10 YEARS, 18 DAYS.......

and I'm not giving up! I will find out where you are and who is responsible.

Today for some reason, I am feeling especially hopeful, full of faith. I had a dream recently that you returned to us and I cried while telling you that I never stopped looking for you. The possibility of that day is what I strive for. The opportunity to tell you that you are so loved and mean so much to me that I never ceased to search for you.

I am determined not to let anyone forget you. Even people who never met you will know who you are! I am still emailing Oprah. Still trying to contact Montell. I have emailed Steve Harvey, John Walsh. I will get national coverage someway, somehow. We will get your face out there and we will get to the bottom of this. The responsible party will not go unpunished although I'm sure they are in a comfort zone right now. JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED! The GOD we serve is too just and righteous for this to go unsolved. We have to be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might!

I remind myself that this did not come to stay....IT CAME TO PASS!!!! Looking forward to the day that you return to us! I LOVE YOU PUNKIN!!!!

LOVE, Dee

TO THE FAMILIES OF MISSING PERSONS, LET'S JOIN TOGETHER TO GET THIS MARCH FOR THE MISSING IN PHILADELPHIA. EMAIL ME AT dejuana45@msn.com.

P.S. To the families of Aesha Muhammad, Robin Ellis, Marilyn Lanier, Aaron Green, Allen Briscoe, Eulace King, Shameeka Dixon-Gordon, Daphne Philisa Jones, Tyesha Patrice Bell, Dymashal Lashon Cullins, Latoya Natasha Thomas, Shirley Geanes, Kireasha Pam Linkorne, Marcie Crane, Alice Artison and the countless others....KEEP THE FAITH - GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!

WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE IS MISSING

How long must you wait to file a Missing Persons Report?

A. 24 hours

B. 12 hours

C. 2 hours

D. I'm not sure

If you chose any of the answers above, then you need to learn the facts.

A person can and should be reported missing as soon as you realize they are missing and something is wrong. Children may be reported right away. As for a missing adult, that can very from state to state. Why assume?! Just contact your local authorities and get the facts. So the answer is RIGHT AWAY!

THE FIRST 24 HOURS

The first 3 hours are the most critical in any missing persons case. When you suspect someone is missing, you need to take immediate action because everything you will need to do will use up that valuable time. You will want to do as many of the things listed below, as fast and soon as you can.

What To Do First

The first thing to do may seem pretty obvious, but when you suspect someone is missing, there may be some things you haven't thought of.
1. Check around your house and neighborhood- TRY NOT TO DISTURB POTENTIAL EVIDENCE- EVEN IN YOUR HOME! ESPECIALLY THEIR PERSONAL ITEMS and things in their room. But do check in their closet, under the bed, in vehicles- INCLUDING THE TRUNK OR CARGO AREA. Check anywhere that is small enough for that person to fit into. Look around your neighborhood, in culverts, ditches, ponds, streams, bushes, woods, BUT DON'T GO ALONE IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO!

2. Call their friends and other family members- They may know something you don't. CHECK YOUR CALLER ID FIRST AND CHECK YOUR OUTGOING CALLS. perhaps one of the last calls going out or coming in could yield direction or information on where they might have gone or who they might be with. Check that before you make so many calls that the information risks being lost. Get a notebook and write the numbers down in your caller ID list before you start calling. Have someone else grab a pencil while you read the numbers off to them to make it faster and to reassure it is accurate. Include the times the calls were made or received. Have the people you call, call people THEY know that know the person who is missing. No one is going to care if their house is called twice or more when you are concerned someone is missing. Call hospitals, jails, or other areas you believe they could possibly be. Once you have taken these steps, it is time to call 911.

Where do I file the report?

You need to contact the Law Enforcement Agency that is nearest to where the person was last known to have been. You can do this by phone. You can also call 911 and give them that information. They will want to know from where the person is missing, who the person is, a physical description, age, what they were last seen wearing, and what they were doing or where they were headed. Did they have a car, what else is missing, what did they have with them, and why you think they are missing.

Other information that can be helpful can be found below in the "What you should do and know to be prepared if someone you know becomes missing." Hopefully you will have read that information BEFORE you needed it. Better yet, hopefully the information you have read will never be needed.

Group

After you have followed the above steps and contacted the authorities, invite a few close friends and/or family members over. Stay close to the phone and keep your group small. You will need support and someone to talk with. Make sure they too do not disturb any possible evidence before investigators do their job. Only allow the group you invited over to come to your house. Ask that others group at a neighbors, relatives, or another friends home. This keeps things such as fingerprints to a minimum and helps assure potential evidence is left undisturbed during the initial investigation.

Make a list of names, phone numbers, and addresses for persons phone numbers your unsure of. Include the missing persons neighbors, friends, family members, teachers, school mates, coaches, coworkers, church members, organizations they belong to, and others who know your loved ones. Authorities will need that list to aid in their investigation.

KEEP A NOTEBOOK: Make a copy of that list for yourself as well. To your list add contact numbers for the police who will be investigating the case, media, and any other important numbers. In the same notebook, keep a log of everything Law Enforcement says to you. List everything they take from your home.
Know Your RightsYou have the right to make recommendations and ask questions of law enforcement and others. They are working for you and the person that is missing. Don't be afraid to speak out.

Organize

Determine who will be doing what. Each group that forms should be given an area to search, or know what their role within the group is. Perhaps helping to set up a central meeting place, provide meals, a calling center, organizing search parties and contacting search members, gathering email addresses, sign up sheets, printing posters or taking the information somewhere to have them done for you (see underlined info in paragraph below), decide who will take incoming calls and have them document the calls such as who called, what time, and a brief description of the conversation, such as: called to offer help with search, meals, offer condolences, newspaper calling for latest details, etc.... Assign someone to contact missing persons organizations and the media. Some of these things you may wish to do yourself or have another immediate family member do, but be sure to keep your contact phone line open as much as possible. Use a friends cell phone or have another family member call from a neighbors. When the media comes for an interview, try to be short and to the point so that the most important details are what they air and print. They are your most valuable asset because they help to get the information in front of thousands of viewers and readers.
Missing Person PostersGather some recent photos together. Try to get various angles of their face as to show the shape of their nose and and other distinguishing characteristics. Make a missing persons poster. Be sure to include a clear picture or pictures, physical description, distinguishing characteristics- like talks with a lisp or accent, has a limp, wears braces, wears dentures, or what ever makes them unique. Include contact information , where the person was last seen, what they were wearing, If any of their personal belongings are missing or were left behind such as purse, wallet, vehicle, backpack, and so on. Medications they are taking. Some police departments, organizations, or businesses may help or offer their services for free, but you may wish to get a head start by having someone print several to start with.

Have groups spread out in various directions to distribute the posters. Begin within the first 5 miles of the place the person was last known to have been, and within 5 miles of their home. Put one up EVERYWHERE! Make several copies so you can flood the area with the posters. If you do not have a computer and a printer, send someone to the printers or ask that your friends who do have printers and computers to help. Have someone get ink cartridges if you decide to do them yourself so that you will be able to make plenty. Some posters may blow away or come down and you will want one of your groups to recheck that the posters are still up and replace any that are missing. Go to businesses, use telephone poles, go door to door. Anywhere you can find to get the posters in the publics eye.