My October 2002 Journal by Robert Cooke

The Search for Rachel, a father's journal

Tuesday, October 1

My wife Janet and I flew into Baltimore and took a shuttle to Washington D.C. We arrived at our hotel around 3:00 p.m.

Tim Miller, the director of Texas EquuSearch, Beth Alberts, the CEO of Gabriel's Gifts, Jackie, the sister of missing Kent Jacobs, Janet, and I went to a nice Thai restaurant for dinner. We were able to discuss many issues about missing persons while we were together.

Wednesday, October 2

The WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON MISSING, EXPLOITED, AND RUNAWAY CHILDREN was opened at 9:00 a.m. by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. He set the bar immediately; it doesn't matter how many children are taken from their family because one child is too many.

After Mr. Ashcroft, several panels of speakers presented the various issues of the missing, exploited, and runaway children in our nation and the rest of the world. The first panel was named RISKS TO AMERICA'S CHILDREN AND YOUTH. The panel was lead by Ernie Allen, the President and CEO of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The most notable speakers on this panel were Don and Claudine Ryce, the parents of murdered 9-year-old Jimmy Ryce. Mr. Ryce made the same statement I have used before. He said the abductors were domestic terrorists. Mrs. Ryce told how their foundation donates bloodhounds to law enforcement agencies in the United States. Bloodhounds can follow the victim's scent even if he or she is taken in a car. Mrs. Ryce also described what Jimmy's abductor did to him. I can't repeat it here. It is too horrifying.

The second panel of speakers was hosted by Bob Flores, an administrator in the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The panel was named WHAT WORKS - SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS. Texas State Senator Florence Shapiro spoke about the Texas Amber Alert implementation. Rick Minicucci from the NCMEC showed a demonstration of the age progression software that the NCMEC has. Lieutenant Bill Walsh from the Dallas Police Department explained their office's S.O.A.P. system for tracking paroled sexual offenders. The program enforces zero tolerance when a paroled sexual offender violates his or her parole. I want the system put in place in every county in Texas.

During a break I was interviewed by FOX News. They will forward the interview to the local Austin station. The grandmother of murdered 6-year-old Philadelphian Destiny Wright was sitting at my table. We talked to each other throughout the day.

The third panel, named THE FEDERAL ROLE, was hosted by FBI director Robert S. Mueller III. Lee Heath, the Chief Postal Inspector, reported on the huge "candyman" child pornography organization that was just broken up. Chief Proceeding Fulton County, Georgia Judge Nina R. Hickerson explained how bad forced child prostitution is and what needs to be done to prevent it.

President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush then took the stage. Laura Bush introduced her husband. President Bush reiterated what John Ashcroft said. One missing or abducted child is too many.

Mr. Bush then went on to praise various public and private organizations that are helping with the fight against abductions, exploitation, and runaways. After the President spoke, he walked around the edge of the crowd for almost an hour shaking hands. Janet gave her hand to him and he pulled her to him and hugged her. He said "You're Rachel's mom". The President knows about Rachel Cooke! I also shook the President's hand after that. A group of us made sure that Destiny Wright's grandmother also met the President.

Just before lunch, I met Texas Senator Florence Shapiro, who spoke on the second panel. The DALLAS MORNING NEWS interviewed me after that, and then ABC News interviewed Janet and me together.

As lunch was winding down, the fourth panel, INTERNATIONAL ABDUCTIONS AND TRAFFICKING, took the stage. This panel was hosted by Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Debriansky. The most notable of the speakers on this panel was Gary Haugen, President and CEO of International Justice Mission. Mr. Haugen told how children are abducted from one country and then taken to another country to work as sex slaves.

Another speaker on this panel was Thomas R. Sylvester. Mr. Sylvester's son was kidnapped by his Austrian non-custodial mother and taken to Austria. The Austrian government is supporting the mother and won't allow the child to be returned to the U.S.A. This was very interesting because a father sitting at my table had almost the same story. His German wife kidnapped his son and daughter two years ago, and the German government is protecting the mother's right to keep the children. Both Sylvester and the father at my table have involved the U.S. government in their quest to bring their children home.

