Where is Wendy?

Sometimes, we hear about a child gone missing in the news and something about their story, or their smile.... or the seemingly pleading sparkle in their eye.... to help them in someway... to find them and bring closure to their family... or to solve their murder and obtain long elusive justice for them.... and then there are those times when tragedy touches someone you know.... You get to witness first hand their pain.... their desperation.... their determination.... and the love that holds them together as they everyday search for answers. Wendy Lee Huggy is the neice of a friend of mine that I met at the Court TV Message Boards.... I didn't even realize that she had a missing niece... There are few clues in this young woman's disappearance... she was just 16 and living with her Paternal Grandparents in Holiday Florida.... she had moved there the previous August in 1981. On that fateful day on April 7th, 1982, Wendy went to the Clearwater Mall... She called her grandmother from the Mall saying she had met someone at the Mall... and that she was to later meet some friends at Clearwater Beach.... she never showed.... no one ever heard from Wendy again. Someone was using her Social Security # for some 10 years after her disappearance....

To learn more about the disappearance of Wendy Huggy.... or if you have information that may help us find Wendy or the person that took her.......

visit her blog at.... http://whereiswendy.blogspot.com/

Back To School Safety.....

It's that time of year again, when the chalk boards are wiped down.... the desks arranged in neat rows.... and teacher's don the bulletin boards with Fall symbols and cheery welcome signs for their new students. For parents it's that mad dash to find that certain copy book.... school shoes... and all the rest of the paraphernalia that is part of going to school.... Here are a few tips to help keep your child safe as they embark on the new school year.

How to LABEL your child's things.... NEVER put your child's name on the OUTSIDE of any of his outerwear.....or backpacks......even lunch boxes.......put your child's name on the INSIDE... complete with your PHONE #...... especially for small children...... discourage your kids from buying jewelry that sports their WHOLE name.... Initials are fine.... or instruct them to wear the necklace UNDER their clothes......Be especially vigilant of Kindergarteners..... WALK THEM TO AND FROM THE BUS STOP..... if you can't do that either drive them to school or.......ask a trusted neighbor who also has a child that waits with your child...... Be wary while your child is wearing his name tag........it doesn't only help him be identified in school....... Predators have an undisputed in.... if they can call a child by name....... A timid 5 year old alone on a corner sporting a name tag for 10 to 15 minutes or more.......is a tempting sight for a predator......

If your child walks to school....... and you can't walk him to and from.... make the walk with him a few days before school starts........ or if you can.... and the better option.....the first few days........ EVEN IF IT MEANS BEING LATE FOR WORK......... If your child is K-3 see if you can't find another parent along the way..... with a child to meet and walk with your child.... if you can swing it....... trade off days..... this is not only a welcome relief......but ensures that your children always have an adult with them.... or perhaps.......you can arrange to drive them on the rainy days.... Walking with your child on those all important first days.....allows you to observe the surroundings they will be walking through........ and to spot people who may be available to help if there is trouble..... or areas they should avoid totally....... This is also a good time for a "How to cross the street refresher".

If you have older children.....make sure they keep an eye on the younger ones.........and STAY together.... There should be only ONE route to and from school........ explain to them they must NEVER stray.......or take a random short cut....... NEVER WALK ALONE - ALWAYS WALK WITH A BUDDY..... Time how long it takes to walk from door to door...... of course a child won't walk with the same purposefulness as an adult...... so.... allow them 5-10 minutes extra.... before expecting a phone call.... if they are going home to an empty house.....EXPECT A PHONE CALL DAILY.... if you have to be away from the phone at the appointed time........ask a co-worker to take the call for you or if more convenient...... ask an aunt or grandparent to be the child's after school phone buddy.

Alone at Home....... Many parents have to work and aren't always able to be home when there child returns home from school.... This can put the child at some risk.... if your child is not mature enough to follow directions and to know how to protect themselves during an emergency they should NOT be allowed or FORCED to come home to an empty house.... If you can't afford after school care.......then by all means do your best to find an alternative even if you have to trade babysitting services on the weekends with a neighbor or friend.... DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO STAY HOME ALONE.......Before you child can or should be left alone... he or she should know........

1.)Be able to use a telephone effectively.

2.)Know how to dial 911 and to properly ask for assistance.

3.)Be able to USE a key and work the locks on the door.

4.)Be trust worthy.... and follow your instructions.... no exceptions.

5.)Be able to re-act appropriately if an emergency occurs.

Rules of Staying Alone

1.)Your child should lock the door behind them after they enter the home.

2.)Your child should NEXT connect with your or their support person.

3.)Let the Machine Get ALL phone calls.... set it so your child can hear the message instruct them to listen to the message BEFORE they pick up the phone... and to only answer if you or other family members are on the line.

4.)NEVER.........open the door to ANYONE.... and to

5.)Call for assistance if the person persists....

