American Tourist Leta Lynn Cordes Missing in the Caribbean while Vacationing on Saint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles Since 1/11/2008
49 year old Leta Lynn Cordes has been missing since Friday, January 11, 2008.
Leta Lynn Cordes and her husband, Frank Cordes, had been vacationing on the Caribbean island of Saint Maarten. She was last seen by her husband when she went gambling and walked to a the near by Westin hotel about a quarter of a mile away. Leta Lynn Cordes left to go gambling with only her ID and about $100.00 in cash. She has not been seen nor heard from since.
Once again a Caribbean paradise that was a familiar and considered safe haven for an American tourist may have been responsible for the disappearance of Leta Lynn Cordes. It is shameful that reports have stated that Cordes was a drinker. If that were the case then she would have been found some where between the location where she left her husband and the hotel casino. The situation does not look good.
Description:
- Leta Lynn Cordes is 49 years old
- 5-feet-5
- 145 pounds
- with a “777″ tattoo on her back circled by flames
- has long dark blonde hair below her shoulders
- she left the house she was wearing a blouse and short jeans pants
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The Cordeses had just come back to their island home from dinner when Leta Lynn Cordes decided she wanted to gamble. Her husband gave her money and she walked toward a casino about a quarter of a mile away that is frequented by friends and family when they travel to the area, Honstein said.
When her husband woke up Saturday at 7 a.m., he discovered she hadn’t returned, she said. He filed a missing persons report the same day. Police and family are wondering about her whereabouts.
“It’s not her personality to leave with strangers,” Honstein said.
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Still no trace of missing woman
A search to locate the 49-year-old woman started when her husband filed a report with the police on Saturday, January 12, that his wife was missing, but up to now has had no positive results.
Police spokesman Inspector Ricardo Henson said Wednesday that a search had been carried out by the police K-9 unit on Tuesday afternoon. He said the search would continue.
The Police Department is asking anyone who may have any information that could help locate Leta Cordes to call the station.
Husband of O.C. woman missing on St. Maarten searched for her
Police report no evidence of foul play so far.
If I was the Saint Maarten authorities I would not be too quick to stress the “no sign of foul play” agenda. One would think that they would have learned from Aruba and their mis-steps in the Natalee Holloway investigation.
Investigators have no leads, and family members are wondering what happened to Leta Lynn Cordes, 49, after she left her island home to gamble.
“I want to find my wife,” said Frank Cordes, her husband.
Authorities on the island said there is no evidence that Cordes has been the victim of foul play, but haven’t ruled it out.
UPDATE I: FBI Offered to Help in Search for Missing Leta Lynn Cordes
Saint Maarten would be wise to accept the help of the FBI or face the scrutiny of turning away much needed help, similar to the problem that Aruba faced in the Natalee Holloway investigation.
Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI, said the bureau has volunteered their help to the St. Maarten police, who are leading the investigation. The department frequently offers assistance in similar cases, although local departments lead the investigation. Eimiller was unable to confirm if the St. Maarten police accepted the assistance.
Cordes said he has tried to assist police by searching the island, although he feels he has been unfairly targeted as a suspect by the public and in some stories by the media on the case.
It would appear that the St Maarten police are focusing on the husband rather closely and his time line.
Police in St. Maarten interviewed Frank Cordes for the second time Tuesday morning as his wife, Leta Lynn Cordes, is still missing in the Caribbean island for the 11th day.
Two investigators with the St. Maarten police questioned Cordes about the couples’ time in the island and asked detailed questions about who the couple came into contact since they arrived at the island in December, Frank Cordes said.
Investigator Ricardo Henson of the St. Maarten Police said in an earlier interview that investigators verified that Leta Lynn Cordes made it to the casino that night. But in a written statement, the public relations firm representing the Westin St. Maarten casino said there was no trace of Cordes in surveillance tapes, and staff did not report seeing her.
“Upon review of the surveillance tapes from the evening of Friday, January 11, the resort security and surveillance staff found no footage of her entering the resort or casino. Additionally, the casino security director and staff reported not seeing her in the casino that evening,” read the statement. “The Westin continues to cooperate fully with island authorities, who have the Westin’s surveillance footage, and to implement its measures to ensure the safety of its guests, from a director of security, director of surveillance, security staff, security cameras, trained managers on duty and security gates manned by security officers.”
UPDATE II: Frank Cordes, Husband of Missing Leta Lynn Cordes Offers $5000 Reward
DAWN BEACH–Frank Cordes, husband of US citizen Leta Lynn Cordes who went missing on Saturday, January 12, has announced a US $5,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of his wife.
Cordes said media reports indicating he had left the island were untrue. He told The Daily Herald yesterday that he had plans to travel to California, USA, today, Wednesday, if there was a flight available. In California, he will be meeting with Leta’s family to discuss details of the case.
Cordes said that in California he would also be transferring a sum of money to an RBTT bank account that holds the reward money for any person who comes forward with information regarding Leta’s whereabouts.