New Missouri system notifies media, police of missing adults

New Missouri system notifies media, police of missing adults

By Aisha Sultan and Heather Ratcliffe
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/19/2007

A month after Mary Lee Grobe disappeared, her picture finally made the front page of the local paper in Poplar Bluff

A delay in spreading the word infuriated her daughter, Joyce Caldwell, who said police did too little to find her 74-year-old mother, a diabetic from Butler County who is still missing after three years.

"Adult cases are kind of neglected because there's still this mind-set that maybe they walked off because they wanted to," Caldwell said. "And because of that hesitation, precious time is lost."

Missouri has joined Illinois in recognizing the urgency of missing adults, supplementing the familiar Amber Alert system to embrace all ages.


The effort is lauded by advocacy groups but viewed with a little hesitation by some who fear overwhelming the public.

In January, the Missouri Highway Patrol created an Endangered Person Advisory to notify news media and local law enforcement. It has been used three times. The first was for a child, William "Ben" Ownby, missing for four days from Franklin County. The initial report of his disappearance did not meet the stricter criteria for a full Amber Alert.

"We've been working on it since the first of the year to make local law enforcement aware that it's available," said patrol Capt. Tim Hall.


John Butler, news director of radio station KMOX (1120 AM) and media coordinator for St. Louis-area alerts, said they need to be selective. "I don't think we have 'alert fatigue' yet, but it could happen if we continue this way," he warned.

At least five other states, including Illinois, have some kind of missing adult protocol, sometimes called a Silver Alert, and seven others are working on it.

The one in Illinois started last year, with approval of a bill sponsored by state Rep. Dan Beiser, D-Alton, who has two aunts suffering from Alzheimer's. State police send a message to all departments statewide when an endangered adult with dementia goes missing.

Missouri's system goes further, applying to missing persons who suffer from serious mental or physical impairment, disappear under involuntary or unknown circumstances or leave behind circumstances suggesting they might be in danger.

Although the program has been in place for several months, state lawmakers are considering a proposal by state Sen. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville, called Senate Bill 67, to formalize it under the Department of Public Safety. Rupp said he acted on a complaint by Caldwell.

An Amber Alert begins with a bulletin on the state's Emergency Broadcast Network, usually used for severe weather, and gets immediate attention from TV and radio stations, news websites, highway signboards and people subscribed to text message and fax services.

The Endangered Person Advisory is e-mailed to media and local police departments.

Ultimately, news media will be selective about what they run, Butler said, noting that most are sensitive to situations in which a search would benefit from public help.

Patty Iverson, of the St. Louis chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, said more than 60 percent of people with dementia will wander away at some point. Often unable to give their names or addresses, they are at risk of injury or death from exposure or accidents.

Through January, police in Missouri reported 1,480 active missing-persons cases — 692 children and 788 adults. In Illinois, there were 2,960 active cases — 1,798 children and 1,162 adults.

"So many times an adult goes missing and there is never any information on the news or radio," said Kelly Bennett of the National Center for Missing Adults, in Phoenix. "Technically it's not illegal to be a missing adult. Adults can disappear if they want to."

Caldwell says alerts will bring a needed sense of urgency and coordination. In a letter to legislators, she wrote, "My mother is gone. I don't have another mother to lose. … Helping others can help mend my own broken heart."

St Louis Post Dispatch Newspaper

Amber Alert for Adults

Amber alert for adults?

