Baby Shannon is FOUND ALIVE in a Cedar Box
Baby Shannon found ALIVE in a cedar box
Seven month old Shannon Lea Dedrick, who at just 11 pounds and 2 feet tall, was reported missing by her parents on October 31st. Four days later she was found in a locked 2-by-3 foot cedar chest hidden underneath her aunt/babysitter’s bed. Baby Shannon is believed to have been in the box for 12 hours before police found her.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said “There was no bottle, just a blanket to cover her. She was healthy. She was just wide open and surprised.” Something else in the box with the baby was a box of baking soda to help cover the smell of the baby’s soiled diapers. Surprisingly, the baby is healthy.
To me, this story ”felt wrong” from the beginning. Why didn’t the parents ever interview on TV or plead for their child’s safe return? The actions of these parents, or lack there of, shows there was something seriously wrong in this home. Another thing that “felt wrong”, a 7 month old baby only weighing 11 pounds, there was definitely something wrong.
Police think Chrystina Lynn Mercer, the mother of Shannon, gave her daughter to the baby’s paternal aunt and babysitter, Susan Baker, a day before reporting her missing. Haddock said.
Both women have been charged with
***Interference of child custody.
***Making a false report of a missing child.
***Making a false report of a crime and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Police have also charged separately,
***The mother, Chrystina Lynn Mercer, 25, with desertion of a child.
***The Aunt/Babysitter, Susan Elizabeth Baker, 50, with neglect of a child with aggravated circumstances and interference of child custody.
Baker’s husband was also in custody, but he was released without being charged, Haddock said.
Haddock offered no suspected motive.
Mother, Chrystina Mercer and Aunt/Babysitter, Susan Baker
Elizabeth Olten~ A Nine-Year-Old’s Funeral. Murder Suspect in Jail.
Nine-Year Old Elizabeth Olten
A Cole County judge ruled that the next hearing for the 15-year-old murder suspect in Elizabeth Olten’s death will be open to the public. During the November hearing we will find out whether the female suspect, who is charged with first degree murder, will be tried as an adult. If the teen is tried as an adult, her name will be released to the public.
The judge also ruled that the suspect will remain in police custody until her trial. An attorney for the suspect argued that publicity from Olten’s death will make it impossible for his client to have a fair trial.
Elizabeth Olten, just 9 years old, disappeared October 21 while walking home from a friend’s house in St. Martin, Missouri. Investigators say “written evidence” lead them to the suspect. Days later, on October 23, the young suspect led police to Olten’s body (which was well concealed) in the woods behind the suspects home. It was also reported that the 15-year-old suspect is the older sister of Elizabeth’s friend. (Not a creepy neighbor guy preying on your children, not a registered sex offender, or a deranged psychopath, like many were probably thinking.)
Who would have thought this was possible? As a parent, I have had concerns with my children going to friend’s homes. Concerned about them getting hurt, wonder if they will be supervised by an adult, what are the rules there, do the parents have guns in the home, etc. Not once have I ever thought that I should be concerned about the siblings in the home. Sadly, I have added that to my list now, because of this disgusting and senseless crime.
Elizabeth’s funeral was this week. Some of the mourners wore pink shirts, Elizabeth’s favorite color. “She was a giver,’ said the Rev. Monte Shinkle. “She gave of her love to family and friends.”
Pink balloons were released at the burial of nine-year-old Elizabeth Olten.
Nine-year old Elizabeth Olten being carried to her final resting place by a horse-drawn hearse in Jefferson City, Missouri.
20 Year Old College Student Missing from Metallica Concert~ $150,000.00 REWARD!
Missing 20 year old Virginia Tech Student Morgan Harrington
MISSING TIP LINE FOR MORGAN HARRINGTION 434-352-3467 PLEASE CALL WITH ANY INFORMATION.
Morgan Dana Harrington, a 20-year-old student from Virginia Tech, was last seen on October 17, 2009, near the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she was attending a Metallica Rock Concert with friends.
Morgan’s last known whereabouts:
On October 17, Harrington and a friend picked up another friend at James Madison University and then traveled to Charlottesville to attend the rock concert. Morgan Harrington was not the driver.
Before Metallica even took the stage, Morgan became separated from her friends when she went searching for a restroom around 8:30 p.m. and ended up outside the arena. It’s the policy of this arena (and many others) that patrons are not permitted to re-enter. Harrington contacted her friends by cell phone around 8:40 p.m. to let them know she was outside and that she might find another way to get home.
Morgan’s Description:
Morgan was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with the tan letters that spelled “Pantera” across the front, a black mini skirt with black tights and knee high black boots. She has long blond hair and blue eyes. Morgan is 5-feet-6-inches tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds.
Anyone who saw Harrington or someone matching her description any time during or after the concert are urged to contact authorities immediately. Please call police at (434) 352-3467 with any information.
Harrington’s purse and cell phone (without the battery) were found near the arena by a passerby on Sunday morning following the concert.
There is a reward of $150,000.00. Morgan’s parents had the reward at $100,000.00 when Metallica put up a post on their website and also added $50,000.00 to the reward totaling it at $150,000.00.
Check out Metallica’s website and post about Morgan here:
http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=602638
Somer Thompson Missing and Now Thought to be Dead
Missing 7 Year Old Child, Somer Thompson
It is looking more and more like this is yet another terrible tragedy. The beautiful 7 year old Florida girl has been missing for 3 days now. Today, police and detectives have announced that they found a body of a small white child. Not even able to tell the public if the body was male or female. Of course, everyone is thinking, it has to be sweet Somer Thompson. Many have first thoughts of ”I hope it is not her”, but then….WHO is it? No matter what, the fact is, a child’s dead body was found among trash in a landfill today.
What is going on in our country? Why does this keep happening? We need changes in our justice system. Predators who steal, rape, and kill our children need to be put away for life! An overwhelming concern is that we keep letting these monsters out and back into our society and around our children. We need to band together and make changes! There is too much violence against young, small, innocent, and defenseless children.
This beautiful little Somer was doing everything right. She was walking home from school with her older sister, her twin brother and other neighborhood kids. According to the other children, during the walk, Somer had a spat with another child and decided to run up ahead and walk alone. She was never seen again. Please pray for this little girl, her family, and her community. This is such a devastating situation.
Jaycee Dugard at the age of 29
Jaycee Dugard on the cover of People Magazine set to be on newsstands Friday, October 16th
The anticipation is over and the veil has been lifted, so to speak. After all the speculation. We finally get a look at Jaycee Dugard. There she is….alive, well and beautiful on the cover of People magazine.
She did not give an interview to the magazine, but did give some statements. One statement being “I’m so happy to be back with my family. Nothing is more important than the unconditional love and support I have from them”.
The picture of her shows her with light brown hair and the same blue eyes that match her picture when she was 11 years old and abducted while walking to the bus stop before school all those years ago.
She is beautiful and surprisingly looks to be around 19 years old. Not her actual age of 29. She really looks amazing for what she has been through. Inside the magazine is several pages of more pictures of Jaycee and her mother. Her two daughters, allegedly fathered by Jaycee’s abductor, are also photographed, but only from the back.
What an inspiration to other parents who are desperately looking for their missing children. Gives them some hope that their loved one is still out there. As for Jaycee Dugard, I am thankful to her for sharing the photos. It is wonderful to see her and know she is O.K. She is a miracle.
Murdered Yale Student/Bride-to-Be
The body of a beautiful Yale graduate student, Annie Le, was found on September 13, 2009 inside a wall of a Yale lab where she was last seen alive. Annie Le went missing five days before on September 8, 2009.
Le, 24-years-old, was in her third year of graduate studies working on a doctorate in pharmacology. She was only 4′11″ and weighted approximately 90 pounds. She was born to Vietnamese immigrants in California and was raised by her aunt, Ngoc-Tuyet Bui, in Placerville, California. She has been described as a high achiever and hard worker by many family and friends who loved and adored her.
The day she went missing, she is seen on security cameras entering a Yale medical research building that has a lab in the basement where Le was known to work many hours doing medical research on animals. A place where only a few were allowed and needed ID cards to enter. However, she is NEVER seen leaving the building.
As if the story couldn’t get more disturbing, the day her body was found, was suppose to be her wedding day. Left behind was an abundance of evidence, including bloody clothes found above ceiling tiles….according to police, these clothes did not belong to Le. There was also a mysterious fire drill that took place around the time Miss Le went missing and probably was murdered.
This is so disgusting to me, the violence against people today. Violence against women and children. Especially something so senseless as this story. She had her whole life in front of her and had worked so hard with her education. The public is left asking “why?” and “who would do something like this?”.
According to police….this man….Raymond Clark III.
An arrest has been made and even more sick….this murder could have been over something as ridiculous as a disagreement over how to take care of the rats and their cages in the research room. Raymond Clark, a laboratory technician has been arrested and charged in Le’s murder. One of his duties was cleaning the cages where the experimental rodents lived, an occupation that is likely to have brought him into contact with Le. Police have declined to discuss the relationship between the two. Raymond Clark, also 24, did not enter a plea during his brief court appearance and he is being held on a $3 million bond.
Autopsy results show the cause of death as “traumatic asphyxiation” due to neck compression. It will be interesting as more evidence becomes public. Is there anyone else involved? Did he have help hiding the body? Or did he tell someone afterwards? Did his girlfriend/fiancee know or notice something strange about him? Is it possible no one knew anything?
More on Jaycee Lee Dugard
The picture on the left is of Jaycee Dugard that was posted everywhere in 1991 when she first went missing. The picture on the right is an age progression picture of what Jaycee might look like today.
What an incredible story to follow. Jaycee and her two daughters ages 15 and 11 (who she had with her kidnapper) are said to be reunited with Jaycee’s mother. There has not been any public appearances. I am glad they are getting some time to be alone, talk about the last 18 years, and cry. Can you imagine what the conversation would be? So much to talk about. 18 years. Does Jaycee remember her school classmates from when she was 11 years old? What does she remember about her parents, her home, her family? The day she was taken? What has she been thinking all these years? Did she think her parents stopped looking for her? What a joy that she is alive, but what sorrow for what she and her parents went through.
There are reports that she suffers from “Stockholm Syndrome”. This is a condition that develops after the initial feelings of terror and confusion wear off and involves the victim building a positive bond/relationship with their kidnapper as a way to cope with the trauma of being held captive. Instead of feeling anger and hating the person who has abducted them, they come to empathise with them and view the outside world as the enemy. Jaycee’s stepfather made comments to the press suggesting that Jaycee has guilty feelings of forming a bond with her kidnapper.
Jaycee’s grandmother Wilma Probyn, age 83, claims that is the only reason that her granddaughter is still alive, because she did bond with the kidnapper.
No doubt about it, this story is taking on all kinds of twists and turns. Now, the FBI have said they are checking into many murders of prostitutes in the area, possibly Jaycee’s abductor is also a serial killer!??
More postings to come. For now, if you are a parent, hug your children a little tighter tonight. Enjoy the blessings of the day and your family. How lucky we are…..to have and know where our children are right now. The knowledge that they are safe. Pray for those families that still don’t know, that don’t have answers….and now, because of Jaycee Dugard, maybe some of those families have more hope then ever before.
Jaycee Lee Dugard
Most of you have probably already heard this breaking news….Jaycee Lee Dugard is ALIVE! Now the question is “is she well”.
What an unbelievable story! How amazing! What joy….she has been found and she is alive! But how can your stomach not be tied in knots and feel the real sickness of the life she has had? So sad and disgusting to hear about the abuse she went through.
Laws need to be changed. Sex offenders need to be locked up for GOOD! They prove to all the communities in this world, that they WILL offend again. Our children are not safe with these sick freaks out there. As parents….this is our worst nightmare…and it must STOP! We need to protect our children from these people.
As neighbors, we need to always be watching. You can’t feel like “this is none of my business”. If you have questions or concerns, you need to call and report. And the most important thing….you MUST follow UP!! Make sure something was done….make sure the police checked on your concern. In Jaycee Dugard’s case, a neighbor DID call the police, complaining of children living in tents in her neighbors backyard. The police went to the home and spoke with the abductor and sexual predator, not even checking the backyard. BIG mistakes were obviously made! I am glad that the police are taking responsibility for this now, but things need to change! We need laws with ZERO tolerance for these people. You hurt our children ONCE….you go to jail…..you die in jail….you DON’T get a second, third, or fourth chance.
I would love to hear your responses and comments about this.
