing news, Amber Alerts and all types of information related to missing person cases, not just Lily’s case. My content comes from all over the web. My twitter handle is @yogini

Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace can be very effective in the search for missing children and adults. But Twitter is not a broadcast-only medium. It is a community. Sharing, retweeting and commenting is very important.

Help support the families of those missing one tweet at a time. One Follow or Retweet may help bring a missing person home!

Here’s a list of missing persons and support organizations for families of the missing that tweet:

@FindJennKesse

You’re invited to join the Twitter group for Amber Alerts and news related to Missing Persons. All you have to do is post an update about a missing person and add the tag #missingpeople to your Tweet.

If you’re using Twitter to raise awareness for a missing person or if you Tweet for a nonprofit organization supporting missing persons; please leave a comment with your Twitter handle.

You have the power to get people involved and ultimately generate new leads and public interest for a missing loved one.

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Filming for AMW “My Story” on Lily Aramburo

In an effort to bring awareness to the disappearance of Lily Aramburo, our team got together yesterday to shoot a video for America’s Most Wanted “My Story”.

AMW gets hundreds of letters each month from viewers who are seeking justice. Often, AMW is their last hope and the letter they send us might be the most important they have ever written. Like each writer, every My Story is different. Yet they all share a common bond — the search for justice.”justiceinmiami.org, America’s Most Wanted: My Story, Jul 2009

(Photo courtesy of Joe Carrillo) Here is Lilly’s mother, Lucely (left) and me (right) standing in front of the house where Lily was last seen in Coconut Grove, Florida.


Private Investigator Joe Carrillo and his partner Ana Lanuza.


Lucely asking the residents of Miami and Coconut Grove for their help. If you know anything at all about the disappearance of Lily Aramburo, please report your tip to law enforcement or place a call to Private Investigator Joe Carrillo at 305-926-3110.

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2 Years Ago Lilly’s Life Changed Forever

Lily’s case remains unsolved but our resolve to find her is unwavering. We remain strong, focused and working very hard to find answers.

Sunday, May 31st, 2009, we had a Justice March and Candle-light vigil to mark the 2 year anniversary of Lily’s disappearance. Lily’s family, friends and supporters met at Cocowalk. We put on our white T-shirts, held signs and passed out Lily’s missing person posters. It was a cloudy day with bits of rain (Maybe the reason why media didn’t show?) but there was plenty of traffic and movement in the Grove. I felt sick at heart watching Lily’s mother, Lucely that day, and Lilly’s elderly grandmother with Lilly’s little boy, Palden sitting innocently in his stroller.
Lucely, Lily Aramburo's mom
Lucely, Lilly’s mother
WHAT IF

About an hour later we marched through the streets of Coconut Grove, five blocks to the location where we held the vigil; steps away from where we believe Lily’s life was taken. We didn’t know what to expect. But as our group approached 3440 Percival Ave, a City of Miami police officer arrived and parked his police car down the block. He was friendly and cooperative and stayed until the end.

Night began to fall. Lucely said a few words and thanked everyone for their support and prayers, (I tried my best to translate) candles were passed out and Lily’s grandmother said a prayer. Afterward, we had a balloon release with the help of Palden, Lilly’s 2 year old son. He released purple balloons and said “I love you mom” and “we miss you”. He’s a big boy now and is well aware of Lily’s absence.

On behalf of Lily’s family and friends please accept our heartfelt thanks to each and every person who came out and shared this moment with us. I would like to thank Private Investigator Joe Carrillo, whose continued efforts and commitment we’re so grateful for. Thank you for caring and keeping her case moving forward! Thanks to everyone who has helped in the fight to find Lily. (Including my Twitter friends, Facebook community!) Thank you to each and every person, who continues to visit this blog, your messages of encouragement and prayers give us strength during this very difficult time. We are forever indebted to you.

Please check back as we update information. Your continued support is critical to bring Lilly home! We will not let Lily’s story go away. Together we will find our missing loved ones!

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Thank You Miami Herald Crime Scene Blog!

Candle vigil to mark young mother’s disappearance to be held in Coconut Grove

From Lily

Lucely “Lilly” Aramburo, 25, was last seen June 1, 2007.