The next panel, hosted by Secretary of Health and Human Services, was called CARE FOR MISSING CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. The most notable speaker on this panel was Sister Mary Rose McGeady, the president of the Covenant House in New York City. The Covenant House reaches out and helps runaway children. They feed them, clothe them, rest them, and counsel them. I was impressed when Sister Mary Rose said they work with the children to develop a plan for the child. The child is involved in the whole process.

During the break I met Erin Runnion, the mother of murdered 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. It was a very emotional experience. We both cried.

Secretary of Education Roderick Paige hosted the PREVENTING THE VICTIMIZATION OF CHILDREN panel. This panel did not really cover any new topics.

NBC News then interviewed me. As I was finishing the interview, Janet came by and they interviewed her after me.

THE ROLE OF MEDIA AND CORPORATIONS panel was hosted by John Walsh of AMERICA'S MOST WANTED. John Murphy, Vice President of Loss Prevention at Walmart, explained the Code Adam Alert that all Walmart and Sams stores have implemented. All employees are trained on the program before they start to work. When a store receives a missing child report from a customer, the store is locked down while customers and employees search for the child. If the child is not found within 10 minutes, law enforcement is notified.

Another good speaker on this panel was Parry Aftab, the Executive Director of WiredSafety.com. Ms. Aftab is developing Internet safety tips for parents. She believes the wrong thing to do is to prevent the child from using the Internet. I agree with Ms. Aftab.

Secretary of State Colin Powell closed the conference. He is a very powerful speaker and not at all what I would think an Army general is usually like. He had several of us close to tears with his speech. I can see that man running for president some day and winning!

After the conference Janet and I grabbed John Walsh as he was trying to leave. Mr. Walsh sounded positive about featuring Rachel on his new television show. Janet and I will keep our fingers crossed.

Thursday, October 3

My wife Janet and I took the Washington Metro to the Hirshhorn Museum this morning. We toured the late 20th century art there and then Jackie, missing Kent Jacobs' sister, met us and we walked to the National Art Museum.

I have corresponded with Jackie for many months concerning Kent's and Rachel's disappearances. Jackie quit her job in Seattle and moved back to North Carolina to lead the search for her brother. She greatly impressed me with her strength and dedication to her brother. There is no stronger bond than love, and Jackie's love for Kent is the strongest bond I have ever seen.

Tim Miller, the director of Texas EquuSearch, Jackie, and I discussed a search for Kent. Tim is planning to fly to North Carolina in early November to organize a search for Kent. A proper search for Kent has never been done. I hope to join in the search on the first weekend.

I spoke to the WILLIAMSON COUNTY SUN, KEYE News, KLBJ/AM Radio News, and FOX 7 News on the phone this afternoon. My cell phone bill is going to be huge this month.

Friday, October 4

My wife Janet and I flew back to Austin this morning. When we arrived in Austin, KEYE News interviewed us at the airport. The station aired the story on their 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. news.

KVUE's Morning Show e-mailed me to ask if we would appear on their morning show. Janet and I will be guests on the morning show Sunday, October 6, at 7:30 a.m.

I spoke with KLBJ/AM Radio News tonight. They have put together a long news segment on the Washington conference. The segment will air during this Monday morning's rush hour.

Bill Bickel from Crime and Punishment e-mailed me and asked if he could put a link on his site to my report on the Washington conference. I agreed.

I found out that WFAA TV News in Dallas did a Wednesday night story on the Washington conference. I watched the Internet Real Video segment, and they featured both Janet and me. They also showed two pictures of Rachel, which was even more important.

Saturday, October 5

Janet and I were invited to tour the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children yesterday but couldn't go because our flight was too early.

I finally caught up on my journal. The report about the Washington conference was the longest I think I've even written for one day. I spent the day relaxing a little after a very fast-paced trip.

