Thirteen-year-old Shelby Lynn Balahoski had been missing for a week, until she called her father in Michigan on Sunday to tell him she was in Odessa. Shelby’s father called the police as she was reported as an endangered missing person and presumed to be in the company of 47-year-old convicted sex offender Kevin Ray Slagle of Eustis. Shelby was picked up by police.
Thirteen-year-old Shelby Lynn Balahoski had been gone from home for a week, and Bartow police had said Saturday they suspected she was in the company of 47-year-old convicted sex offender Kevin Ray Slagle of Eustis.
But Sunday evening, as Shelby’s mother, Amy Balahoski, blinked back tears and turned to face television news cameras, her boyfriend rushed up to her and told her that Shelby had been found safe.
Kevin Ray Slagle had also been arrested by police and has a history of sexual assaults against children.
The teen talked to Bartow police briefly and told them she spent Monday and Tuesday with Slagle, and at some point he threatened her and made her fear for her safety, so she ran away, Warren said.
The tangled story began several months ago when Balahoski met Slagle through a mobile phone chat messaging service, according to Bartow police. Since then, unknown to her mother, she met with Slagle several times, police said.
Slagle served 12 1/2 years in prison for the attempted sexual battery of a child younger than 12, and was released in 2002, prison records show.
When will these teens learn about these chat sites? When will we learn that these sexual predators will just repeat their actions?
January 5th, 2006 at 01:27am
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Found Alive, Missing, Missing Teen, sex offender |
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A shrimp boat crew discovered the wreckage of the missing Cessna 195Monday morning near the Saint Augustine inlet. Gary Tillman’s plane had gone down in December 18. It was the news that most did not want to hear, yet most expected. However, the closure was probably of some relief to the family.
The identities of two bodies pulled from a wreckage of a plane off of Vilano Beach could be positively identified.
A shrimp boat crew discovered the wreckage Monday morning near the Saint Augustine inlet.
Parts of the plane were tangled in their net as they dredged the sea. The two bodies are believed to be the pilot, Gary Tillman and his 16-year-old daughter, Hannah.
It was more than two weeks ago they left Craig Airfield with two other passengers headed for the Bahamas. One of those passengers survived, the other was rescued but later died.
Atlanta Journal Constitution; Bodies of missing Rome daughter, pilot found
The news spread quickly in Rome Monday and it was something people needed to hear but didn’t want to hear. The bodies of Gary Tillman and his 16-year-old daughter, Hannah, had been found in the cold, choppy Atlantic Ocean about a mile off Vilano Beach near St. Augustine.
A shrimp boat trawling in a secured area that was being searched by the U.S. Coast Guard snagged the wreckage of a Cessna 195 that crashed Dec. 18, sending divers into the area where they found both bodies within a few hours. Hannah was outside the plane while her father was still in the cockpit.
Monday it was confirmed. “It’s more or less a relief” that their bodies have been found, Morris Lively, a friend of the Tillman family since before Hannah was born, said Monday. “I wanted some closure. We all did. We just wanted to bring them home.”
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Search suspended for two missing after small plane crash (Gary Tillman & Hanna Tillman)
January 3rd, 2006 at 05:17pm
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Found Deceased, Missing, Missing Adult, Missing Teen, Plane Crash |
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Illinois State Police are still searching forthe bodies of a pregnant teen and her 4-year-old cousin, missing since early November. The authorities are searching Cahokia Canal for Anquiatte “Tweety” Parker, 19, and Cermen Lamont “C.J.” Toney Jr. were last seen on November 6, 2005.
Anquiatte “Tweety” Parker, 19, and Cermen Lamont “C.J.” Toney Jr. were last seen on Nov. 6 in East St. Louis after leaving Toney’s grandmother’s home.
Parker told her boyfriend in a cell phone conversation that she and Toney, who she was baby-sitting, were going to Collinsville to see a friend.
Parker’s car was found three days later in a V Lounge parking lot on Fairmont Avenue in State Park Place.
The car was found in the vicinity of Canteen Creek, which lies northwest of Fairmount Park Race Track. The creek turns west and later joins Cahokia Canal. Just west of that merger, a railroad bridge and grate obstruct the waterway.
McKinney Construction, of East St. Louis, donated the use of a trackhoe and operator to clean out the grate on Cahokia Canal on Monday morning.
A reward is being offered for information in the case. Police ask that anyone with information call 346-3701.
January 3rd, 2006 at 02:13pm
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I would be remiss if I did not mention at the close of 2005 Kelly Jolkowski at Project Jason and the great work that she does with missing persons and their families. For those of you unfamiliar with Kelly, she is the mother of the missing Jason Jolkowski. She is also the Founder and President of Project Jason, that does some amazing work in the missing persons field.
Kelly, let me just say from Scared Monkeys … thank you for your hard work and efforts. The Scared Monkeys Missing & Exploited blog along with the Scared Monkeys main page is going to try to be implementing some new things in 2006. When I chatted with Kelly earlier this month regarding her new project I told her that I would be more than happy to spread the word and see if we could not drum up some support and volunteers for this noble effort.
Kelly Jolkowski has started another project that I have personally become involved in called Campaign for the Missing 2006.
