Sierra LaMar: Anatomy of a Search Day 52

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Sierra LaMar: Anatomy of a Search Day 52

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The Smirk!

Why do psychopaths always think that they are the smartest guys in the room? They are cowardly little men who prey on vulnerable children. They derive pleasure at the expense of others, for nothing more than instant self-gratification. They leave a trail that rivals the Great Wall of China. Yet, when they take the inevitable perp walk, the arrogant smirk on their face defies explanation.

 

The Sierra LaMar Taskforce has spoken to Garcia-Torres about Sierra’s disappearance several times, although not in a custodial setting. He has been under 24/7 surveillance for almost two months as he knew full well. They took possession of his red Jetta on April 7, but he seemed oblivious to the fact that he has been in the task force gun sights since shortly after Sierra disappeared.

 

Sheriff Smith has linked his DNA to Sierra’s possessions yet he told his mother that he had never had contact with her. In fact, he told his mom that he drove near Sierra’s home, but spent the day fishing at Morgan Hill’s Uvas Reservoir. In probably the biggest tell of all Garcia-Torres’ mother said that she believes her son, but she is not his shadow. If your own mother doesn’t buy in to your b.s., how clever can you really be?

 

Chester the Molester lurks in bushes and waits for opportune moments to attack unsuspecting, vulnerably children. Not really the most courageous approach to life that I can think of. He isolates them, rapes them, and murders them. Then, as he tries to conceal his “perfect” crime, he looks into his rearview mirror, smiles knowingly and contemplates his rugged good looks.

 

I believe that most people consider the needs and feelings of others. We try to comfort our loved ones when they are sad, and we tell white lies to spare the feelings of our friends. The response to Sierra’s disappearance is a perfect example of unselfish benevolence. Thousands of people gave of their time, money, services, talents, prayers and goodwill to help the family of a young girl that most had never met. All any of them ever asked in return was for a little girl to walk through the door and say thank you.

 

In the mind of the psychopath, the sacrifice of a little girl’s life for one moment of instant self-indulgence is status quo. It is an act devoid of conscience and steeped in evil. These are the acts of individuals who, once they are identified, should be removed from society, because we can easily survive without them, while they will only exist in misery without us. I don’t really care if they are isolated or stacked like cordwood. My only stipulation would be that the only place that they can see their reflection and practice the smirk is among the turds floating in their murky toilets.

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Sierra LaMar: Anatomy of a Search Day 51

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Antolin Garcia-Torres

The beloved fairy tale Beauty and the Beast ends happily ever after, but alas, this real life tale of Beauty and the Beast may have tragedy written all over it.


Sierra Lamar has been missing since shortly after leaving home for the school bus at about 7:15 a.m. on March 16, 2012. Sixty-six days later, at approximately 6:00 p.m. on May 21, 2012, Antolin Garcia-Torres was arrested and charged with kidnapping and murdering the vivacious 15-year-old Morgan Hill high school student. The Sierra LaMar task force has had the 21-year-old Safeway Supermarket employee under surveillance since March 28, after DNA linked him to items found in Sierra’s Juicy Couture bag. The Juicy bag was discovered by the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team two days after Sierra disappeared.


His DNA was on file in the nationwide CODIS database because California law allows for DNA collection in cases of felony arrest. Garcia-Torres has a misdemeanor conviction for interfering with a police officer as well as a past arrest for felony assault. The felony assault charge was ultimately dropped, but not before his DNA was extracted. There are many who argue that collecting DNA without a conviction is a privacy violation. Without that linkage, this creep might still be on the loose and young girls in Santa Clara County would still be endangered.


A red VW Jetta with a black hood and sunroof that is owned by Garcia-Torres has been in law enforcement custody since April 7. It was identified as a vehicle of interest through witness accounts and surveillance video. Forensic testing has been conducted on the vehicle, and although some test results remain outstanding, the authorities have evidence that places Sierra in the red Jetta. That means that Sierra and Garcia-Torres can be linked at two separate crime scenes: the location of the Juicy Couture bag and the vehicle owned by and registered to the suspect.   


This sucker has a history, has assaulted women in the past but is not a registered sex offender. Besides the misdemeanor conviction and felony arrest Garcia-Torres has also been linked to at least one of three 2009 unsolved assaults on young women in Morgan Hill. During her press conference Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith alluded to the fact that, “Since January of 2011 in Santa Clara County alone there are 43 missing females that have never returned home.” Was she suggesting that Garcia-Torres might be a serial killer?