The White House has posted President Bush's speech from the conference. Click here to read it. The President spoke about more than the Amber Alert, which is what the media focused on.

Sunday, October 6

I was a guest today on the KVUE morning show. I covered the high points of the Washington conference during the interview.

We received a letter from the Austin Police Department responding to our July offer to purchase for them a copy of the Abduction Central Alert System. A.P.D. has decided to continue using their current TRAK system. They have also added a new police helicopter, Reverse 911 system, as well as the Amber Alert. The letter also mentions their expanded Search and Rescue Unit, which my wife Janet and I are part of. I still have not heard from the Travis County Sheriff's Office about our offer to buy their office the software.

I combined several news coverage videotapes into one. My friend Tricia is still working to get Janet and me invited to appear on a national television program to discuss Rachel's disappearance.

Monday, October 7

I received a picture from my friend Jackie, Kent Jacobs' sister. It shows Jackie, my wife Janet, Tim Miller, the director of Texas EquuSearch, John Walsh, and me. I placed a copy of the picture on the Washington conference report page.

A couple of people contacted me about flying to North Carolina to search for Kent Jacobs next month. I think it might encourage the locals to help out if five to ten Texans go there to search.

NBC called me today. THE JOHN WALSH SHOW is taping a program on missing adults this Thursday. They invited Janet, my daughter JoAnn, and me to be on the show. We are flying to New York City this Wednesday and will fly back to Austin after the taping of the show on Thursday. The program should air in a week or two. I will post the exact date here later.

Tuesday, October 8

I passed some information that came in about Rachel's case to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office. We will also have a briefing with them tomorrow morning before we leave for the airport.

We received our flight information from THE JOHN WALSH SHOW today. We are flying out at noon tomorrow and flying back tomorrow night after they tape the program.

Wednesday, October 9

The Sheriff's Office briefed us this morning. They have been busy following leads and doing interviews. The concentration has moved back to a white sports car with two males in it that was seen in the neighborhood.

My wife Janet, daughter JoAnn, and I flew to New York City this afternoon. The flight was great and actually arrived early. NBC had a car waiting for us, and the driver drove us to our hotel on Lexington Avenue.

After checking in, we took a cab to the Empire State Building. This was JoAnn's first trip to New York City, and I wanted her to see the view from the observation deck.

Thursday, October 10

A car picked up my wife Janet, daughter JoAnn, and me at 9:45 a.m. and took us to the NBC Studios in Rockefeller Plaza. We were escorted to our dressing room. The room was small, but it contained a fruit and pastry tray and some drinks.

After a while we were escorted to escort us to the makeup room. Yes, they even put makeup on me. After the makeup was applied, they took us back to the dressing room, and the show's producer interviewed us. Next, a sound person placed wireless microphones on us.

A little after noon, they took the three of us to the hallway outside of the studio. I met the other families there, and later John Walsh came by and shook our hands. Mr. Walsh had been stuck in traffic, and he arrived too late to pre-interview us.

There were four other families of missing persons there. They represented Kristen Modafferi, Anthony Guy Urciuoli, Lynsie Leigh Ekelund, and Candacy and Darcel Sanders.

The families were then escorted into the studio. Candacy and Darcel's parents and sister sat on the stage, and the rest of us were seated in the audience. The show opened with John introducing missing adults as "the forgotten and ignored ones". In the opening sequence, they played a video of Rachel. It was hard to maintain my composure.

After the Sanders, Lynsie's mom was interviewed on the stage. Next, Janet, JoAnn, and I were interviewed. The Modafferis followed us, and then Anthony Urciuoli's parents and sister took the stage.

At the end of the program, all of the parents were seated on or near the stage, and the audience asked us questions. Kym Pasqualini, the president and director of The Nation's Children Organization and Center for Missing Adults, was also there. Ms. Pasqualini described the mission of her organization.