She is the mother of a two-year-old boy named Palden, and has a history of drug abuse and mental illness.

Her mother Lucely Zalvidar told a New Times reporter that while growing up in Miami she had run away from home, and had made attempts to commit suicide .

Local activists are organizing a candle vigil at 6 p.m., on May 31st, at 35 Percial Avenue, in Coconut Grove to mark the two year anniversary of her disappearance. More information at the Justice in Miami blog.

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Thank You Coconut Grove Grapevine!

Vigil and March planned for missing Lucely Aramburo

There will be a candlelight vigil and silent march tomorrow, to commemorate missing mother, Lucely “Lily” Aramburo on the two year anniversary of her disappearance.

On June 1, 2007, Lilly Aramburo, 23, left her ex boyfriends house in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. The Miami Dade Police Department’s detectives failed to interview Christen Pacheco, Kelly Starling, and “EJ” who were present when Lily disappeared.The march will start at 6 pm at CocoWalk, tomorrow, May 31. The march will go to 3440 Percival Avenue.

Francisco Alvarado, of the New Times, was the first to report on the disappearance last September.More info on the vigil and march at the Justice in Miami Blog.

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Thank You Frank Alvarado and Miami New Times!

Two Years Later: Lilly Aramburo Remains Missing
By Francisco Alvarado
Friday, May. 29 2009

It has been close to a year since I wrote my cover story about Lilly Aramburo, a 24-year-old single mother and drug addict who disappeared from her boyfriend’s apartment June 1, 2007. Today, there is still no trace of her, but friend Janet Forte presses on with her social media crusade to find out what happened to Aramburo.

There has been some progress. Joe Carrillo, a private investigator who helped Miami Police nab the Shenandoah Rapist, volunteered to help Forte track down leads. On a recent afternoon, Carillo met with me to give an update on his investgation, which he is doing free of charge.

A former bodyguard for Latin boy pop band Menudo, Carrillo stands over six feet tall and has a gleaming bald head à la Kojak.

He informed me he believes Christen Pacheco, Aramburo’s boyfriend, had nothing to do with her disappearance. “He was telling the truth when he said Lilly left his apartment after they got into an arguement,” Carrillo notes.

Carrillo says he interviewed two of Aramburo’s friends, who told him about a house at 35 Percival Ave. in Coconut Grove, at the time a known flop house where Aramburo and her pals smoked crack. Carrillo says he recieved another tip that Aramburo, after leaving Pacheco’s apartment, went to that house where she was allegedly killed by three individuals she knew, including a drug dealer who has a murder conviction.

I’ve chosen not to disclose their names until I’ve had an opportunity to verify Carrillo’s claims.

Carrillo says he provided the names of the three men to Miami-Dade Police detectives investigating Aramburo’s disappearance on four occassions. “They haven’t done squat,” Carrillo says.

This Sunday at 6 p.m., Forte will lead a march from CocoWalk to 35 Percival Ave., where she will hold a candlelight vigil in Aramburo’s honor. 

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Justice March and Vigil for Lily Sunday in Miami

The South Florida community and local media is invited to join us this Sunday for a Silent March and Candle light Vigil for Lilly Aramburo. Please see the media alert below.

MEDIA ALERT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, 29 May 2009

Candlelight Vigil and Silent March to commemorate missing mother, Lucely “Lily” Aramburo on the 2 year anniversary of her disappearance

(Miami, Florida, May 29, 2009) On June 1, 2007, Lilly Aramburo a single mother 23 years of age left her ex boyfriends house, a known heroin user, shortly after 2 AM never to be seen again. The Miami Dade Police Department’s detectives failed to interview Christen Pacheco, Kelly Starling, and “EJ” who were present when Lily disappeared.

Only after an article in the Miami New Times in September 2008 was Christen Pacheco interviewed. A private investigator who volunteered to help in Lily’s disappearance has developed a theory that Lily lost her life the night she disappeared in a crack house in Coconut Grove. The investigator has had 4 meetings with the Miami Dade Detectives providing details of the location as well as suspects in Lily’s disappearance/murder. To this day, the Miami Dade Police Department has done nothing to solve the case.