NOT EVEN IF THEY SAY THEY ARE POLICE.......if you or your child didn't call for help then there should be NO police on the premises..... If they can't reach you... they should hang up and IMMEDIATELY call 911. They should not open the door to accept packages from Delivery Services, or to anyone who is not on their list of approved people.

NEVER LEAVE THE FIRST CRIME SCENE.....
Your child must learn NOT to allow someone to take them from the location of first encounter... (First Crime Scene) this goes for us ADULTS as well as children.... cooperating with someone who promises that if you just do what they say.... you will not be harmed.... should be considered a hollow promise. If they get you or your child away from the relative safety of the first encounter which is a public area....... consider what they would do to you in the privacy of a remote location....... You not only need to TELL your children about stranger danger.... you need to PRACTICE the skills....... and practice them often.... As a former Brownie leader I can assure you... kids just DO NOT GET IT... by hearing what to do.... it's only through PRACTICE do they realize what they are EXPECTED to do... Each Spring we did a beware of strangers class... Teaching the children many of the safety rules already discussed in this post... I was SHOCKED... how many of the children STILL approached my "car" to help me even after we had told them MANY times NOT to (each time one of the girls approached me... we would explain ALL over again why they should not do that).... that all ended abruptly.... when after becoming exasperated.... I quickly grabbed one of my little charges when she approached.....and ran down the length of auditorium with her...... NOT ONE OTHER CHILD APPROACHED ME after that demonstration.... you can NOT just tell them.....you have to SHOW them.... and practice.... practice.... practice!!!

Children should NEVER help an adult find a lost puppy.....or kitten...... (This is how Joseph Duncan attempted and succeeded to abduct Anthony Martinez.... he had a picture of his "lost" cat)

Children should NEVER help someone who claims they are lost and need directions....

Children should NEVER approach the car of someone who stops to ask for help..... They should run away into the house.....

Children should NOT let go of their bike if someone tries to abduct them off of their bike.... the harder they make it for the perpetrator..... the more time it takes.... the less the perp is thinking about taking the child....... and more about being discovered.......

Children should not yell "No" or "Stop"or "Help Me" Teach your child to scream.......THIS IS NOT MY MOTHER/FATHER........FIRE........CALL POLICE....... we all have had the unfortunate experience of an unruly child in the mall or some other place who's parents fight them tooth and nail for their cooperation.... We have heard them yell.........NO.........and STOP........and HELP ME..... but did they yell for the police??? Did they scream this is not my dad? Did they scream this is a stranger?? Did they scream HE IS STEALING ME? No.... they screamed and shouted those words we as parents hear just about everyday....

Remember it will NOT get better for your child if he is taken to a secondary scene.... no matter if your child gets hurt........and they may....... they need to fight as much as possible... they need to make it as HARD as possible for this person to steal them.... and DO get your child ID kit and have it handy..... take Photo's of your child EVERY 6 MONTHS...... Side and Front....... Determine who will be your "stand in" in case of emergency.... and make sure your child knows the "signal" that allows them to feel confident if that person has to pick them up... KNOW who is in your neighborhood.........check your state registry at LEAST once a month.... For more information please consult the following web sites........

Links......

Kid Escape......

http://www.kidescape.org/

Free Booklet.........

http://www.kidescape.org/ebooklet.pdf

Excellent Story........

http://www.wndu.com/news/stangerd/

Child Safe International

http://www.childsafe.com/

Safe Kids Card

http://www.safekidscard.com/

Child Safe Network

http://childsafenetwork.org/

Polly Klaas Foundation

http://www.pollyklaas.org/

FBI State List of Sex Offenders.....

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/cac/states.htm

(Check this list FREQUENTLY!!!! )

Perplexing...

The longer I dwell on the news reports surrounding the alleged connection between Joseph Duncan and the Anthony Martinez kidnap/murder.... the more perplexed I become. First is the issue of the partial finger print found on the duct tape used to bind or gag little Anthony... and the obvious lack of investigation into it.... if the state police or the San Francisco authorities had bothered to check states near by.... or even nation wide for the perpetrator.... perhaps Duncan would have been apprehended and convicted a long time ago.... sparing the lives of countless others including the Groene and Mackensie families. Since Duncan had been in trouble of some sort basically for all of his teen years.... AND.... he was arrested.... tried and convicted in Washington state.... his finger prints were on file SOMEWHERE...... I don't understand why "possible convicted pedophiles" who were now out on bond or parole were not looked at VERY closely.... and at the minimum their finger prints checked again the partial left at the scene of the homicide... it just does not make sense!!!