The arrest was made for public safety concerns. Although the Sheriff had hoped that he would lead them to Sierra’s remains, he has not done so. It was quickly noted that surveillance isn’t perfect and that anybody who would kidnap and kill a young girl poses an extreme safety threat. The authorities are still seeking information from the public that will help establish the timeline that will lead them to Sierra.


There is no evidence whatsoever that Sierra had ever met or had knowledge of the suspect’s existence. It is believed that Garcia-Torres acted alone and that it was a random crime of opportunity. This makes it one of the most frightening and difficult crimes to solve for they are looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. It is a large world full of billions of people and she is a small girl.


Garcia-Torres is a small time thug who has always lived in Morgan Hill. Although the task force has spoken with him several times, he had not been questioned in a controlled environment until after his arrest last night. 

 

After KTVU broke the story last night I called Sierra’s mother Marlene. I asked her, based on this latest development, if she wanted us to continue looking for her daughter. Her answer was an emphatic, “Absolutely!”


Garcia-Torres has been charged with kidnapping and murder, but he does not have an extensive criminal history, has not been previously charged with murder or rape, there is no weapon, we don’t know how Sierra was killed, and her remains have not been found. Perhaps there has been a rush to judgment. Perhaps Sierra is alive after all. It is now up to us to find the truth.

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Sierra LaMar: Anatomy of a Search Day 47

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I’m so God damned angry that I can barely see straight. We have been searching for Sierra LaMar for 64-days now. That’s more than two months. I’ve watched this community rise to the occasion on multiple levels. I’ve seen support come in from all over the Bay Area. I’ve thought, more than once, that today is the day that we will find Sierra. Yet here we are, still: looking; hoping; and engaged in internal dialogues, trying to negotiate with a God who forces families to reach into the depths to endure open ended misery. I understand that life isn’t fair, but this is ridiculous. Where is the mercy?

 

Somewhere out there a goon who does or doesn’t drive a red Jetta with a black hood has created an intolerable situation that only he can end. Was he born without conscience or is he a product of of a dysfunctional environment? Does hate and destruction come naturally or did he hone his demonic skill set over time?

 

He turns his back in indifference, eating pizza, drinking beer and generating a vibe so negative that it has a community up in arms and a family caught up in emotional free fall. I wonder if he thinks about Sierra on a daily basis or only when the flyers and news reports remind him that many are still looking? In the final analysis it doesn’t really matter. And all we can do in response is send out search parties, keep open minds in the face of near statistical certainty and encourage the family to stay strong for their girl. The only thing that is important is bringing Sierra home.

 

Listen turd. You have the power to end this right now. You don’t have to turn yourself in. Just clean up your business and cover your tracks. Let Sierra’s family have her back, whatever that means. Then you can go about your business, target your next victim and reign terror on somebody else’s community. Just understand that you can’t get away with this forever.

 

Ultimate Survivor Midsi Sanchez

At some point you are going to mess up. You’ll leave your DNA, or there will be a witness, or your victim will escape like Midsi Sanchez did back in 2000. Then and only then it will be your turn to pay. The wages of your sin will be steep. Hopefully yours will be a long and painful death. Then you will rot in hell forevermore.

 

I know something about guys like you. My family was bedeviled at one time. He haunted and tormented us as he looked away in indifference. It lasted for 65-days. Finally, he is in a place where he has no influence, no future, and most importantly no hope.

 

When we began looking for Sierra there was a vacant lot across the street from the search center. Now there’s a housing development. Sometimes I wonder if we’ll still be here when the children of the young families that move into these houses graduate from high school.

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Perfect Endings: Rot in Hell Adam Mayes

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“Fairytales can come true”…Frank Sinatra

How many lives did Adam Mayes destroy? He murdered Jo Ann Bain and her daughter Adrienne in a frenzied obsession over Jo Ann’s two younger daughters. Those girls, Alexandria 12, and Kyliyah 8, will undoubtedly require years if not decades of therapy in order to cope with two tragic weeks that they endured and survived. Their father, betrayed by his best friend, has lost his wife, daughter and some might say his dignity. Then there is Mayes’ skanky wife and mother, neither of whom will ever walk in freedom again. Like the ever expanding concentric circles created by a pebble skipped across the pond, in varying degrees numerous people will have to reexamine their lives and adjust to a new normal.

Adam Mayes was a useless human being. Had he been captured alive we would have had to endure his trial: a publicly financed opportunity for him to excuse and justify his evil actions and murderous intent. Alexandria, Kyliyah, and their father would have had to endure the lies, twisted fantasies, and obfuscations.  

