Help Establish National Protocol for Missing and Unidentified Person Cases

Yogini — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:45:44 +0000

Believe or not, in the US, there is no National Protocol for law enforcement to follow in missing person cases. If we did, we probably wouldn’t have so many unidentified persons and the likelihood of finding missing people would be much improved. Not only that but police would be forced to follow the same guidelines throughout the country. In my opinion, we should be treating every missing person case as a homicide until we learn otherwise. Unfortunately, law enforcement agencies don’t always do the right thing and often times families are forced to deal with bureaucracy and red tape. Many fail to submit fingerprints, dental records, or DNA for the missing person. This can be prevented.

Read about and vote for National Protocol in Missing and Unidentified Person Cases submitted by Kelly Jolkowski (President and Founder of Project Jason) on Change.org. The legislation provides law enforcement with a check list of information to acquire from the family of the missing person, databases and other resources to utilize, such as DNA analysis, and the new NamUs. Coroners and medical examiners are given procedures to report the unidentified deceased, and enter all available identifiers into national databases, such as fingerprints, dental records, and DNA analysis. The text of the legislation can be found here: http://www.projectjason.org/downloads/ModelLegislation2008Revision.pdf

This idea is currently in 4th Place in Criminal Justice and needs 67 more votes to make it into the second round!

As Advocate for missing mother and friend, Lilly Aramburo, who vent missing from Miami, FL 6/1/07, I support this legislation wholeheartedly and thank everyone involved, including all who support it by voting and blogging about it and sharing it across the internet. Thank you!! I know what it’s like to fight every step of the way with detectives and law enforcement to get anything done. Every body knows how critical the first 24-48 hours are in solving a missing persons case, but in Lilly’s case, nothing was done because the detective assigned to her case was on vacation! Needless to say, Lilly’s case went cold fast. And the person/people who took her life, remain free with the ability to prey on someone else’s loved one.

This is just our experience. Countless families are forced to suffer needless injustice, red tape and even racism at the hands of law enforcement . I believe it can be prevented by this legislation and many cases could be solved. We must take action now.

Please add your voice and support missing & unidentified persons and their families in the US.

Share and Enjoy:

Lilly Aramburo, Social Media and How YOU can Help!

Yogini — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:12:21 +0000

“Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated.” -Lamartine

We depend on social networking sites to assist in raising awareness for Lilly Aramburo and missing people. If you have a loved one that’s missing, or if you’d like to help the cause, please join this Missing Persons group on Flickr. The group is focused on missing persons in the United States. Every member is encouraged to upload pictures of missing loved ones (as long as they disappeared within the US). This is a good idea for several aspects. Many people use Flickr and it’s a very effective way of raising awareness for the missing.

Please join us in the Missing Persons Friendfeed Room. Members post links to pictures, articles, anything that has to do with missing people (Amber Alerts, abductions, kidnapping, runaways, etc). If you’re a social media lover, be sure to join us on various sites across the web like Care2.com and Mixx.com. Please add Missing Lilly Aramburo as a friend on myspace and join her cause on Facebook. These are just a few things you can do to help.

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures of Lilly (above). It’s how I remember my friend. Smiling, laughing, enjoying LIFE. Since Lilly’s disappearance, on June 1, 2007, life has not been the same. Lily’s mother lives in constant agony, waiting for news about her daughter. It’s not easy having to raise her grandson under such difficult circumstances . With each day, Lilly’s son (now 2 years old) slowly loses precious memories of his mother. He was only 9 months old, last time he was held in her warm and loving embrace. With every new picture, sadness tends to overcome me. And all I’m left with are questions. After all this time, I believe her little boy and family, deserve answers. She absolutely did NOT willingly walk away from her son and her life. She’d never allow so much time to pass without a phone call or checking in on her son. Someone took her from us. And many of us will not rest until she is brought back home and justice is served for Lilly Aramburo.

You can help by making a quick phone call to the US Attorney’s Office at 305-530-7679. It appears the US Attorneys office are the only ones who can properly investigate this case. Also, please continue sending emails to Governor Charlie Crist and media. It makes no sense that after all this time, not ONE article has been written about Lilly’s case in local newspapers like The Miami Herald or her picture displayed by local news channels. It’s not due to lack of effort, I testify to that.

