For the Lost Blog

I have started a missing persons’ newsletter at Substack. Please share and subscribe; I update every Monday evening.

I have just received word from NCMEC that Nathalia and Nathaniel Alicea, Tiannah Annibal, Gabriella Elprana, Stephanie Guerrero, Kaylina Jones, Santino Leo, Tania Ochoa, Philip Vasquez, Addisyn Whiting, and Eddie Young have all been found safe. I have also seen numerous news reports that state Kaydance Etchells was found safe just outside of England and that Aubrey Hall and his mother have been found deceased, and the case was not a family abduction at all. A neighbor who they lived with at the time has been arrested for their murder. I have resolved their cases, modified the anniversary posts so there are no dead links, and if I find any further articles will post them here. The new cases on the site are those of Jesus, Vannessa, and Ximena Garcia Mendoza, Kadareyonna, Ka’Darien, and Kailee Logan and Airelisha, A’Muria, and Myeisha Trent, Aria and Julia Maresca, Kevin and Tommy Montoya Ponce and Lesly Ponce Delgado, and Atomu Morehouse.

I have just received word from a blog commenter that Adam Elkadhiri has been found safe and reunited with hus mother. I wish them both the best. I have also seen numerous articles that state Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj has been found deceased in New Mexico. Apparently he died from an uncontrolled seizure, having not taken medication for his condition. He has been added as a victim of family abduction. The new cases on the site are those of Brianna Acevedo and Isabella Mobley. Also, Anita Qvist, Patricia Thomas-Wardell, and James Zapolski have been added to the California Kids pages.

I’ve held off on posting this even though I’ve known about it for almost a week. Amber Lucius was abducted by her mother, and three days later she was found dead. She’d been murdered, and her mother is awaiting trial. I think I needed to emotionally process it first.

I just got news that Nathan Slinkard has been found and reunited with his father. The Slinkard case is one of the family abductions I’ve followed the longest, and this is wonderful news.

Not so much for Cory Cole, however, another victim of family abduction. His father abducted him, turned up a few days later without him, and he’s since been found deceased. I’ve sat on that for a few days, as it depressed me a great deal. If I hadn’t gotten the news about Nathan it would have been sat on even longer.

I am waiting for news of the other Slinkard children before resolving their case.

… is another family abduction victim. Jesus Dominguez was abducted by his father after he beat his mother into unconsiousness. They’ve both been found dead in a murder/suicide.

I wanted to get through the year without one of these. Guess it’s not my luck.

Note: this is not the Jesus Dominguez missing from Golden Acres, Texas. He is still missing.

The “poster partner recovery” emails I get usually are good news and well received. Except ones like this.

It is with great sadness and deep regret that we notify you that Eowynne Anderson missing from Lynnwood, WA, has been located deceased. Please discontinue dissemination of this poster.

Please remove and discard any posters on this case that you have placed in public view.

We greatly appreciate your part in our efforts to reunite families and look forward to your continued support.

Thank you for your support.

And of course she wasn’t taken by some stranger. She was taken by her mother.

Mira and Yaanis Mellersh were abducted by their mother from Germany in 2010; they were supposed to be living in England with their father. A few days ago they were found dead in Turkey, killed by their mother who then committed suicide. I have always hated the fact the British press uses the phrase “tug of love” for parental kidnapping, but the fact that many news outlets are continuing to use the phrase when the two children involved were murdered is frankly quite stunning. They have been added to the victims page. I don’t have the energy to cry over these anymore.

Adam Haseeb would have been sixteen years old today.

He would probably be excited about learning to drive and considering what he would do with himself after he graduated from high school. He’d almost be an adult. By all rights, his mother should have been thrilled with a day like today. Any parent should be. There are all sorts of things that he should be doing right now.

But he was abducted by his father and died in an accident in Syria, along with his father. No, not a murder, but if he hadn’t been abducted he would probably be here to celebrate this day. But he didn’t see his sixteenth birthday; he didn’t even see his tenth.

Adam Haseeb’s death affected me profoundly. It still does. His death was the third in a recent series (at the time) of children abducted by a parent who were found deceased. Perhaps that was the reason it affected me so much. Perhaps it was just Adam himself – a cute little boy with short hair, ears that stick out, and a big smile. Whatever the reason, if he had not died I probably would have not spent the last seven years throwing myself into the world of parental kidnapping. He was the one that inspired me to create a section of For the Lost for family abductions, which is now by far the biggest section of the site. I named them after him and his picture is on every page of the photo directory. He is perhaps my best example of the tragedy of family abductions. I have talked to his mother on occasion. I cannot even begin to imagine the grief she must still feel, but I hope she can take comfort in the fact he is not forgotten. Until I die, I will use his story as the inspiration for work on the behalf of those children who are still kidnapped, still missed by their parents.

Happy birthday, Adam. You are very much loved.

After a week of vacation, I get home to find another family abduction victim. Madeline Samaan-Fay was abducted by her father on August 7, 2011. For some reason, even though she was believed to be in danger with her father, and there was both an abductor and vehicle description, an Amber Alert was not issued for five days. They were found dead in her father’s car on Sunday. Probably another murder-suicide.

When a child goes missing under unknown circumstances, the parents are often blamed and accused of doing something to the child.

When a child is kidnapped by a parent, most people seem to assume the child must be safe.

Does that contradiction bother anyone else?