After the taping of the show, we were escorted to the hallway outside the studio. Mr. Walsh came out, and they let us take our pictures with him. After he posed with Janet, JoAnn, and me, he said, "Now I want one with just her." He grabbed JoAnn, and they took a picture of John and her for JoAnn's senior scrapbook. We were assured that they would notify all of us of the exact date the program will air.

We were then driven to the airport, and we caught our flight back to Austin. The flight was fairly empty, so I moved to a row by myself. While looking out the window at the sunset, I realized the truth. Today marked nine months since Rachel disappeared. I was glad that I was alone. A man never wants to let anyone see him cry.

Friday, October 11

It is good to be home. The last two weeks have really been busy. I wanted to do a search this weekend, but I decided that I needed some time to rest. Today I did catch up on my journal entries.

We received the itinerary for the Texas Missing Children's Conference on October 30. The conference will be run much the same way as the Washington conference was. Panels of speakers from law enforcement, government, the media, missing person organizations, and families of missing persons will speak. My wife Janet and I will speak on "Families Affected By Missing, Abducted, and Exploited Children in Texas - Their Personal Stories - The State of Texas Reacts". There will be four or five other families on the panel with us.

Our friend, Senior Officer Jim Minton of the Austin Police Department, asked Janet and me to speak at his next Search and Rescue Class next Saturday. We have done this twice before. Officer Minton says he gets a lot of positive feedback from the students in the class. Janet and I speak about our experiences with search volunteers, law enforcement, psychics, and anyone else that we dealt with during Rachel's disappearance.

I added counters to the rachelcookesearch.org and the rachelalert.org websites. Rachel Cooke Search has had over 5,000 people visit the site in the last month. Rachel Alert Network has had over 2,000 people visit.

Saturday, October 12

Al White's staff received an e-mail from the aunt of murdered 6-year-old Casey Williamson in Missouri. She commented about how she loved RACHEL'S SONG and thanked Al White for writing it for Rachel and the others. Yesterday I e-mailed her, thanking her for her kind words and telling her how everyone here had prayed for Casey.

Casey's aunt wrote back telling me that she made a visit to the search center for missing 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck in Missouri. She took them some supplies and gave them moral support. I know it was hard on her, but at the same time, it was comforting.

I printed out some more CD label inserts for RACHEL'S SONG CDs. This week I plan to work with a manufacturer to start an order of 1,000 fully packaged CDs. The process will take over a month, but it will be worth it to have a large supply of the CDs on hand.

Sunday, October 13

Today I decided to just rest and recuperate. The last two weeks have been so busy it could make your head spin.

I checked the www.johnwalsh.tv website, and they are not showing the missing adult program this week. It will probably air next week, October 21-25.

Monday, October 14

I talked to my friend Thad today. He has the three videotape copies of the cable access program we did in August ready. I will pick them up from him tomorrow.

I have received several e-mails from new and old friends. I may not be able to answer all of them, but I do read every one. I want to thank everyone for their support.

I spoke today to Senior Officer Minton of the Austin Police Department. He would like my wife Janet and me to speak to his Search and Rescue class this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. If time permits, we will give a brief report on our Washington trip after our regular speech.

Tuesday, October 15

I picked up the cable access program videotapes from my friend Thad today. I am mailing one to a cable access producer in California. The producer wants to do a story on Rachel. Cox Cable in Georgetown will also receive a tape.

On Sunday, I received a nice e-mail from a college student at the University of Iowa. Every year her sorority does a fall fundraiser. This year they want to donate part of the fundraiser proceeds to the search for Rachel. I am sending her some bumper stickers and buttons for her sorority sisters.

I added two new links to rachelalert.org. One link is to a runner's safety article on the Runner's World website. The other link is to a women's safety e-mail that I received 2 months ago. I tried to find out who wrote the original e-mail. After not receiving any replies to my e-mail requests, I decided to post it without permission because it contains a lot of good information. Click here to see the links.

The word about Rachel is really spreading. I hope that someday someone will develop a conscience and tell us where she is.