There is no mistaking what he did. His wife was an eyewitness to all of it and has provided the grisly details to the authorities. Most likely, he would have ended up on death row. Then people would have prayed for him, held vigils for him, spilled tears in misplaced anguish, and protested man’s inhumanity to man as they unstrapped his worthless carcass from the death gurney.

Yes, sometimes there are perfect endings. Like Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs, or a $171,000 reward, lead the children home and the wicked witch dies in the end.
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Sierra LaMar: Anatomy of a Search Day 37

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Sierra 2For the first time in 47-days the Santa Clara County Sheriff had something new to report. They were looking for, no, wait, they found the 1999 red VW Jetta with a black hood and sun roof that they believe is connected to the abduction of Northern California teenager Sierra LaMar. They haven’t disclosed how long they have had the car, who owns the car, what they found inside the car, or the results of forensic testing that has been conducted upon the car. Obviously, this is a good thing because the Jetta may finally lead us down the path that will result in Sierra’s recovery. However, if you are Sierra’s parents Steve and Marlene or her sister Danielle, things are a bit more complicated than that.

Sierra 3Human nature demands that you keep hope alive until proven otherwise. Sierra’s immediate family has been holding onto a thread of hope ever since she disappeared on March 16. They have played out various scenarios, trying to figure out what really happened on that cold, wet Friday morning. Inevitably, thos scenarios end with one resolution: that Sierra is rescued alive, is reunited with her family, and is able to put her affairs in order and lead a productive and happy life. Now, cold reality may be staring them in the face. Perhaps something entirely different went down. Perhaps the end game will not be as they imagine in the silent hours of the predawn morning.

Sierra 4This creates high anxiety. Not the kind of anxiety you feel when you might not get to the airport on time, or when you don’t get the promotion that you feel you deserve. No, this is anxiety that their beliefs, their dreams, their God and their prayers will supernova if this doesn’t play out the way that they have demanded these past months. This is anxiety that physically vibrates your body and incessantly pings your brain like a jagged pinball until some truth at long last reveals itself. It invades your fitful sleep, causes your feet to sweat and makes you want to fall down on your knees and banshee scream at the moon. But you don’t scream at the moon: at least not when others are present.

Sierra 1It has been a long, difficult slog to this place. The community has been magnificent, the media has been consistent, and the cops are working overtime. But at the end of the day we go home to our families, our homes, and our lives. We eat, sleep and awake renewed.

Sierra 5Not Marlene, Steve or Danielle. They aren’t eating right, they haven’t had a full night’s sleep in nearly two months and their consciousness’ have been dominated by one thought and one thought only: find Sierra! They need our help and support as they need each other. But what do you have left emotionally if every fiber of your being has been focused on one point? Not much. I know, because I have been there.

Sierra 6We all want to be there for those we love. We want to support and encourage them in their time of need. But what if those you care about the most share a common crisis that is so over the top that you cannot calculate the enormity of its impact? You stand there alone, emotionally naked, sweating between your sheets at night and shivering as the morning dew evaporates in the breaking dawn. You ar spent with nothing to give back. You simply em bark on another cycle of the living nightmare. You hope as you despair. You laugh so that you will not cry.

Sierra 7Will the red Jetta reveal more truths in the coming days? Let us hope so, but let also keep this family in our thoughts and prayers, because they need us now more than ever.

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Maniac on the Move: The Bain Murder Mystery

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Adam Mayes without his beard

He stalked the family for two days. During the day he lurked in the bushes and watched through binoculars. After dark he used night vision goggles. Theirs was the first house off of the interstate: the one people with car trouble would seek out. Strangers were always welcome, because the family was friendly and helpful. A man and a woman lived in the rural white house with three children, a teen-aged boy and two small children: a boy and a girl.

Shasta and Dylan Groene
He waited until after the BBQ, after the friends had gone home, the sun had set and peace had settled over the valley. Then he struck viciously! By the time it was over the man, woman and teen-aged boy were dead. The young boy and girl were missing. It was as if hellfire had reigned down upon their tidy little world. The authorities were baffled, because the family didn’t have any known enemies: at least none who would inflict this kind of mayhem.