This Sunday, May 31, 2009, we will hold a vigil commemorating the second anniversary of Lily’s disappearance. The vigil will be held at the location where it is believed she lost her life. Names and details of the suspects in the case will be provided in the hopes that someone in the Coconut Grove community will come forward with information. Six months have passed since this information was provided to the Miami Dade Police Department with no results.

Come join us to commemorate and pray for Lily and her family.
Sunday, May 31st, 2009 at 6pm

The march will begin in Cocowalk to
3440 PERCIVAL AVENUE, COCONUT GROVE, FL.

Information about the vigil can be found at the following websites:

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Candlelight Vigil and Silent March for Lily Aramburo’s 2 Year Anniversary

Community to Hold a Silent March and Candle light Vigil for the 2nd Year Anniversary of Lilly Aramburo’s disappearance.

What: Justice for Lily Candlelight Vigil and Silent March
When: Sunday May 31st at 6pm
Where: 3440 Percival Ave Coconut Grove, FL 33133 Map
Why: It’s been exactly 2 years since Lilly vanished. We need to find Lilly and we need the person(s) responsible to be brought to justice!
Sunday May 31st, the South Florida community is invited to attend a candlelight vigil and silent march in memory of my friend, Lilly Aramburo, a young mother missing from Miami since 2007. Beginning at 6pm (Eastern time), Lilly Aramburo’s mother, Lucely will lead the crowd in a Justice for Lilly silent march in front of the house it is believed Lily may have lost her life.

The purpose of the silent demonstration is to grab the public’s attention for a short time on the two year anniversary of Lilly’s disappearance to make everyone aware that Lilly is still missing, and we are still looking for answers. We understand that Lilly isn’t the only loved one that’s missing. There are many missing persons in South Florida and thousands across the country. We are remembering them and their families on this special occasion, as well. Anyone with a missing loved one is urged to attend the event and bring a photo or flyer to share. Let us stand together in solidarity.

Family and friends will peacefully deliver a powerful message to Miami Dade Police Department that Lilly deserves justice, she deserves to be found. Lilly has not been forgotten by her family and friends and she shouldn’t be forgotten by the community where she lived. We’d like to see Miami Dade Police take meaningful action. Please show your support by joining Lilly’s family and friends. Help us seek JUSTICE FOR LILLY!

I realize few of you (loyal readers) live in the Miami area, if you are unable to be there in person, we ask you to have Lilly in your thoughts and prayers while the vigil is going on. Please join us in spirit by lighting a candle for Lily (where ever you are). But to those who live in South Florida, we’d love the chance to see you in person to thank you for your support and commitment to finding Lilly these past 2 years. Although it will be a very hard day for all of us, spending it together will help us heal in a small way.

Visitors are welcome to bring a candle to light for Lilly but it is not required. Please RSVP via Facebook or if you’re on Twitter, you can RSVP below.

Media is encouraged to attend.

We’d like to give very special thanks to Anita Hunt of Nita Joy Craft Design and author of “Are You Being Bullied” for creating the lovely flyer pictured above.
Nita, you’re a star, thank you for your generosity! Nita graciously volunteered after responding to my tweet. (Pictured below ~ Note: read from bottom to top)


Nita’s reply was a complete surprise. As you can see, the exchange was short and sweet. A few hours later, the flyer was done. It was that easy and carefree. So, if it’s a personalized greeting card or gift you need to help brighten someone’s day, please consider Nita Joy Craft Design. If you tweet, you can follow Nita on Twitter.

And finally, I’d like to thank Staples for donating flyers for Lilly. Thank you, Staples!! We appreciate all of your support.

Help us spread the word. Pass on the link to this post, tweet it, invite your friends on Facebook and email your network, if you have a blog inform your readers. We need your support now more than ever.

Hope to see all of you on Sunday, May 31st!

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Thank You Enrique and Joe!

As some of you already know, this past Monday April 20th, Lucely (Lily’s mother), Joe Carrillo (our private investigator) and I went on the world famous morning radio show “El Show de Enrique y Joe”. We had the opportunity to inform and appeal directly to the South Florida community for information about the disappearance of Lilly Aramburo. A big warm hug to Joe Carrillo, the best private investigator in Miami, for his help in making it happen!