Someone out there knows what happened to Lilly. I urge you to contact the detective or call the tip line at 305-471-TIPS. You can remain anonymous if need be. Just pick up the phone and make the phone call, please! No matter how small a detail, no matter how silly you think it may be, your information could help solve this mystery. It’s been hell for Lilly’s family and friends. Please help bring Lilly back home. Immediately contact MDPD at 305-418-7245 or call the tip line at 305-471-TIPS, if you know anything at all about Lilly Aramburo’s disappearance.

Here’s a direct statement to her perpetrator, YOUR CONSCIOUS MUST BE KILLING YOU!

Please keep Lilly Aramburo and her family in your prayers.

Share and Enjoy:

77-year-old man Missing from Allegan County, Michigan

Yogini — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:43:29 +0000

If you live in or around Allegan County, please keep your eyes open for this 77 year old missing man, Marshall Kenyon. Anyone with information about Marshall Kenyon’s whereabouts is asked to contact Allegan County Central Dispatch at 269-673-3899.

clipped from www.wwmt.com

Plainwell man missing

ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in locating a missing person.

Marshall Boyd Kenyon is a 77-year-old male who suffers from mild dementia/Alzheimers and is in generally poor health. Marshall was last seen on Monday, December 1^st around 2:15 pm, leaving his home in Plainwell, Michigan.

Marshall was headed out to get mail and cigars in the Plainwell area. Marshall was driving a gray and tan 2003 Buick Century with a Michigan plate ‘BGF 1822.’ Marshall was last seen wearing a red and black Carhart jacket, stocking cap, jeans and boots. Marshall also wears glasses.

Anyone with information about Marshall Kenyon’s whereabouts is asked to contact Allegan County Central Dispatch at 269-673-3899.

Share and Enjoy:

Giving Thanks

Yogini — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:20:50 +0000

my dakinis

On this special holiday of gratitude, I am grateful for:

my precious children (my little dakinis)
my precious human life
my husband & lifelong best friend, “Steaprok”
his infinite patience
my family
my friends & sangha
the kindness of my teachers - especially Lama Tsering Everest & Chagdud Khandro of Chagdud Gompa
my daughters’ school, their teacher’s & the butterfly garden
the little time we had with our precious friend, Lilly Aramburo (still missing)
all the wonderful people who have supported me in my mission to find Lilly
my cat, Machik and all animals
the dedication of organizations like NCMA and Project Jason for missing persons
those who advocate on behalf of womens rights & violence against women worldwide
those who feed the hungry and give shelter to the homeless
those who work to ease suffering
our president elect, Barack Obama

I love you all deeply and hope that this day you reflect on the positive things in your life. As well as sending prayers of compassion to those beings who are in pain and suffering greatly.

May you, your family and your friends all find peace this day and all days.

Share and Enjoy:

Missing Person - Coral Springs, FL

Yogini — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:59:54 +0000

Francisco Cuevas has been missing from Coral Springs, Florida since Nov 3, 2007. Anyone with information about Francisco Cuevas should immediately contact the Coral Springs Police Department at 954-346-1200. For more info visit:
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/mcicsearch/FlyerNewPerson.asp?Case_Id=26499&case_nbr=

clipped from www.texasequusearch.org

Francisco Cuevas, age 47, was last seen on Saturday, November 3, 2007 in Coral Springs, Florida, at his place of employment and has not been or heard from since. Francisco was driving a 2004 Jeep Cherokee, black, 4 door, License plate � FL PYROIND.

Share and Enjoy:

FBI Offers 25K Reward for Info on 1987 Murder

Yogini — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:16:21 +0000

I just came upon this article in the Miami Herald and wanted to share it with you. I can’t imagine the suffering this little girl’s family has had to endure. If anyone knows anything about the 1987 murder of 3-year-old Julie Magliulo in North Lauderdale, please do the right thing and contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324.

clipped from www.miamiherald.com

Broward child’s 1987 murder to be reopened

The Broward Sheriff’s Office and the FBI plan Wednesday morning to announce the reopening of the late 1980s case of a 3-year-old girl found killed in West Broward.

On June 8, 1987, Julie Magliulo walked outside her family’s home near North Lauderdale. Her parents never saw her alive again.

Her skeleton was found about 10 months later, dumped about 20 miles away in what then was a barren swampland, and now is the city of Weston.

Her disappearance was selected as part of an initiative by the FBI’s Crimes Against Children Unit, which includes Child Abduction Rape Deployment Teams, FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said Tuesday.