It took seven weeks for the truth to be revealed. First, surveillance video captured the little girl; she was eight years old, in a convenience store with an unknown man. Then, once the community had been notified, they were seen in a neighborhood Denny’s having dinner. Employees contacted the police. He was arrested without incident. The little girl survived. Her 4 foot, 60 pound brother was not so lucky. The pervert, because that is what he was…is, tortured, raped and murdered the little boy some weeks before. Then he torched and buried his remains. That incident occurred in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 2005. The pervert, who had an extensive and sordid criminal history, now sits on death row.

I only illustrate this grisly crime to provide hope to those following the Bain case out of Tennessee. On April 27, 31-year old Jo Ann Bain and her three daughters were kidnapped by so called family friend Adam Mayes, a 35-year old handy man who still lives with his mother in Northern Mississippi. On Monday, May 7, authorities announced that the bodies of Mrs. Bain and her 14-year old daughter Adrienne had been found in shallow graves at the house Mayes’ shares with his mother.
Convenience store video of Shasta and the perv
On Tuesday, May 8, Mayes’ wife, Teresa Mayes, and mother, Mary Mayes, were arrested for “especially aggravated kidnapping” in connection with the kidnapping of Mrs. Bain and her three daughters. Many hope that Mayes will now turn himself in to the authorities in hopes of gaining leniency for his wife and mother. I don’t believe that there is a chance in Hell of that happening.

Adam Mayes lovely wife and mother

The authorities believe that Mayes is on the run with the two little girls. They believe that he has altered their appearance by cutting their hair. One of the largest manhunts in the history of the South has been launched in hopes of recovering the girls alive.


Maniac on the Move!

If that is to happen then we, the people, have to help. We need to be on the lookout for a tall (6’3”), slim (173 lbs.) man with two young girls. All three will have bad haircuts. They will be at gas stations, convenience stores, or fast food outlets, or on the road. If you see them, don’t approach. Instead call the police.

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Sierra LaMar: Anatomy of a Search Day 30

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Krystine Dinh is one of the most knowledgeable volunteers at the Sierra Search Center. She is a problem solver, an organizer, and a good friend. When Krystine is present people gravitate to her to talk, walk, or simply sit in silence. Unfortunately Krystine’s knowledge and empathy were not easily achieved as they were born of personal experience.
On May 17, 2011, her devoted cousin Michelle disappeared while taking nursing classes at Kaiser Hospital in Hayward, CA. That event thrust Krystine and her family into the arena that none of us are prepared to enter, yet are expected to master. It’s never easy to stare into the abyss, particularly when the wind is forcefully pushing at your back and especially when one of the people you love the most is unexpectedly missing and thought to be deceased. So, how do you reconcile the chaos of violent crime with an orderly world and a life plan that now litters your path like shards of broken glass? One way to do that is to draw upon your experience and instinct and get busy trying to achieve that elusive reconciliation.
The first time I saw Krystine was on TV. She was facing a bank of television cameras responding to the disappearance of dear Michelle. She seemed cool, calm and collected: as if she’d been doing this all her life. Her words reassured and she spoke with confidence. “Pretty good for somebody who is totally freaking out because her best friend and confidant had disappeared” I thought.
About a week later I met Krystine, her cousin Michael Le and Michelle’s entire family. She had moved to the Bay Area to begin a new job the day before Michelle vanished. She seemed smaller in person: more fragile. The rest of the family lived in San Diego and had caravanned up to the Bay Area to find Michelle. They needed help.

Instinct is a gift. It is different than intelligence, but equally as important in achieving success. Instinct helps you to get your bearings in the storm and assists in navigating against a difficult tide. Michelle’s family remained united in the midst of a ripping tide, but it was left to the kids, the first generation Americans, to navigate. Krystine belied her years and took the helm. She never wavered in her resolve, she never lost her cool and she commanded the respect of all.

It has been less than a year since Michelle disappeared. It took four months to find her. It has been less than eight months since Michelle’s remains were discovered. Yet Krystine and her remarkable cousin Michael come to the Sierra Search Center whenever they can. They have fought through the pain and the agony of loss and have emerged stronger and more focused for the experienced. Now they share the benefit of their experience with those facing a similar situation.
Krystine Dinh is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced volunteers at the Sierra Search Center. With her help we have conducted sixteen volunteer searches. We have deployed 6,134 searchers on 556 search assignments and blanketed a 20-mile radius around Sierra’s home. In all we have expended 30,936 hours and fed and supplied the entire enterprise on primarily donated food and supplies. Wow!
Violet says that Krystine reminds her of me. In a certain sense that may be so. However, Krystine is much younger, much prettier, and probably much smarter than me. She’s also a woman and she is Asian. You know, in many ways Krystine reminds me of Violet.
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No Tears for Isabel

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Six-year-old Isabel Celis was last seen at approximately 11:00 p.m., on Friday, April 20, 2012. She was discovered missing around 8:00 a.m., on Saturday, April 21. Isabel’s parents called 911 as soon as they determined that she was not in the family home. The case has since captured the attention of the nation; however Isabel’s family has made only one public appearance to speak out on behalf of their missing daughter.