Wednesday, October 16

Today I mailed several RACHEL'S SONG CDs to different people and a videotape to California for the cable access channel near L.A. I still have not heard from THE JOHN WALSH SHOW, but I expect to hear from them soon.

The pictures came back from our Washington and New York trips. I posted two of the pictures on the Washington conference report page. Two of the pictures from our New York City trip to THE JOHN WALSH SHOW are posted here.

I have reserved OLD SETTLERS PARK for Saturday, May 17, 2003. The next Run/Walk For Rachel will be that day. The proceeds will be donated to organization(s) that are involved in search and rescue and other aspects of finding missing persons and preventing abductions. The exact organizations to receive the proceeds will be announced in early 2003.

Thursday, August 17

Today is a pretty quiet day. I received an e-mail from Beth Alberts, the CEO of Gabriel's Gifts. She was sent an invitation to the Texas Missing Children's Conference. I hope that Tim Miller with Texas EquuSearch will also receive one.

I am glad to see that the military is bringing in surveillance planes to monitor Maryland. All of the resources available should be used to find the sniper there. People should not have to live in fear because of a few sick animals. The people that rape, kill, abduct, and terrorize the good citizens of the world need to be caught and taken out of society.

Friday, October 19

I ate lunch with my parents, my sister Elaine, and Lisa, the chairperson for Gabriel's Gifts. Elizabeth Smart's parents have released a flyer for hunters to ask for their help in the search for Elizabeth. We have decided that we need to release a similar flyer for Rachel.

It was good that my father was at the lunch. He has been a hunter for over 60 years and knows all the dates of when the seasons start in Texas. My dad said we need to concentrate on deer hunters because dove and quail hunters are usually in an open field, which is not a likely spot to look. Deer season starts on November 2, so we need to move fast. Bow hunting for deer has already started.

THE JOHN WALSH SHOW will broadcast the missing adults program this Friday, October 25. The description of the program starts with "While missing children cases have gotten an enormous amount of media attention the past few months, we shouldn't forget about the 200,000 women and men over the age of 18 who disappear each year."

THE JOHN WALSH SHOW airs at 11:00 a.m. in Austin on KXAN. For other cities' stations and times click here.

Saturday, October 19

I spoke at today's Search and Rescue class taught by the Austin Police Department. My wife Janet is not feeling well, so I did the speech by myself. It's much better when we both talk.

My sister Diane called today. The November issue of COSMOPOLITAN magazine has an article on missing and murdered females. The opening page shows a picture of Rachel, murdered Samantha Runnion, missing Elizabeth Smart, and murdered Gina Wilson Green.

The article is good, but it does not mention where Rachel disappeared or whom to contact if someone has any information. I will write a letter to the editor, asking COSMOPOLITAN to publish the Williamson County Crime Stopper 1-800 number and rachelcookesearch.org.

COSMOPOLITAN also credited THE AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN with Rachel's picture. My mother, and Rachel's grandmother, Louise Cooke, took the picture of Rachel.

Sunday, October 20

I talked to Tim Miller, the director of Texas EquuSearch, on the phone today. He is in North Dakota searching for a missing man. The temperature there get down to 14 degrees. I don't envy him.

My sister Elaine finished the hunter's flyer on Rachel. We will start copying the flyer and distributing it to sporting goods stores this week. Maybe a clue will be discovered by a deer hunter.

Monday, October 21

I sent a letter to the editor of COSMOPOLITAN magazine, asking them to publish the contact information for Rachel and Elizabeth Smart. One of their readers may know something, and she will need that information to report whatever she knows.

My sister Elaine has prepared the press release about the upcoming State of Texas Missing Children's Conference on October 30. We will send out the release later this week. I am surprised that the state has not been promoting the conference.

I also prepared a short press release announcing THE JOHN WALSH SHOW program on missing adults. My wife Janet, my daughter JoAnn, and I will appear on the show this Friday, October 25. In Austin the program airs on KXAN at 11:00 a.m. I will send that release out tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 22

We received an e-mail from a college student in Lubbock, Texas, today. The student said she ran cross country with Rachel while they were in high school. She told us how her Christian sorority prayed for Rachel and our family every week. She also has her church pray for us. When I got to her name at the end, I didn't recognize it. I reread the e-mail and saw that she went to Round Rock High School, one of Georgetown's chief rivals. I couldn't help but be incredibly moved.