”This was one of the five that was picked from around the country,” Orihuela said.

The FBI has offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Those with information are asked to call 1-800-225-5324.

Share and Enjoy:

Desperately Seeking Heather Riggio

Yogini — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:49:36 +0000

Heather Riggio Missing from North Miami Beach, FL

Thankfully, a few media outlets picked up Heather’s story. The Miami Herald wrote a good article about it on today’s paper. The writer, David Ovalle, included very helpful information about the Kid Finders Network. As he writes:

“The billboard is being provided to North Miami Beach police by the Kid Finders Ntework, a West Palm Beach-based volunteer organization run by Sherri and Dennis Milstead. Kid Finders, which relies on donations, provides mobile billboards aimed at finding missing young people. The price of Riggio’s mobile billboard — the printing of the banner and trailer upkeep — is about $3,000, footed so far by the Milsteads. ”We work off donations and we’re still trying to get sponsors,” Sherri Milstead said.“We’re hanging by a shoestring.”

Here’s another article and video about Heather on CBS4. And another one on WSVN including video, as well. You can find more information about Heather Riggio’s case by doing a Google search. There’s over 26,000 pages of search results.

This from Heather’s sister’s Myspace page http://www.myspace.com/heathersmissing “We want as many people as possible to see her picture and know her story…But we need help…we need people to donate gas money and driving time to keep the billboard running…PLEASE contact Sherry @ 561-333-2779 if you can do anything..anything at all helps..thanks a lot, Lisa”. As you can see that Heather’s family is torn up and suffering dearly for the return of their precious “Kitty”. See more picture of Heather here. If you have any information, anything at all, please contact North Miami Beach Police at 305-949-5500.

Kid Finders Network and North Miami Beach Police join forces to spotlight missing person Heather Riggio

Press Conference for missing person Heather “Kitty” Riggio
Originally uploaded by seoyogini

This morning I attended a Press Conference held by the North Miami Beach Police and Kid Finders Network for missing person, Heather “Kitty” Riggio. I was invited by Sherri Milstead, the Executive Director of Kid Finders Network. She learned about Lilly’s case and contacted me earlier in the week.

Kid Finders Network is a nonprofit organization which provides mobile billboards to families, organizations and Law Agencies in search of Missing Children and Missing Persons. They have a mobile billboard (pictured above) with Heather’s information and picture on it. It will stay at the police station in North Miami Beach until Monday. After that it will go to the area where Heather was last seen at in Homestead. It will cruise the area, increasing the odds of someone calling with an important tip. The drivers are trained in taking tips, too. You can see my entire set of pictures of the press conference and the mobile billboard by clicking the link under the picture.

Lilly’s mom and I could not contain our tears as we watched the press conference taking place. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed with compassion for families experiencing the same suffering. It was heartbreaking. But at the same time, I saw the dedication and all the effort put forth by the detectives from North Miami Beach Police Department. What a blessing for Heather’s family. I’ve been following her case and from the start, these detectives have done such a great job. I admire and commend them for their commitment and efforts to find Heather. They were able to get her story featured on America’s Most Wanted.

Here is the official press release from the North Miami Beach Police Department. They have it posted on their website:

Topic: Kid Finders Network to Assist in Missing
Persons Case Utilizing Innovative Mobile
Billboard

Date & Time: Friday, July 11th at 11:00 AM at NMBPD,
16901 NE 19 Av.

Narrative: Kid Finders Network will be assisting us with a missing person case where a young female, Heather Riggio, went missing on May 6, 2007 and the public’s help is paramount to helping us find her or find out what happened to her as foul play may be involved. Kid Finders Network is providing an innovative way to assist law enforcement with the recovery of missing persons by providing a mobile billboard that will feature vital information such as photographs of the victim, the areas she frequented, etc. which will be deployed in the area Heather was last seen.

Kid Finders will be at the North Miami Beach Police Department on Friday, July 11th at 11:00 AM with the billboard provided for this case. Representatives from Kid Finders Network as well as NMB Chief Rafael P. Hernandez, Jr. and Lead Case Detective Rich Rand will be present to speak about the case and unveil the highly effective and innovative billboard that will profile this case.

For more information regarding this press release please call Detective Rich Rand at 305-218-1234 or Sergeant Warren Hardison.

Share and Enjoy: