You can follow the project, which is now tweeting as @MissingAmerican (Note: : no "s" at the end). If you have trouble finding us on Twitter, please send me a note through the Missing Americans Project to let me know. For some reason the account has been a bit temperamental.
Added by Jeff Dunsavage on January 25, 2010 at 3:13pm —
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It is the scene that all families hope they never have to live through. Three women; namely Jeanette Alicea, Ivette Alicea and Olga Feliciano sit desperately hopeful by the telephone waiting for a call that with any luck will not come too late. They are the mother, wife and grandmother, respectively, of Richard Alicea, who together with Edwin Pritchard, left on a fishing trip in Richard’s boat (17' Key… Continue
Chris Rowley at Volunteer Image Analysts for Search and Rescue (VIASAR) is taking this picture very seriously, and so is Richard Bowie at Down East Emergency Medicine Institute (DEEMI). Based on the coordinates provided by the family, this picture could be of any on of five cays in the area, which could mean the Coast Guard may have visited the wrong island. I am trying to get the contact info of the pilot of the plane so Chris can speak with him… Continue
Added by Jeff Dunsavage on January 21, 2010 at 11:04am —
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I'm still trying to learn more about this one and will post more as I get more information. Please follow this link and watch the news clip - it's the clearest version of the photos believed to show the two missing men and includes the quotes from the pilot of the plane the picture was taken from:
The Missing Americans Project crossed the 100-members mark this weekend - a bittersweet accomplishment. So much of our new membership and visits have come from Missouri, the home state of Leo Finley, who disappeared in Roatan, Honduras, Christmas morning. I feel a special connection with the Finleys, as my brother Joe disappeared from Roatan under similar circumstances on Mother's Day 2009.
It's sad to know that our organization grows and will continue to grow primarily through… Continue
Added by Jeff Dunsavage on January 18, 2010 at 1:29pm —
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John Joseph Scibeck died while staying at a little villa in Playa Potrero, not far from Tamarindo, where Michael Dixon, Craig Snell, and Brendan Dobbins disappeared. He was found face up on the side of a desolate road, less than a mile from the beaches of Playa Potrero and had been asphyxiated. Costa Rica police say they are investigating the death as a homicide.… Continue
This article is the first I've seen to allude to what I've suspected for some time about these disappearances in Central America and the Caribbean. Please read it.
An excerpt:
"A confidential source told US and Mexican authorities that he saw women's bodies lying on the floor. He also was present when dead men were hauled inside the building… Continue
A search for Leo Finley, missing at sea near Roatan, Honduras, has been called off, according to this article in the Columbia Daily Tribune. The article said the search involved three U.S. Blackhawk helicopters and Honduran naval vessels. “The local Honduran authorities are still keeping an eye out for anything they might find, but… Continue
Added by Jeff Dunsavage on January 8, 2010 at 12:00am —
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23 year old American Kyle Mostello Belanger has been reported missing since last May and believed to have been kidnapped and is being held against his will for ransom in Juarez Mexico. The information has been forwarded to the Mexican Government and to the FBI and other U.S. agencies with no apparent follow-up investigations much less locating arresting and punishing his perpetrators.
The first thing Leo Finley's friend, Lori Young, asked me was, "Do you ever find anyone alive?"
Man! My first thought was: "My God! She thinks we're a bunch of professionals doing this!"
I had to answer her honestly, that in our extensive experience of less than a year, we've had few, if any, happy endings. There were the girls in Ecuador, but we weren't really involved in that;… Continue
Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 31, 2009 at 3:00pm —
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I am sitting here after a long day or working thinking to myself in frustration simply... Why? Typically I have always been a positive and optimistic person and never thought of asking myself that question since I my belief is strong in a thought that everyone has the ability to attempt a "rebuild" of their life when bad things occur... However, sitting through my first Christmas not only without my father to call or write to but having the reason I can't do those things not be because of… Continue
This is all I have so far: Leo, from Columbia, Mo., was working at the Royal Playa (owned by close family friends). He apparently took their boat out in the early hours of Christmas morning and was not seen again. His parents are on Roatan now and I will be sharing resources with them and information with the Project as I learn more.
Please keep Leo and his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 30, 2009 at 2:56pm —
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Our family just made it through our first Christmas without our beloved Ron or "Opa" as our grandson calls him.
Keeping my focus on the true meaning of Christmas, helped me manage this Holiday Season. It was very bittersweet, because we are such a close family, Ron's absence seemed magnified. I tried to change up everything, from the way I decorated, to the food we ate, to the timing of our get togethers. Still, at the end of the day, Ron was not there. His booming voice and laughter were… Continue
Added by Cynthia Scheepstra on December 26, 2009 at 4:07pm —
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My thoughts and prayers are with the other families and friends with missing family members.
I know this is the most difficult of the "firsts"...and the one that we all go through at the same time.
Families of Joe, David , Michael and all the families with missing loved ones....Blessings to you and hopefully 2010 will give us some answers to our questions about what happened to them.
Going through all the "firsts" without our missing friends and family members is tough, and it doesn't get much easier as time passes. I remember how hard the "first" Christmas without my Dad was; and the "first" of his birthdays without him as well. This year, the crew of the Pair of Docs will mark their "first" Christmas without our dear friend Joe Dunsavage. On behalf of the crew, we hope the spirit of Chrismas gives comfort to the Dunsavage family - especially Joe's children. You're in our… Continue
Stories like this one In the Heart of Central America: Why now is the time to go to Honduras are part of the problem. By minimizing the dangers in these Third World tourist destinations, they lead travelers to feel a false sense of comfort and security. I posted a comment on the story (let's see if it stays there) and would encourage all members of the Missing Americans Project to do the same.
Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 4, 2009 at 1:51pm —
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As soon as I got home, I started emailing my Congressman, and Senators who have shown interest in the past. Within 2 hours I had responses from all of them. I gave them my US Consulate Agent's contact information. Apparently they contacted her, because I had an email in my box yesterday morning addressed to me as well as the Congressman and Senators. The US Consulate in Merida, Mx has not been contacted by The Netherlands. She asked that we give her contact information to the Dutch authorities… Continue