Fundraisers are underway to help find missing 7-year-old Kyron Horman. On September 1, 2010 supporters are asking folks to dine at Godfather’s Pizza. A quarter of the proceeds that day will go to the search to help find Kyron. In addition, organizers are looking for any businesses or private persons to donate plain white t-shirts. They have a printer, and will print information about Kyron on the shirts for free.
Kyron has been missing for almost three months. He was last seen on June 4 with his step-mother, Terri Moulton-Horman, at his elementary school in Portland, Oregon.
Investigators say Morgan vanished on October 17, 2009 while attending a concert outside the John Paul Jones arena in Virginia. She was separated from friends around 8:30 p.m. when she walked out of the front entrance. Authorities say Morgan called her friends inside and told them she was finding a ride home, and that they shouldn’t wait for her. State police officials report Morgan was last seen by the ticket office on the University Hall side of the building. Morgan’s body was found on a farm in Albemarle County a little over three months after she vanished from the Metallica concert. Investigators told me her body could have been on the farm as many as 100 days.
A brand new website Bring Kyron Homehas launched to help find missing 7-year-old Kyron Horman. The goal is to continue to raise awareness of the case, spread the word, download and distribute fliers in various languages and report strange or suspicious activity. Kyron went missing on June 4, 2010 in Portland, Oregon. He was last seen at the Skyline Elementary school where he attended a morning science fair with his step-mother, Terri Moulton Horman.
The case has had many bizarre twists and turns since then, but to date investigators have not named a suspect or person of interest. A grand jury has been behind doors for weeks hearing testimony and information from people who knew Terri, or who may have information about Kyron. Investigators told me they’ve received thousands of leads in this case, but none have led them to Kyron.
If you have any information, please contact the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Tipline: (503) 261-2847
The man suspected of stabbing 18 victims and trying to flee from the country was taken down Wednesday night at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Elias Abuelazam, 33, was booked on a Delta flight for Israel when a tip developed into a strong lead that put investigators hot on his trail. As he was waiting to get on his plane, Abuelazam was taken down around 10 p.m. I spoke with Lt. Gene Kapp of the Michigan State Police and he said since Monday they’ve received 600 tips in this case, one of which turned out to be an excellent lead. Abuelazam had his first hearing today and will not fight extradition to Michigan to face one inital charge of assault with intent to murder for a July 27, 2010 incident.
Lt. Kapp realizes that if the tip had come in just a few hours later, the alleged suspect may have been on the flight across the world. “Everyone was working hard to place him there, and the fact that we had the contacts and the communications with the federal agencies to move that quick to make the apprehension for us,” added Kapp.
MTV spotlights sexting, explaining what it is and sharing true life stories of how it ruined some teen’s lives. It is true that many teens simply don’t understand that sexting is considered child pornography, and many parents don’t realize this practice even exists. However, there are serious repercussions. A Thin Line highlights “Sexting in America” in parts I, II & III. This series is easy to watch for parents and teens. Richard Guerry with the Institute for Responsible Online and Cell phone Communication talks about how the proactive photos are often stolen and sold on a digital black market to drive underground websites. The moral is, if you don’t want the photo haunting you later in life, then don’t take the picture. MTV says 1 in 5 sexting messages sent are forwarded on to others.
This week the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office is moving forward with charges against four 15-year-olds at a high school for posting naked pictures of female classmates on the Internet. The teens are cited for possession of harmful matter depicting a person under 18 and sexual exploitation of a minor and will have to face a juvenile court judge.
Just like an Amber Alert is issued for a missing child, a Silver Alert is sent out for a missing elderly person. It works as an emergency system, decided by law enforcement, to broadcast a statewide alert for missing seniors. In most cases, the alerts are sent out for persons 60 or older, and most victims are mentally impaired and suffer from dementia. About 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s.
