Scared Monkeys Missing Persons Site

Texas EquuSearch Honored; Chris Breaz, Melinda Superville’s brother gives a Heart felt Thank you

Texas EquuSearch was honored yesterday by the Houston Corporate Paralegal Association. They picked Texas Equusearch as their nonprofit of the year for 2006. Texas EquuSearch stated that “they appreciate and are very grateful for this honor”.

Their monthly luncheon was today and Tim Miller opened it with a speech about his daughter Laura being abducted and murdered and how Texas Equusearch came to be. Next they played the latest missing person DVD that has the “Laura Song” on it.

Then Chris Breaz made the most beautiful and touching speech that we’ve heard in a long time. As a reminder, Chris Breaz is the brother of Melinda Superville. The woman who was found by Texas EquuSearch volunteers after she had been missing for a week.

Its a chance to get a glimpse into what families of missing persons feel and the sense of grief yet relief of having closure. A truly inspirational speech that had many tears flowing.
Chris makes a powerful and most important statement in the very beginning of his speech that all of us need to remember.

My name and who I am is not important, but my story is.

Its isn’t about us. Its about the many missing persons that need our help so that we can provide closure. The following is Chris’ speech and a moving one it was.

Good afternoon.

First let me say that I usually get a little nervous just saying the blessing at those big family get-togethers, so you can imagine I’m as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

But Tim asked me to say a few words to you all today, and I feel compelled to share.

My name and who I am is not important, but my story is. My sister disappeared in early December. I can not convey to you the feeling of bewilderment, of loss and helplessness when someone you know and love becomes …missing! This was an adult. How much worse it would be if it was a child…my child or your child! So what do you do? Where do you look? Why is this person gone, disappeared as if into thin air? What can the police do? You wonder why haven’t the police found her yet. My sister was now missing for 5 days.

If it were not for the direct involvement of Texas EquuSearch, I don’t know how this story would have ended. But Texas EquuSearch did get involved. At 6:15 on the morning of day 6, I got roped into becoming a search volunteer. I arrived at the command center to meet Joe Huston, the search director. Joe explained the rules, how we would search, and where we would search. It was a very cold day, and I could not believe how many acres of fields and thick forest that we walked. We did not find a trace of my sister, but we sure found some very unusual things as well as some very scary places. On the second day of searching, we got our directions and out we went again. The morning had brought us no luck. However, on a fluke, and at the direction of Joe Huston, we took a small group to an abandoned house where we found the body of my sister.

I told you that without Texas EquuSearch, I would not know how this story would have ended. Well…the story has not ended. The support we received from Tim, Joe, Barbara, Will, and others, who I have not even met yet, has not stopped. These people are still giving support to my family. All the while, they have been involved in the Houston area with at least 5 other missing people. And yes, some were found dead. How many more people across the country they are involved with, I don’t even know. But the missing person cases don’t stop. Hundreds and hundreds each year.

And that is the whole story here. The story that begins…over and over again. In my chapter, the story ended. And in other chapters, it ended sometimes happier than, sometimes as sad as mine. What are worse, much, much worse, even beyond sad, are those chapters without an end. We were lucky to get our mystery answered (for the most part) in one week. I can not begin to imagine the suffering of those who’s loved ones have been gone a month, 3 months, a year…. 10 years. How absolutely awful.

This is why I feel so compelled to nervously share my story with you today. Because I want you to know the gratitude and the relief that my family has due to this group, Texas EquuSearch. This group of people that has the fortitude, the perseverance, the dogged determination to keep looking…..to help find those nameless, faceless people we see or hear about only on the news. People like my sister. Somebody else’s family member. Like my sister. We say “It won’t happen to my family.” Well….it happened…to my sister.

Unfortunately, our police departments don’t have the budget to afford the manpower to perform constant manhunts. Unfortunately, Texas Equusearch doesn’t have that budget either. Fortunately, people like you and me can provide that budgetary assistance. I pray that my story never happens to your family. I pray you never experience what we have. But I also pray that you will give your support to this group that gives its support freely to each and every one of us.

I’d like to say “thank you” for listening to my story, but more importantly I want to say “Tim, thank you for your help in ending my story.”

January 13th, 2006 at 01:11am Posted by Administrator | Melinda Superville, Missing, Texas Equusearch | one comment

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