Janet and Lucely on Enrique y Joe Radio Show

El Show de Enrique y Joe

Joe Ferrero from Enrique y Joe Radio Show

Pictures Courtesy of Joe Carrillo

Enrique and Joe ~

Lucely and I want to thank you for letting us be guests on your show. It was a real honor. We are very impressed with all the thought and organization you put into your shows.Your energy and passion was so inspiring and positive.You made it so easy and so comfortable for us. We really appreciate your willingness to educate your listeners about the disappearance and possible murder of Lily Aramburo, a Miami native and young mother who’s case remains unsolved. The world needs to know about this. Lily’s case hasn’t been featured on the local news yet. We really thank you for having us on as guests and devoting so much valuable time on your show to cover this topic. I know your listeners were concerned enough to do their own research. Thank you so very much!

Sincerely,

Janet
Family Spokesperson for missing person Lilly Aramburo
Site
http://justiceinmiami.blogspot.com/
Social Media Strategist at Subliminal Pixels Lab
Site
http://www.subliminalpixels.com/

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Listen to EL SHOW DE ENRIQUE Y JOE for Latest Update on the Lilly Aramburo Case!

Lilly Aramburo missing mother
That’s right, folks! Monday morning, April 20th (tomorrow) tune in live to EL SHOW DE ENRIQUE Y JOE on 98.3 in Miami at 8am. I will be on the show along with Lilly’s mother, Lucely and our good friend/private investigator, Joe Carrillo to discuss the latest developments in Lilly Aramburo’s case. We need your help and support now more than ever!!

Lilly was reported missing almost 2 years ago. We believe she lost her life the night she disappeared. Our investigation reveals that she lost her life in Coconut Grove at the hands of a convicted murderer and his accomplices. We have handed the Miami Dade Police Dept. the information over 4 months ago and to this day NOTHING has been done to bring her killers to justice. We need the communities help to pressure law enforcement to do what we pay them to do! Listen to 98.3 FM Monday morning beginning at 8 AM for the latest developments in Lilly’s case. Remember, tune in to 98.3 FM Monday at 8 AM and feel free to call in with your questions or comments. The phone number is 1-888-305-SHOW.

Click here for more details ~ You can also listen online here.

ENRIQUE Y JOE SHOW…The high-profile and outlandish radio personalities Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero have repeatedly broken sales and audience records and maintained as the number 1 radio show in Miami and one of the most popular Hispanic programs in America. The pair’s bilingual broadcasts are a crossover hit of humor, social satire and political commentary that bridges cultural and generational divide. Santos (a former police officer) bid for City of Miami mayor last election, running against incumbent Manny Diaz and winning nearly a quarter of the vote. Enrique along with radio veteran Joe Ferrero have made Miami Radio history and are internationally known for their phone pranks to Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro.

Read more about the insanely popular morning show, El Show de Enrique y Joe.

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Missing Children and Take 25 Campaign

May 25th is National Missing Children’s Day . Events are being scheduled across the country to raise awareness about the importance of safety and as a reminder of our nation’s missing children . The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Take 25 Campaign asks parents to take 25 minutes of their day to talk to your kids about safety.

National Missing Children’s Day is around the corner. It’s a perfect opportunity for law enforcement, public servants, advocates and volunteers to give back to the community. We all know violent crime (kidnappings, sexual assault, car jacking, murder) are a daily occurrence. Every day thousands of children are reported missing. Many are never found. Many of the kidnappings/abductions end tragically in rape, assault and death.

I’m pleased to announce that we will be hosting one of these events for the 2nd year anniversary of Lilly Aramburo’s disappearance, to coincide with National Missing Children’s Day in South Florida. Lilly went missing June 1, 2007 from Miami, FL. She is still missing. More about Lilly Aramburo.

More information about the upcoming safety awareness event coming soon. If you’d like to help out with the organizing/promoting of this event, please contact me or leave a comment on this post (or any post). If you’re a family member of a missing person and would like your loved one featured on our missing persons wall, please contact me or leave a comment. We’d like to partner up with local residents who care about the safety of our children and loved ones, as well as any like-minded organizations. Together we can make a difference.