Daughter of Mary Grobe is behind efforts

By JACKIE HARDER Staff Writer
DAR Newspaper

More than three years after her own elderly mother disappeared, Joyce Caldwell is spearheading a campaign to persuade Missouri lawmakers to step up efforts to find missing adults.
Caldwell’s mother, Mary Lee Grobe, was 74 when last seen at her home in Butler County on Sept. 29, 2003.
While the investigation into Grobe’s disappearance continues, Caldwell said she hopes the passage of Senate Bill 67 will help other families quickly find their missing loved ones.
“Recently and at my request, Senator Scott Rupp sponsored SB 67, which will allow the Missouri Department of Public Safety to establish rules for Amber like alerts for missing elderly and endangered adults,” Caldwell explained. “This would be a much needed step in improving the success rate of these investigations.
“I don’t have another mother to lose, but it is my hope that her case will bring awareness of the improvements needed. I hope to turn my tragedy into something positive that will help others.”
Caldwell, who lives in Wentzville, testified before the Missouri State Senate Judiciary and Civil Criminal Committee hearing in Jefferson City in favor of SB 67. In addition to explaining how SB 67 might have helped when her mother went missing, Caldwell mentioned two other local missing women in her testimony: Vicki Lour, 36, missing from Piedmont since June of 2006, and Teresa Butler, 35, missing from Risco since Jan. 25, 2006.
“It bothers me that Missouri, especially rural Missouri, has so many missing persons. Women and the elderly seem to make up the majority of the victims. I think this provision says Missouri values them no matter which county they reside in,” Caldwell said. The bill defines a “missing endangered person” as being someone whose whereabouts are unknown and who is: 1) Physically or mentally disabled to the degree that the person is dependent upon an agency or another individual; 2) Missing under circumstances indicating that the missing person’s safety may be in danger or; 3) Missing under involuntary or unknown circumstances.
The bill is also intended to establish more consistent rules and procedures to aid investigators throughout the state.
“A law like this would have helped lessen the impact this crime has had on our family. If it had been acted upon quickly, with numerous professionals and prominent media coverage, I firmly believe the case would have been solved,” she said.
Sen. Rupp said he introduced the bill with the hopes of better protecting adults, especially elderly and/or disabled people who wander from their homes or caregivers.
“Missouri needs to do all it can to ensure that missing persons, particularly those who are less able to care for themselves, are brought home as quickly and safely as possible,” Rupp said in a statement.
According to the FBI, there were 50,523 active missing adult cases in the U.S. as of July 1, 2006.
For more information about Senate Bill 67, go to www.senate.mo.gov.

DAR Newspaper Jan 31,2007

Missouri legislators vote to expand qualifications for AMBER ALERT

Missouri legislators vote to expand qualifications for AMBER ALERT

02:09 PM CST on Thursday, March 8, 2007

Lakisha Jackson, Special Contributor to KMOV.com

(KMOV) - Missouri State Legislators are expanding the Amber Alert System to protect more people.

Senators passed a new bill that will broaden the program to cover missing adults who are dependent on others.

The bill will also cover missing adults in danger.

The current system limits Amber Alerts to children under 17 years of age.

KMOV TV 4 St. Louis MO
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Missouri Senate Bill 67

Missouri Senate approves alert for missing adults

Misouri Senate approves alert for missing adults

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/16856237.htm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri would have a new alert for missing adults under a measure passed Wednesday by the state Senate, while Amber Alerts would only be issued for children.

The bill passed 32-0.

Supporters said that the federal government has asked states to be more uniform in issuing alerts for missing children. The measure would also expand Amber Alerts to cover situations where authorities believe an abductor does not intend to harm the child.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Scott Rupp, said the expansion is needed to close a loophole in existing state law. It requires law enforcement officers to believe that a missing child is at risk before issuing an Amber Alert.

Under the current law, Rupp, R-Wentzville, said, "A custody battle if the child is abducted to live somewhere else, or an abduction where someone does not intend to kill or hurt the child but maybe raise the child as their own, would not trigger an Amber Alert."

The bill, which was included on the Senate's list of non-controversial consent bills, would also create a new advisory system that Rupp likened as an "elderly Amber Alert."

That alert would be trigged whenever an adult disappears and could be in danger. It would issued whenever someone goes missing who is mentally or physically disabled and requires the assistance of others. It would also be issued for missing adults who might be in danger.

The bill now moves to the House.

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/16856237.htm

Tiffany Sisson

Former TV Anchor Charged With Theft

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.
A former TV news anchorwoman has been charged with stealing more than $20,000 while she was the guardian of an estate.

Tiffany Sisson, 34, who worked for the CBS affiliate in Cape Girardeau, KFVS12, turned herself in at the Scott County Jail on Monday and was released later that day on $20,000 bond.

Sisson, of Oran, faces up to seven years in prison. She released a written statement Tuesday in which she maintained her innocence and said she eventually would be cleared of the charge. She submitted her resignation from the television station in December, and her last day was Tuesday.

Sisson is accused of appropriating more than $20,000 from an estate she manages on behalf of someone who can't. A complaint filed by Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd said Sisson spent the money on trips out of state and other expenses.

Police became suspicious after Sisson filed an annual status report in November with the Scott County Probate Court. The report indicated that she had to spend more money on the individual than the $11,000 allowed by the court.

The probable-cause statement said a subsequent investigation of bank records revealed Sisson wrote 12 checks to herself ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 between June 10 and Oct. 16.

According to police, Sisson agreed Nov. 21 to make a final settlement and restitution for the unauthorized appropriations within 30 days, offering a 1998 Chrysler Sebring and a laptop computer as partial payment.

"I pray the truth will come out and prove that I have done nothing wrong," she said. "This is a family matter."

KMBC TV Kansas City Missouri:
www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/11137975/detail.html

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Missouri Casenet Case Number search:
07SO-CR00338

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www.dhss.missouri.gov/ElderAbuse/ElderAbuse.html