I’m a firm believer that families are the best advocates for their missing children. If there is a perception that Isabel’s family is not doing everything that they can to help their young daughter it creates concern within the community. They have to wonder, “If the family is not doing everything that they can, then why should I do everything that I can to recover this child?”

At one point after my daughter was kidnapped a news reporter told me that she could get Polly more attention with fifteen seconds on the evening news than I could generate nailing flyers onto telephone poles for a hundred years. I took that to heart and have rarely turned down an interview since. My advice to Isabel’s parents is to get out there and start fighting for your child.

Get over your fears, realize that you always told her that you would be there when she needed you, and that she’s never needed you more than she needs you right now. Therefore, get out there and give the interviews: create a portrait of Isabel. Tell us what kind of a girl she is. Let us know what she likes and what she doesn’t like. Start sharing more photographs and share video of her. Build her up in the public’s mind so that they become invested in who this little girl is and demand that law enforcement do whatever they need to do to bring her home. Involve yourself in the community of hope that has sprung up around you, is supporting you and is fighting for Isabel’s return. Hug some folks and thank some folks. She deserves nothing less.
One of the most difficult kinds of crimes to solve is the stereotypical stranger abduction, because that scenario is about some goon crawling out from under a rock, stealing your child and then disappearing back under that rock. It’s a big world and these are very small children. Law enforcement is obviously going to investigate that scenario, but the numbers always bring you back to the family. The vast majority of kidnappings in America are non-custodial parental kidnappings. The most vulnerable population of children to that scenario are pre-teen girls. Everything about this case will continue to turn right back onto the family until they eliminate themselves as suspects. The best way to do that is to submit to any questioning, to submit to any polygraphs and to get out there on the airwaves and advocate on behalf of Isabel.
Look at what happens when you don’t do that. Take the case of baby Lisa Irwin, who disappeared from her bed in Kansas City, MO on October 3, 2011. Lisa’s parents did not advocate on her behalf, they did not cooperate with the police. That case has effectively gone cold. It went cold because people thought, “Gee, if the parents aren’t going to be out there fighting for her, why should I be out there fighting for her?

Baby Lisa’s case is going cold. By not cooperating with the authorities and stonewalling the media baby Lisa’s parents have made themselves look guilty. It has allowed law enforcement to pull back their investigation. Instead of hundreds of multijurisdictional officers and agents focused on baby Lisa, now there are several.

We kept our case alive for two months because we never stopped speaking up for and representing Polly. We have a case here in Northern California for a missing teenager named Sierra LaMar that has been active for six weeks now, and there is still an enormous amount of interest in her case. However, in Isabel’s case law enforcement admitted on April 27, that the investigation has already been reduced from 200 to about 50 officers. On April 29, Tucson Police Lt. Fabian Pacheco acknowledged that the case could turn “cold.”

I think that we are looking at very limited options here. If something doesn’t pop soon. If the parents don’t change the way they are handling Isabel’s disappearance, then the case may very well go cold. The unfortunate thing about that is that people are concerned that there may be a monster loose on the streets of Tucson: first because of Isabel’s case; and then because of the more recent case of a man breaking into the home of three young sisters in the wee hours of the morning only miles away from Isabel’s home. If this goes cold and we don’t know who that monster is, then we have a situation where the people of Tucson, AZ are living in a community where the safety of children isn’t even secure in the sanctity of their own homes, and law enforcement does not have the will to resolve this public safety crisis. That creates an atmosphere of fear and the last thing we need in America is more home grown fear.
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Sierra LaMar: Anatomy of a Search Day 20

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Milestones

By Krystine Dinh

Sierra’s search center was buzzing.

Today was productive. Though it has almost been a month since Sierra’s disappearance, over 300 volunteers came ready to search. Brian, armed with new search assignments, successfully dispatched 34 search teams to Morgan Hill. It was a cold day, but the sun shined bright. If Sierra’s nearby, I thought, at least it isn’t raining.

