Originally published August 21, 2006
Some want Amber Alerts expanded
Ali Gilmore supporters want system to include women, students
By Stephen D. Price
CAPITOL BUREAU
When Ali Gilmore went missing after Feb. 2, there was no emergency response or immediate coordinated effort to find her. Some say if Amber Alerts included women, the 30-year-old Tallahassee resident's disappearance may have been solved by now.
But Amber Alerts are made only for children under 18 years old.
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Bishop Thomas Masters, Gilmore's former pastor, hopes to change that law.
"We want it for college students and women in general," said Masters, pastor of New Macedonia Baptist Church in Riviera Beach and president of the Palm Beach County Coalition to Stop the Violence. "We feel they need to have that kind of protection."
State Rep. Priscilla Taylor, D-West Palm Beach, said she is researching the issue and may craft a bill to change the law.
"I think it can help," said Taylor, who wondered if Gilmore would've been found with an Amber Alert.
But she wants to make sure the Amber Alert system is not abused by adult runaways, not abductees, trying to flee from life's pressures.
The Amber Alert System began in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early-warning system to help find abducted children. It was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then murdered.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement criteria for issuing an Amber Alert is:
The child must be younger than 18.
There must be a clear indication of an abduction.
The law-enforcement agency's investigation must conclude the child's life is in danger.
There must be a detailed description of the child and/or the abductor and/or his vehicle to broadcast to the public.
The activation must be recommended by the local law-enforcement agency of jurisdiction.
Dana Mazza, who owns the Web site SomeoneIsMissing.com based in Daytona, which includes mostly missing adults, said changing the criteria for Amber Alerts in Florida would be wonderful.
"It's direly important, and why no one is doing it, I have no idea," Mazza said.
Tallahassee Police spokesman John Newland said changing the Amber Alert system to include college students runs the risk of listing more runaways.
"You're going to start misusing that Amber Alert," Newland said. "That will be a tough law to get changed."
In Ali Gilmore's case, Newland doesn't think an Amber Alert would have made much difference.
Gilmore was last seen Feb. 2, a Thursday, after leaving her part-time job at the Publix bakery. Family and friends didn't know she was missing until that Monday. Police didn't find any evidence of foul play in Gilmore's disappearance, and no one has been charged.
"Under the circumstances, we don't know a crime has been committed," Newland said.
Masters disagrees.
"If we had something like that in place when Ali went missing, there would have been an emergency response."
For more information on the Florida Amber Alert system, go to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Web site at www.fdle.state.fl.us. To sign the petition to change the Amber Alert law, go to google.com and search "Amber Alert for women
http://www.tallahassee.com/
A new Web site is helping in the search for Jennifer Kesse and other missing persons with the power of the World Wide Web.
We have seen her pictures plastered all over Central Florida, missing 24-year-old Jennifer Kesse. For six weeks now, her parents, authorities, and neighbors have been searching for the missing woman.
Now, someone else has joined the search and they've taken their help to the World Wide Web. The group started this website, www.jenniferkesse.com, to help her parents conduct the search for their daughter.
Since the page went up one month ago, there have been over 200,000 hits to the site offering the family support and providing possible tips to police.
Since the site has been so successful, the group wants to help other families who are missing loved ones.
Someoneismissing.com will not charge you if you need a web page created to help you reunite with your loved one.
http://cfnews13.com/
New Fliers, New Website for Missing Woman
Posted Wednesday, July 26, 2006 ; 05:02 PM
The Kanawha County woman disappeared one week ago today.
Story by Kimberly Beary Email | Bio
A reported reward, a website posting and new fliers are being used to help find the young mother of 3. Melanie Metheny disappeared last Wednesday after dropping off her 3 children, including Michael Lilly's son, at day care.
When asked, "Have you told him that you don't know where she is?" Michael Lilly said, "No, we're kind of trying to shield the children from it as much as we can right now."
That is becoming more difficult. Fliers are posted near the home Metheny shared with her boyfriend, in the town where her family lives, and in the Charleston neighborhood where her van was found last weekend. While the family, now reportedly offering a reward, is frustrated, Passersby are concerned.
"We can't understand it," said Belle resident Joyce Hill, "There's a lot of leery people around, and comes around in the neighborhood too and everything, so its hard to tell what happened to her."
Kanawha County Sheriff Deputies say there's nothing new in Melanie's disappearance but her family says those fliers have led to tips that cause them to search neighborhoods like Campbells Creek over night.
"If anyone wants to come out and help search around Campbells Creek," Lilly said. When asked "Any reason why, other than the fact that she lived there?" Lilly responded, "Well, we have a few ideas but like I said we can't really speculate on anything. We don't really know anything yet."
Lilly says they will search until the 21 year old is found because the family "can't have any closure without knowing."
Melanie's disappearance is now featured on the website www.someoneismissing.com. She is described as five feet tall, blonde hair, brown eyes, weighing about 100 pounds.
If you have any information regarding her whereabouts, call the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department at 357-0169.
http://wowktv.com/