If you’d like to connect with me on Twitter my feed is here. Please share this blog to help raise awareness about Lilly and other missing loved ones. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the Justice in Miami feed to ensure you don’t miss any news or updates.

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Thank You Miami New Times!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Miami New Times for including our blog, Justice for Lilly Aramburo on their local blog links. We are very grateful to the Miami New Times Blog for linking to us! Another reason we love the Miami New Times. First, Francisco Alvarado writes the only article ever printed about Lilly, a cover story published last September and now this. It’s a very big deal and I’m extremely humbled.

If you use Twitter, please be sure to follow the Miami New Times.

By the way, let’s keep our fingers crossed for a follow-up article on Lilly Aramburo’s disappearance. Feel free to help make it happen by contacting the Miami New Times directly.

Missing Person: Lilly Aramburo  Missing from: Miami, FL

As always, we appreciate the ongoing support we have received from everyone. Please continue to spread the word about Lilly’s disappearance. And help us bring her home!

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National DataBase for Missing and Unidentified Persons NamUs

Is your missing loved one registered in the The NamUs Database?

The Justice Department has unveiled a computer database that will help families locate the bodies of lost loved ones. Families, law enforcement agencies, medical examiners and coroners, victim advocates, and the general public are encouraged to register their missing loved ones with The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), the first national repository for missing persons and unidentified decedent records. NamUs consists of two databases that anyone can search. The Justice Department hopes that law enforcement officials and the public will use the databases to share information to solve cases.Feb 2009
Let’s just hope law enforcement start to use it. Families deserve closure.

Read more about NamUs
National site helps ID remains, Find the Lost

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Help Save the National Center for Missing Adults

Who would you turn to if your loved one went missing? The Police? The mainstream media? If that was your answer you have a rude awakening coming to you. Police departments are either way too understaffed, un-educated or just focusing on high profile cases. If your missing loved one was over the age of 18, police may say they have every right to “disappear”. And the media, you can forget about it, unless your loved one falls into a certain category like Caylee Anthony or Natalie Hollaway, then you’re probably not going to have any luck getting any attention or help from them.

Thankfully, for 15 years there has been the National Center for Missing Adults. The NCMA is a division of the Nation’s Missing Children Organization, Inc. (NMCO) a 501c(3) non-profit organization, formally established after the passage of Kristen’s Law (H.R. 2780) by the United States Congress on October 26th, 2000. The NCMA operates as the national clearinghouse for missing adults, providing services and coordination between various government agencies, law enforcement, media, and families of missing adults. NCMA also maintains a national database of thousands of missing adults determined to be “endangered” or otherwise at-risk in the US. But not for long.

Since 2005, NCMA has been waiting for Congress to reauthorize Kristen’s Act to provide the funding so crucially needed to continue its work. Due to its failure, the country’s only national clearinghouse and missing adult database is in such extreme distress some believe only a miracle can save it. NCMA founder, Kym Pasqualini and her small staff of less than 5 volunteers, have kept the agency alive despite many difficulties including critical shortage and loss of funding, in 2006 they were

financially forced to vacate and close the doors of the facility they had operated from for nearly ten years

and going 2 years without pay and mounting debt, in order to continue providing services to those in need. Time is dangerously close to running out for NCMA. To make matters even graver still, Kym (a single mother) is facing eviction.

This doesn’t seem right to me. Not for anyone but especially not for Kym and the National Center for Missing Adults! The loss of the NCMA would mean no more support for families of the missing!

How can this happen?

Days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast region, Bureau of Justice Assistance; United States Department of Justice (DOJ) requested the immediate assistance of the National Center for Missing Adults. In the weeks following, NCMA received 13,502 reports related to Hurricane Katrina and Rita, in addition to cases normally registered with the agency involving missing adults who are determined by the investigating law enforcement agency to be “at risk” due to diminished mental capacity, physical disability, medical conditions, suspected foul play or suspicious circumstances of the disappearance. NCMA resolved 99.8% of all reports with costs to the agency in excess of $250,000 and depleted the agency’s non-federal reserve of funds. NCMA has only received $50,000 to cover the work they did at the request of the Dept. of Justice. The DOJ still hasn’t released the funds owed to the NCMA for their work related to Hurricane Katrina.