Today may have been productive, but not easy. The month milestone is approaching in two days. That means 31 days of unanswered prayers. 31 days without Sierra: A month too long.

We are people of milestones. Together, we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, weddings, promotions, graduations. Then there are those who are tied together by milestones of a darker kind – deaths, tragedies, kidnappings, murders, abductions. Dates forever branded in your memory. For Polly’s family:  October 1st. Our family: May 27th. Now, Sierra’s family: March 16th.

At points throughout the day today, I found myself angry – disgusted at the monsters that have imposed those dates upon us. Those days will never just pass by without notice. For Sierra’s family, March 16th will never be just another day.

One reporter said to me, “I heard there were over eight families here who have gone through a similar situation. Can you tell me about them?” I was almost paralyzed by that question – where do I start? We are connected by milestones of tragedy – ragged, pained threads that bind us together. Given the choice, we would have much rather lived in ignorance – our families untouched and our loved ones unharmed. But, here we are.

As the month milestone approaches, I pray for all the strength in the world for Marlene, Steve, Danielle, Rick, Ashley, Connie, Keith, Sierra’s cat Chester, and the rest of her family, so they may find solace in each other on Monday the 16th. I pray for persistence and leadership for the volunteers so they may continue their efforts as time continues. I pray for safety for our search teams.

I pray for Sierra – for her life, her warmth and her safety.  I pray that one day we will celebrate another milestone – the day she returns home to her family.

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Sierra LaMar: Anatomy of a Search Day 17

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Most days I lie awake in the wee hours of the morning trying to figure out what happened to Sierra. Was someone familiar with her patterns lying in wait, knowing that she was isolated and vulnerable at 7:15 a.m.? Or, was it a family friend with evil intentions who just happened to be there on the cold, wet and windy morning who offered to drive her to school? If so, is that individual spending time at the search center, and have I shook his hand…repeatedly? It wouldn’t be the first time. In Polly’s case, and this was verified when we did a records check, the killer’s brother in law was lurking around our search center one day. Are any of the volunteers acting out of character? I really have no way of knowing since I have only known them for a couple of weeks. Was it a schoolmate, jealous that the popular new girl was commanding attention meant for her, or perhaps a boy with his own adolescent motivations? I really should try to get some sleep, because without more information we will never know the elusive answer to this very troubling riddle.
 Today the search was managed and organized by the community. I was the only member of KlaasKids who was able to make the drive to Morgan Hill to help out. It was cold and wet, not unlike the day Sierra stepped out of her home four weeks ago and vanished in the mist. Only that’s not what really happened.
 Brian, who emerged as a leader from the beginning is assuming incident commander status. He is briefing new volunteers and assigning search teams to returning volunteers. Roger, Dave, and Ernie are briefing and debriefing the teams. The data entry ladies are organizing the massive amounts of information flowing through the center so that law enforcement will be able to easily analyze the data. The registration ladies keep the flow into the center smooth, steady and organized, and wheelchair bound Keara is keeping the flow of supplies stocked so that no one is wanting. Like heavenly angels the kitchen ladies ensure that everybody has a meal to eat. Like the miracle of the fishes and loaves, the impossible task of feeding large numbers of hungry people with limited inventory, has never run dry. I love these people; these search junkies who are there day after day, because they make my job look easy.
 The temporary debate regarding volunteer burnout was for naught. All in all, 182 searchers were sent out on 15 search parties today. Searches for missing persons, particularly children, are driven much more by a sense of urgency than a probability of volunteer responses. During my first conversation with Sierra’s family I tried to explain that it would take some time to organize those first searches. They were incredulous that we weren’t able to send search parties immediately. That was a difficult conversation for me because I understood exactly what Steve, Marlene and Danielle were feeling: there is no more time to lose. Well, nothing has changed. We are just farther down the road without any idea where Sierra is.
 My experience is that the numbers of volunteers will dwindle over time. That is going to happen regardless of whether searches are scheduled once a week or every day of the week. However, that is a gradual process that has not yet begun. There is still a sense of urgency in the community and I think that we should continue to take advantage of opportunity.
 It is a matter of relativity. In almost every other case that I have worked, and I am sure that the KlaasKids team will back me up on this, 500+ volunteers turning out to search is unprecedented. However, in Sierra’s case it is status quo. It has happened in virtually every search that has been conducted thus far. Should this week or next week’s numbers dwindle to 200 or even 100 volunteers, we still a significant number of people to cover significant real estate. After all, as much as we are trying to find Sierra we are also eliminating areas where she is not.
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