I ate dinner tonight with the parents of 17-year-old Nikki Brown. Nikki ran away to California during the summer to meet a 26-year-old man she met on the Internet. I helped the Browns by asking KVUE to cover the story. KVUE and the media and law enforcement in Los Angeles worked hard to find Nikki and bring her home. Nikki was returned safely three weeks after she ran away.

The Browns now want to become involved in Internet safety practices for children and teens. We compared notes and talked about the upcoming state conference on missing children. The Cookes and the Browns will both take part in the conference by participating on the families of missing children panel.

I have already heard from two different college-age girls who saw the article in COSMOPOLITAN magazine that contains a picture of Rachel. It is great to have Rachel finally featured in a national publication.

Wednesday, October 23

I updated the home page of rachelcookesearch.org today. The formatting had gotten a little off with all of the changes that had been made in the past few months.

I need to finish the hunters' flyer this week, so we can start distributing the flyers to sporting goods stores this weekend. There are never enough hours in the day to finish everything I need to do.

Thursday, October 24

Today was a big day in the news. Two men were arrested in Maryland and charged with the sniper shootings. A gun found in their car matched the the one used to shoot the ten victims. I'm really glad those guys are off the street. They have been terrorizing the community for three weeks.

Another good piece of news came from Texas EquuSearch. They called me today and said that 15-year-old Kayli Goulas was found alive. Kayli was held captive in an apartment in Louisiana for the past 3 weeks. She was brutalized, but she is home safe now.

Civilization scored two wins today. Ten people were killed and a teenage girl was brutalized, so it's not a total victory. A few more inhuman animals will be taken out of society, where they can't harm anyone else.

My sister Elaine and I sent out a press release on the Texas Missing and Exploited Children Conference. My wife Janet and I will be speaking on a panel of families of missing children at 10:00 a.m. on October 30.

The Williamson County Homeland Defense Unit called today. Janet and I will be speaking at their November 2nd training class. We already have talked to three HDU Search and Rescue training classes sponsored by the Austin Police Department.

KXAN also called today. They will be coming to our house tomorrow to film Janet and me watching THE JOHN WALSH SHOW at 11:00 a.m. The news segment will probably air at 6:00 or 10:00 p.m. Last spring, KVUE filmed Janet and me while we watched the INSIDE EDITION program on Rachel.

Friday, October 25

I worked at home today and took an early lunch to watch THE JOHN WALSH SHOW. The program on missing adults was wonderful. It really pointed out how adults who disappear are ignored by both law enforcement and the national media. Only the family can push enough to get law enforcement to understand that their missing loved one did not leave on his or her own.

It took nine months of hard work by our friends and family to have Rachel's story told on a major network. This in itself demonstrates the different ways the national media approaches missing children and adults. This has to change. If we had received a small amount of national coverage the first week she disappeared, Rachel might be home now.

KXAN News filmed my wife Janet and me watching the program. They aired a long report on their 5:00 p.m. news and a shorter version on the 6:00 p.m. news.

I completed the Rachel Cooke Hunters' Bulletin. Tomorrow I will have several copies made and start distributing them to sporting goods stores. I will be asking for volunteers to help pass the bulletins out. If you can help, please e-mail rachelalert@yahoo.com.

Saturday, October 26

I made 300 copies of the Rachel Cooke Hunters' Bulletin this morning. I gave 250 of those copies to my family to start distributing them to sporting goods stores, gun shops, feed stores, and other places that deer hunter supplies are sold.

My wife Janet and I developed our speech for the Texas Missing Children Conference on October 30. Janet will begin and present what happened in the first few days after Rachel disappeared. I will then tell the audience what we did the second week and thereafter.