What is Campaign for the Missing 2006?
Campaign for the Missing 2006 is a grassroots effort to pass legislation in each state that will serve to improve the law enforcement community’s ability to locate and ensure a safe return of missing persons. It will address the national problems of missing persons and the identification of human remains and provide the framework for improving law enforcement’s response. It will also improve the collection of critical information about missing persons, prioritize high-risk missing persons cases, and ensure prompt dissemination of critical information to other law enforcement agencies and the public that can improve the likelihood of a safe return.
The Department of Justice, working with Federal, State, and local law enforcement; coroners and medical examiners; victim advocates; forensic scientists; key policymakers; and family members who have lived through this tragic experience, developed the model to be presented in each state’s legislature. This is an updated list of participants in the campaign: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/12/122005-campaign-for-missing-2006.html
We have also posted in this Missing Persons Forum a discussion thread for you to take a look at. If you would like to get involved and make a difference contact Kelly directly and email me also. Make a difference in how future cases will be investigated so that attention is given to missing persons and efforts are not lost in red tape and convoluted procedures.
What do I need to do?
The campaign seeks persons in each state who are willing to write to their own district’s elected official to ask for sponsorship.
These are some of the initial steps involved:
1) If you are interested in helping make a difference in the lives of thousands of missing persons and their families, send an email to campaign2006@projectjason.org Give us your name and the state in which you live.
2) Look up the name and contact information for your state senator. This is the official who works with state law rather than federal. You may look up your representative here http://www.ncsl.org/public/leglinks.cfm
3) Send either via email or US mail the prepared letter you will find included on the blog (in the link below) to that representative. You are asking them to sponsor this bill and to present it to the senate.
4) If you get a negative response, write to other senators until sponsorship is obtained. (My hope is that there will be more than one person in each state working on this, so that no one person is working on it.)
Please note that this is NOT a letter writing campaign. It is more extensive than that. Read all the links to understand what is asked of participants.
Please read the following for additional information: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/12/121305-campaign-for-missing-2006.html
The above link also provides detailed information about the model legislation. This link contains the updated participant list. There may be someone you know on there. http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/12/122005-campaign-for-missing-2006.html
Please consider joining us in this effort. Thank you.
I know that there are many of you out there that want to make a difference in Missing Persons cases. This is a great opportunity to make a real difference. Get involved and change the way things are done for the better. I know many of you out there want to make a difference. The following is a note from Kelly on her blog,
So, the question now remains: Are you willing to take action to help the families you read about on this blog and the countless thousands of other families who live in the “not knowing”? What if it was your son, daughter, mother, father, brother, or sister?
What if you were me and you did not know if your own son was a body lying in a morgue somewhere? What if you were me and you wondered if you would ever see your child again?
I am but one voice for the missing, crying out not just for myself and my son, but for all of those who are not among us, and are close to our hearts.
While it may seem an insurmountable task to get the model legislation passed in all 50 states, that doesn’t matter to me. If we do not try, then we will never succeed. If we do try, then we have a chance.
There is always hope.
December 31st, 2005 at 08:17pm
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Police and the family of John Tanner, Jr need everyones help in location the missing teen. He was last seen leaving his church on Sunday, December 18. 
John Tanner, Jr. has been missing for nearly two weeks. He was last seen leaving his church on Hammerly near Bauer in northwest Houston late Sunday, December 18. His youth minister says he knew something was wrong, but couldn’t get it out of him.
“He appeared upset,” said Westside Baptist Church Pastor Lee Gonzalez. “I don’t know if it was anger or hurt, but something was upsetting him. He wouldn’t let me in. He was very standoffish.”
Description:
- Height: 6’1″
- Weight: 210 pounds
John Tanner, Jr’s car has been located.
Tanner’s car was found abandoned about nine miles away from the church. Tanner has not been seen since. His mother says she’s especially worried because she knows he wouldn’t have missed Christmas.
December 31st, 2005 at 05:09pm
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Missing, Missing Teen |
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Florida State University dive team in its search for missing Rome insurance agent Gary Tillman and his 16-year-old daughter, Hannah.
The search, which was called off over the Christmas weekend due to foul weather, resumed Monday but has turned up no new leads in the last two days.
The addition of the FSU underwater criminal investigations unit adds another boat with sonar to the recovery operation, which is being conducted within an area encompassing approximately five square miles, said Sgt. Charles Mulligan of the St. Johns Sheriff’s Office.
“This brings some new expertise to the search,” including a remote operable vehicle, “which is basically an underwater robot with a camera,” Mulligan said.
Weather has been a problem throughout the nine-day search and threatens to halt operations again today, as the forecast calls for isolated thunderstorms.
“A little rain won’t stop us, but heavy winds will,” Mulligan said.
December 28th, 2005 at 02:33pm
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Authorities and search crews are continuing to search for William Schneider, 18, still missing after the boat that he, his father, his brother and sister were on when their boat capsized Friday.
Sheriff’s search and rescue teams continued to scour a choppy patch of the Pacific Ocean on Sunday in hopes of finding the last missing person from a boat that capsized days before.
