A reporter recently asked me two questions about the material I've been posting, and they were exactly the right questions:
* What do you find suspicious about these disappearances?
* You talk about 8 men missing in the region in 10 months -- how many disappeared in the prior 10 months?
Here is an excellent example of a journalist doing his job correctly -- holding me accountable for my assertions and seeking hard facts and data.
People go missing in Thailand on a regular basis. More often than not, it seems they have simply neglected to stay in touch and are unaware that people back home are worried about them and usually turn up unharmed. If your loved one seems to have vanished into thin air and all attempts to contact or trace them have failed, you can post a missing person announcement for free on this site.
Over the frustrating past 10 months, we have heard some version of that question over and over from the elected and appointed officials who are paid to lead us at home and look after our interests abroad. When we call the U.S. embassies in the countries where our loved ones have gone missing, we vaguely expect (having watched too much TV) that someone in a wood-paneled office at the far end of the phone line is taking down a dark blue binder with… Continue
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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