Sunday, October 27

Three people e-mailed me to volunteer to distribute Rachel's Hunters' Bulletin, We are going to try and cover west Williamson County, north Travis County, and east Burnet County.

I finished the first version of the cover design for the RACHEL'S SONG CD order. I e-mailed the design to the manufacturer. It will take a few e-mails back and forth to get the cover and CD label design ready for production.

Monday, October 28

Two more people have volunteered to post Rachel's Hunters' Bulletins. We are starting to map out the counties to track coverage.

I received a phone call from Tim Miller, the director of Texas EquuSearch, today. He still hasn't received an invitation to The State of Texas Missing Children Conference. I will call Representative Miguel Wise's office tomorrow and tell them I am bringing Tim as a guest. After all, Tim and Texas EquuSearch have probably brought more children home safe than anyone else in the state.

Some of the media have started calling with questions about the missing children conference. I hope that the conference receives good media coverage. It is an important event.

Tuesday, October 29

A lot happened today. First KVUE called, and they did a phone interview with me about Rachel's Hunters' Bulletin. The story is published on their web site. I have just added the downloadable version of the Hunters' Bulletin to rachelcookesearch.org.

The Center for Missing Adults also called. Race car driver Darrell LaMoure is placing a picture on his race car for next Thursday's race in Phoenix. I will send some pictures of Rachel to the Center tonight.

I heard from my friend, Greg Allen. His daughter Sabrina, who was kidnapped by her non-custodial mother, will be featured on this Saturday's AMERICA'S MOST WANTED. I am so happy, and I urge everyone to watch the program. Greg will be attending tomorrow's State of Texas Missing Children Conference.

NEWS 8 Austin will interview my wife Janet and me tomorrow morning before the conference. They usually replay the interviews throughout the morning.

Wednesday, October 30

My wife Janet and I got up early and drove to the site where The TEXAS LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN would be held. NEWS 8 Austin wanted to do a live report on their 6:00 a.m. broadcast.

We arrived at the site, and NEWS 8 was not there. I called the station, and their news team was mistakenly sent to the wrong location. It was an honest mistake, and those things happen. The station notified the team, and they met us at the correct building and interviewed us.

FOX 7 News interviewed us just before the conference began. Texas Representative Miguel Wise opened the conference and introduced Ernie Allen, the president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Mr. Allen gave basically the same speech he delivered at the Washington D.C. Conference. He stated the five myths about missing children and described each one. The myths are:
1. Your child is just a runaway.
2. The child is with a parent. How bad can that be?
3. There are only 100 stranger abductions per year.
4. Sexual offenses are only committed by family members.
5. My kid's in his room on the Internet. He is safe.

Mr. Allen closed with the seven improvements that can be made to keep children safe.
1. Focus on prevention.
2. Increase the reporting.
3. Continue to make sure that every police department is prepared.
4. Continue to work to improve technology.
5. Work to overcome turf. (jurisdiction)
6. Target offenders who prey upon children.
7. Use NCMEC.

The first panel to present was "Children and the Internet", monitored by John Klassen, Division Chief, Internet Bureau Division, Office of the Texas Attorney General. The panel discussed ways to monitor children on the Internet and what to do and not to do.

Most of the panel members had good suggestions, but a few of the members said to just keep children off the Internet. I think that is bad advice; the Internet is an important tool when used correctly.

The next panel was moderated by Heidi Fischer, the Program Administrator of the Texas Department of Public Safety's Missing Persons Clearing House. The panel was "Families Affected By Missing, Abducted, and Exploited Children - Their Personal Stories - The State of Texas Reacts". This was the panel Janet and I were on.

Patricia Bradbury spoke first. She is the mother of abducted Raleigh Bradbury. Ms. Bradbury spoke about being the first parent to have a child safely returned when an Amber Alert was issued.

John and Gloria Brown recounted the story of their daughter Nikki's being lured to run away to California to meet a 26-year-old man she met on the Internet. Nikki was returned home safely after a combined effort of friends, family, the media, and law enforcement in both Texas and California. I was involved a little with the case and reported it in previous journal entries.