Heavy fog and 10-foot-high waves overwhelmed the skiff carrying four members of the Schneider family of Camarillo about 12:30 p.m. Friday.
After three days of searching, William Schneider, 18, is still missing.
Helicopters, boats and all-terrain vehicles circled the area until dark Sunday without success, authorities said.
Officials were still holding on to a shred of hope that William Schneider was alive, continuing to call their effort a search operation Sunday evening.
(full LA Times article)
Update: Officials Suspend Ocean Search for Missing Teen
Sheriff’s officials suspended a search late Monday for a Camarillo teen missing from a boat that capsized three days earlier in the Pacific Ocean, saying they were uncertain whether rescue efforts would be resumed today.
December 27th, 2005 at 10:56am
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An Amber Alert was issued Wednesday for 10-year-old Shantelle Tylameka Hines and her older sister Keonte Lavale Hines. 
The two girls left their grandmother’s home Wednesday morning after the 55-year-old woman was beaten, police said.
Authorities were looking for Shantelle Tylameka Hines and her older sister Keonte Lavale Hines, who police said was a suspect in the beating.
Wright said the girls left Hardy’s home in a burgundy 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix with an American flag on the trunk. The license plate is 890MPG.
Shantelle Tylameka Hines and her older sister Keonte Lavale Hines were found in good condition at a Georgia motel.
Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said a person in Monroe County, Ga., heard the alert and noticed the car the older girl was said to be driving at a hotel and called police.
Wright said both girls were unharmed.
Authorities in Forsythe, Ga., apprehended Keonte Hines.
Wright said she faces warrants for assault, battery and grand larceny.
Wright said Keonte Hines will have a hearing Thursday morning. Further charges such as kidnapping could still be filed, Wright said.
Authorities find missing 10-year-old S.C. girl in Georgia
read the rest here…
December 22nd, 2005 at 02:23am
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The Coast Guard has suspended the search for the missing victims, Gary Tillman, 43, and his daughter, Hanna Tillman, 16, determining that their was little to no chance of survival following the Sunday plane crash.
The Coast Guard suspended its two-day search Tuesday for a pilot and his daughter missing after their small plane crashed off the northeast Florida coast.
Authorities determined pilot Gary Tillman, 43, and his daughter, Hanna Tillman, 16, both of Rome, Ga., had been lost too long since Sunday’s crash and had little chance of survival.
“After many hours of searching with numerous types of surface and air assets, we’ve had to make the determination that we will probably not find anyone alive,” Capt. David Lersch, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, said in a written statement.
(full AP story)
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Two Missing, One Rescued and One Dead in Florida Small Plane Crash
December 21st, 2005 at 02:01am
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Missing, Missing Adult, Missing Teen, Plane Crash, Search and Rescue |
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Two young women were rescued from the ocean by Coast Guard crews following the crash of a Cessna 195 was near St. Augustine. The Coast Guard is still looking for two other missing passengers. 
Two young women were pulled from the ocean Sunday and Coast Guard crews were searching for two people still missing after a small plane went down about a mile off Florida’s Atlantic coast.
The Cessna 195 was near St. Augustine when it crashed around 1:30 p.m., Coast Guard Petty Officer Donnie Brzuska said.
The plane was registered to Gary Tillman of Rome, Ga., and was carrying a 43-year-old male pilot and three passengers, officials said.
UPDATE: Macon Telegraph; Coast Guard searches for two missing after Fla. small plane crash. One of the rescued girls was pronounced dead.
According to the AP, at least one person has died and two more are missing following the small plane crashed off the northeast Florida coast Sunday. 
Missing were the pilot Gary Tillman, 43, and his daughter, Hanna Tillman, 16, both of Rome, Ga. according to St. Johns County sheriff’s Sgt. Charles Mulligan.
Anna Kipp, 16, of Rome, Ga., was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, Mulligan said.
Gary Tillman
Rachel Hestetler, 16, was found in the water and is listed in good condition, authorities said.
(Full Macon Telegraph article)
UPDATE II: First Coast News; Father & Daughter Missing After Vilano Beach Plane Crash
According to reports, friends of the passengers are saying that the victims were on their way to the Bahamas. The plane flew out of Craig Field en route to Fort Pierce when it went down in the water around 2:00 pm.
A teen is rescued after a plane went down in the waters off Vilano Beach
The passengers have been identified as Gary Tillman, 43, of Rome, GA., his daughter Hanna, 16, Anna Kipp, 16, and Rachel Hostetler, also 16.
Coast Guard teams rescued Kipp and Hostetler late Sunday afternoon.
A spokesperson at Flagler Hospital told First Coast News Kipp died from her injuries.
Hostetler has been moved to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville for further treatment, the spokesperson said.
So far the wreckage of the plane has not been found. Due to high waves rescue attempts were made difficult. The Coast Guard is bringing in more help for the searches and recovery.
The Coast Guard is bringing in more crews to beef up the search effort.
The Coast Guard cutter Shrike, based out of Port Canaveral, and aircraft from Clearwater are being deployed to the Vilano Beach area to assist.
December 19th, 2005 at 01:06am
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Missing, Missing Adult, Missing Teen, Search and Rescue |
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