The other thing that is bothering me is that NO one is mentioning my tip. Now......don't get me wrong... the accolades are nice...but not necessary...... to me the reward of knowing that Anthony's family can garner some fraction of "justice" and rest easy knowing that their son's killer will ultimately be punished for taking their precious Anthony's life....they have a name and face to vent their outrage, anger and distain towards.... rather then a unknown evil entity.... the evil one who robbed them of their son .....has a name and it's Joseph Duncan. As I stated to both the FBI AND the San Francisco Police dept. when I emailed them the tip about Duncan's possible involvement in the Martinez case on July 11th.... Ok so I told them I don't know if he had anything to do with this case........but if he did.......to get him for Anthony...... My being honest about the relevance shouldn't preclude them from following a tip..... even one they may also consider remote at the time.

I have to wonder........why it took the FBI contacting the San Francisco police to alert them to the possible involvement of Duncan when I emailed the tip to them DAYS BEFORE??? To me......that is a very valid question and one that begs to be answered..... they had the information..... they should have in my opinion been contacting the FBI.... asking for finger prints... which is contrary to what the sheriff there has been stating in every news conference I have seen...... didn't they know they had a tip?? I sent the information to the detective in charge of the case!!!! I emailed the FBI at the same time mainly because the FIRST detective's email listed on the flyer was no longer working...... and there was an alternative email address......so I used that. Fearing it might get overlooked or come back to me undeliverable again.... I decided to contact the FBI... I was that sure that Duncan was their man. I have always believed that ALL tips are checked out.... no matter how far fetched or improbable..... true.... all I am is an internet rookie detective.... and not an actual eyewitness.... but the information I was supplying....as it turns out was not just valid....but would have solved the case......HAD THEY CHECKED IT OUT...... The finger print.........if they had matched it against those in another state's data base.... could have solved the case eight years ago......IF THEY HAD CHECKED..... so........why aren't they checking? And how many innocent children are becoming victims because of these lapses in duty? That is what is so very perplexing to me......

Update on Joseph Duncan

UPDATE............the FBI announced yesterday that they have a single finger print connecting Joseph Duncan to the April 4, 1997 murder of Anthony Martinez..... So..... I was right....!!!! I really thought that Duncan matched the composite.....and that with him possibly being in the area........ it was a GOOD bet he was the perp!!!!! I am VERY glad I sent along that tip!!!


The following is ALL SPECULATION...... thinking out loud if you will....... I am looking into missing/abducted children and those that stand out.... I have listed below.... First the problem with missing teenaged children.... MANY if not MOST are listed as runaways..... not always the case.... but because this is the MAIN reason that teens disappear.... police often classify teens as runaways.... unless there is CLEAR initial evidence of something more sinister..... These three jumped out at me when I was researching missing children/murders that may be associated with Joseph Duncan.... the man being held in the Groene kidnap/murders.

Patrick Wayne Mello...... missing from Needles, CA.... disappeared on July 28, 1995..... listed as endangered missing........MAY be a runaway.... no information is available beyone the poster (no news reports)....... he was 13 at the time... 4'6" and 100 lbs...... missing from Needles, CA with from San Francisco is 555.6 miles from Needles..... 8 hours. 32 minutes.... it is adjacent to Mojave National Preserve....and quite near the Nevada state line.... hmm... first Anthony Martinez.... found in Joshua Tree.... disappeared from Beaumont 457.3 miles 7 hours 2 minutes from San Francisco.... NOTE........the SIZE of Patrick......he may not have LOOKED 13

Jack Daniel Phillips..... missing from Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino County, CA........ August 6, 1995 age at time of disappearance 9...4'0".....72 lbs.......last seen in the Aspen Glen Picnic grounds in the city of Big Bear Lake ...at around 5:00 - 5:30 pm........ Big Bear Lake, CA is 474.6 miles from San Francisco, CA....... 7 hours 18 minutes....... How ever if Duncan is responsible and in the Los Angeles area it is only 98.0 miles from LA to Big Bear Lake and drive time is approximately 1 hour 52 minutes.........

Notice above...... that Patrick Wayne Mello is ALSO gone missing on July 28, 1995..... it is 220.7 miles from Needles, CA........ US 40 goes from one place to the other..... and it is ONLY 96.1 miles to Joshua Tree National Park from Big Bear Lake, CA. So you have two youngsters missing within 220.7 miles of each other between Friday, July 28,1995 and Sunday August 6, 1995.... never to have been seen again.....

Manuel Mendez missing from Modesto, CA..... disappeared on December 22, 1996 listed as endangered missing.... he was last known to have been seen playing at the Tulumne River near his home on Shiloh Rd. LE fear he either fell into the river.... or was kidnapped..... Modesto, CA.... is 91.5 miles 1 hour 45 minutes...... from San Francisco....... the closest State Park..... is Yosemite National Park..... which from Modesto is..... 75 miles away.... Notice that this is CHRISTMAS time.... Shiloh Rd, is a short distance from US 5.... There is also a small park nearby........Laird Park...... it is of indeterminate size....... but is bordered by the Tulumne River..... surrounded is more like it.... where the road j16 is one border....... the river the other.... with just a small stretch on the East End that does not have anything on it's boundary...........Could Duncan have been visiting his father in CA at the time???