Mrs. Bynum then told the story of her 20-year-old daughter, Kelli Ann Cox's, disappearance. Kelli's story was much like Rachel's except she has a 2-year-old daughter. Kelli has been missing 3 years, and her daughter is now being raised by her grandparents, the Bynums.

Janet and I spoke next. Janet described the first 72 hours of Rachel's disappearance. I presented the things we have done after that time. I also took the liberty of giving suggestions that Janet and I had. We want sexual offenders kept in jail, we want more attention given to missing adults, and we want training for law enforcement to help them determine when a person left on his/her own and when he/she didn't. I also described the club that parents and family members of missing children are thrown into. The club that no one wants to join.

I also talked about the benefits of the Internet and how we have used it in the search for Rachel. I could tell by the audience's expressions when I told them I have used the Internet for over 15 years, they didn't know much about it. The Internet was actually first formed in the 1970s. President Johnson signed the first bill to fund it back in the 1960s.

Tim and Linda Henry spoke next. Their missing daughter Leah was abducted by a serial sexual predator. Leah was returned home, but she is having a terrible team adjusting. This once very affectionate child now won't even allow anyone to hug her.

KXAN interviewed Janet and me after our panel was finished. Then we did another interview with NEWS 8.

The panel "Texas Amber Alert - How Does It Work?" talked about the Amber Alert and its implementation in Texas. The panel was moderated by Ann Arnold, Executive Director of the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

United States Congressman Nick Lampson presented the second keynote speech during lunch. I met Congressman Lampson in Clear Lake City in July. He is a big supporter of the NCMEC.

The first afternoon panel was "Children and the Media". The panel was moderated by KVUE News Anchor Ron Oliveira. Janet and I introduced ourselves to Mr. Oliveira before the conference began. He said he felt he knew us because of all of the stories that KVUE has done on Rachel.

I must say that I was a little disappointed by this panel. It focused on violence and nudity in television programming. I was hoping that they would talk about the role the media plays in missing person cases. The media has been a huge help in the search for Rachel.

The next panel was "Exemplary Model Programs in Texas - Keeping Texas School Children Safe". This panel was moderated by Craig Tounget, Executive Director of the Texas P.T.A. I enjoyed most listening to Chief William Horton of the Mansfield ISD Police Department. Chief Horton has put an innovative program into place in their school system. In the high school, his office actually pays students to tell them when they see another student bring a gun or drugs into the school.

The last panel was "Legislative Recommendations/Proposals For The 78th Regular Session Of The Texas Legislature". The panel was moderated by Representative Miguel Wise. They opened the floor to questions and encouraged the audience to come talk to the legislature when a bill is being presented. They need our input. Janet expressed our concern with lack of support for missing adults, and I brought up the issue of victims and their families being attacked by defense lawyers during a trial. The victims and their families should have the same or more rights as the accused.

After the conference adjourned, I introduced myself to Burnet County Sheriff Joe Pollack. I told him he would be seeing a lot of Rachel's Hunters' flyers posted in his county. He took a few flyers with him and expressed his support.

After leaving the conference, I felt good. I felt like we might have made a difference. Then my cell phone rang, it was Tim Miller. After he left the conference, he checked his voice-mail. There was an emotional plea from a grandmother in Louisiana. Her 15-year-old grandson had vanished. When will it end?

Thursday, October 31

Today was not a good day. Human remains were found in Northeast Travis County. My friends, JR and Tim Miller, both notified me about the discovery. I called the Williamson County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office was already on it. They contacted APD and Travis County and were told that it was too early to determine any details about the body.

I continued to hear news reports saying all kinds of different things. One report would say the body had been there at least three years and couldn't be Rachel. Another report would say they did not have a determination made yet, and every missing person would be checked against the body.

I went to bed just before midnight. I still did not know anything definite about the body.

Free Counter
Hits since January 14, 2003