We cannot allow this valuable resource to die.

I feel strongly about this as my own friend, Lily Aramburo, went missing and has been gone for almost 2 years now. Following Lily’s disappearance, I contacted NCMA. Tanya, the volunteer who assisted us, was working from home on these cases because of the agency’s funding situation. Despite these obstacles, she was comforting, professional and understanding. She was steadfast in her efforts contacting law enforcement in order to get Lilly’s case confirmed and didn’t stop until she finally succeeded. I’ve had the privilege of working with Kym and her faithful team of volunteers. I admire them for their selfless efforts on behalf of our missing loved ones and the families who are left behind, searching for them.

My goal is to show Kym that people do care, we recognize their work is valuable. The NCMA doesn’t need to wait for a MIRACLE

It’s within our power to save the National Center for Missing Adults. I urge you to stand with me and help in any way you possibly can. What can you do to help, you ask?

First and foremost they need money! Click on the FirstGiving fundraising widget below and visit my NCMA Fundraising Page Tax-deductible donations can be made online safely and securely through FirstGiving.

The NCMA accepts donations on their website as well. You can give as little as $5 using Google Checkout. Or if you prefer to send a check directly to NCMA, please mail to:

National Center for Missing Adults
PO Box 6389
Glendale, AZ 85312 US

If you commit to giving just $5 (the cost of a Starbucks coffee) we would be that much closer to achieving the goal.

If you can’t give money, no problem. Maybe someone you know can. Please share this post via your email list and IM.

Do you use Twitter?

Follow the NCMA! Share this post and ask your friends and followers to retweet it (Join the NCMA RT RALLY starting NOW!).

Are you on Facebook, Myspace, Ning, or other social networking sites?

On Facebook, support the NCMA by setting your status to display a short message with a link to this post. Join the NCMA Facebook Group and invite everyone you know. Use your social networks to spread the word! You can get your very own fundraising widget or badge to add on your profile and encourage others to do the same.

Do you have a blog or website?

There are several ways to help by using your blog/website:
1. Place the FirstGiving Fundraising Widget or badge on your site
2. Take a few minutes to write a post about the crisis, link to this and include the NCMA donation page
3. Add the NCMA badge on your site

I hope you take this opportunity to turn your compassion into action by donating to Help Save the National Center for Missing Adults…prevent thousands of families and missing people from being negatively affected and losing their only national resource. You can also help tremendously by signing the Support the National Center for Missing Adults petition.

Here’s an article about Kym Pasqualini and NCMA recently published in the Phoenix Times, “The National Center for Missing Adults’ Funding Was Slashed by the Feds, but Volunteers Are Keeping It Alive” By Sarah Fenske.

Don’t forget to bookmark, Stumble and share this post. RT on Twitter. Link to post. Share on your social networks and most importantly… GIVE GENEROUSLY & SPREAD THE WORD!

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Lilly Aramburo and Missing Minorities Campaign

Dear friends, I was recently surprised to find Lilly Aramburo listed on a site called Missing Minorities Campaign. How awesome! It’s a great site and very helpful for the benefit of missing minorities. As we all know, missing minorities rarely make the news. And if they do, they don’t receive the same type of in depth coverage. (God knows how hard I’ve tried to get media coverage for Lilly!) But with sites like Missing Minorities Campaign and others using the internet to advocate for missing people, the more eyes we have looking out for our loved ones and the better chances we have of finding them.

Although most of us live very busy, sometimes hectic lives, a little time and effort goes a long way. You’d be surprised to know how easy it is to help. As I always do when I find a website, blog or organization doing good works, I stumbled their site, bookmarked it and shared it on Twitter and a few other networking sites and aggregators like Friendfeed. And it really helps! After reading the stories of the missing people on the Missing Minorities site and others, it’s very helpful to DIGG or STUMBLE the story or share on whatever social network and news submission sites you use. I joined their community, as well. After all, that’s what social networking is all about: community.

One last thing, if you use Twitter, please follow the Missing Minorities Campaign.

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