This is a great program to protect the senior citizens of our nation who can no longer take care of themselves. Maryland State police used the system for the first time in November 2009 to help locate an elderly man, and it worked. The victim was found safely by a BGE worker on a street corner. The alerts are generally displayed on highway billboards and over local television and radio stations. Please consider registering your family member or friend on line, it provides a safe and secure place to store vital medical information that can be easily accessed in case of an emergency.
Photo courtsey of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The kids are out of school, the sun is shining longer and play time is in full effect! Whether your children are swimming at pools with friends or are home alone for longer periods of time, there are a few tips you should consider to keep the kids safe. For children coming from divorced homes, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children suggests making sure all of your custody documents are in order and certified copies are available in case your children are not returned from a scheduled summer visit. NCMEC also published a list for parents to review with children.
The goal is safety!
1. MAKE SUREchildren know their full names, address, telephone numbers and how to use the telephone.
2. BE SURE children know what to do in case of an emergency and how to reach you using cell phone or pager number. Children should have a neighbor or trusted adult they may call if they’re scared or there’s an emergency.
1 in 7 kids are solicited for sex online. This alarming statistic was recently released from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The survey says 1 in 33 kids receive aggressive online solicitations to meet in person and 34% of kids say they’ve had communication with people they don’t know. NCMEC maintains a proactive approach to protect children and teens and now they have two brand new items for children between the ages of 8 and 12. The NSTeen sitenow has animated video and educational games for children in this age range. “Cyberbully Zombies Attack” and “Mike-tosis” both targetinformation about technology, safety and cyber bullying prevention. Although these sites are for “tweens,” parents and teachers are encouraged to log on and educate themselves on the dangers lurking online for kids. The content is available in English and in Spanish. NSTeen is an entity of the main hub of NetSmartz.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says itsCyberTipline has handled more than 903,240 calls of child sexual exploitation. According to a press release on their site, the Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 34 million pornographic images.
NetSmartz is a unique resource provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The safety approach this program offers is one-of-a-kind. The goal of the NetSmartz program is to team up with law enforcement, educators, and parents to educate the safest practices on the web.
NetSmartz411 is a page specifically designed for parents. You can send detailed questions to experts, and get all the answers needed about the newest lingo used by kids or technology. You can even call 1-888-NETS411 and ask an expert a question over the phone. Parents and teachers, this resource is FREE and it is something you can actively be involved with. If you take the time to learn the latest trends of the virtual like gaming, social networking, sexting, video sharing, photo sharing and blogging it may prevent a potentially negative situation in your child’s life.
If you have questions, or need more resources, please visit the RESOURCE section of this site or if you have a specific question you would like to ask, please visit the ASKMICHELLE section.
A mother and her 8-year-old son vanished over the weekend, creating a mystery that is leaving investigators stumped. Shantina Smiley and her son Azriel went missing on Saturday evening in Olympia, Washington. They left their home in Silverdale, Washington around 5 p.m. and were heading to her step-father’s home in Castle Rock. Shantina’s van was found early the next morning, abandoned near the North Gull Harbor. Police say the doors were open, cash, license and a credit card were left inside, but Shantina’s purse was gone. The search continues today to find this family as investigators put divers in the water, helicopters in the air, and aresending police patrols door-to-door. Robb Simmon’s, Shantina’s fiancé, has created a website with his timeline of events.
I spoke with Lt. Chris Mealey from the Thurston Sheriff’s office, and the following is based off the timeline he has constructed on this case:
5 p.m. – Shantina and her son leave their home in Silverdale, Washington. Their destination was Castle Rock, Washington (about 50 miles away).
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
Just like an Amber Alert is issued for a missing child, a 
1 in 7 kids are solicited for sex online. This alarming statistic was recently released from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The survey says 1 in 33 kids receive aggressive online solicitations to meet in person and 34% of kids say they’ve had communication with people they don’t know. NCMEC maintains a proactive approach to protect children and teens and now they have two brand new items for children between the ages of 8 and 12. The 
NetSmartz
