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No closure for families of the missing No closure for families of the missingHow can people just disappear? Sometimes family members and even police are left asking that question. And for some north Florida families, it remains the one question unanswered daily. Over the past several years families of local men, women and even children have found themselves joined in the tragedy and grief of a missing loved one. The families of each of these
These separate cases are not alike and have many differing clues and variables, however, they all have one major similarity - they remain unsolved. Like television’s Without a Trace, in many of the cases the investigative trail has run cold. Police stress, though, that real life isn’t the same as TV crime dramas. There are not enough resources to test every DNA sample and fingerprints and evidence are not discovered and solved in an hour. Often there’s no sample or evidence to test anyway. Who are they? Jackie Markham, John Rowan, Terry Raulerson, Yvonne Belcher, Bryan Hayes, Mark Degner and Joshua Smith. All are still missing. In most of these cases, police have no new clues to work on or in some of the cases, a possible suspect is dead. The most difficult aspect of having a missing loved one is dealing with the unknown. "If only I
In some missing persons cases like Tina Marie McQuaig and Keith Cauley, missing becomes murdered. McQuaig was 28 when she was reported missing March 15, 2000, when she failed to return home to Baldwin after leaving work. McQuaig is on surveillance video leaving her job at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville. She is seen walking from the elevator in the hospital's parking garage, and her 1992 blue Nissan Sentra leaving the garage. That is the last time she is seen. Four days later her vehicle was found in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart on Normandy Boulevard. The car was unlocked, but her keys and purse were missing. After processing the vehicle, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said that virtually no clues were left behind. The case was aired on America's Most Wanted in May of 2000. She was missing for nearly three years until remains discovered in a wooded area at Cecil Field in December 2002, were identified 13 weeks later as Tina. The murder is unsolved. Twenty-three year old, Keith Malone Cauley of Macclenny, was last seen June 16, 2000, shortly before he had planned to meet a friend in Jacksonville to look at a boat he was thinking of buying.
Cauley's 1985 Dodge truck was found parked in an apartment complex parking lot five days after he was reported missing. The truck's undercarriage appeared to have been pressured washed and authorities said the interior was unusually clean. On August 23, 2001, a convicted drug dealer named George Durrance led investigators to his body buried in the woods of Putnam County in another homicide investigation. Durrance was convicted of a 1999 murder in south Florida, but neither he nor anyone else was ever charged with Cauley's death. While the McQuaig and Cauley families now have some closure, other families still wait desperately each day for some news. On December 14, 2000, 51-year-old Jackie Markham failed to meet her boyfriend at her home in Callahan and also didn’t show up for work at a Jacksonville transportation company the next day or at her daughter's home, where she was expected to spend a few days. Worried family
Ross Lane Emerson, 41, of Fort Worth, Texas was arrested a couple of months later for the death of another woman whose nude body was found January 5 in a Yulee ditch. After interviews and further investigation, police suspected Emerson who was in the area at the time of the Markham disappearance of having knowledge of the case, however, Emerson committed suicide in his cell on October 15 and while admitting to several murders denied any involvement in the Markham case. Markham's family continue to try to sort out what may have happened to her. They are offering a $20,000.00 reward for any information regarding her disappearance. Any information should be routed to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, at 904-225-5174. John Patrick Rowan, who was 34 at the time of his disappearance, left for work on Friday morning, February 23, 2001 and has not been heard from since. Rowan did not show up for work and was supposed to call his sister that morning to wake her up for school, but he never did. Rowan that day had also failed to show up at the airport to pick up his parents. A month later Rowan’s Green 1999 Ford Expedition was located in a parking space at an office park located one mile north of the Orlando Airport. His bank accounts and cell phones have not
Police believe Rowan met with foul play. When they found his Expedition, it was meticulously wiped clean, but there has been no physical evidence that Rowan is dead or injured. Police have dug through bank records and investigated possible leads stemming from Rowan's numerous business connections. Ten months before his disappearance, the beneficiaries of his life insurance policy were changed from his family to partners in his land development company. However, investigators have determined that a signature transferring the $3 million life insurance policy from his family to his business partners was not a forgery, as they initially thought. A $100,000 reward is offered by the Justice Coalition and Rowan Family for any information leading to the safe return of John Rowan. Macclenny resident Terry Raulerson was last seen by co-workers when they returned from their iron workers job, Saturday evening, August 3, 2002 at about 6:00 p.m. Raulerson spoke to his wife and mother who were vacationing at a lake house about 6:15 that evening saying that he was
When he failed to show up at the lake, his family returned home to find him missing. His car was found abandoned on August 5, at the gate to his hunting club just over the Georgia line on Highway 121, between the towns of St. George and Macclenny. A large search was launched for him in the area around the hunting club gate, involving tracker dogs, police, numerous volunteers, and helicopters. Witnesses reported seeing his vehicle along with another truck in the area the day he disappeared, but no trace of Raulerson’s whereabouts was found. In October 2002, police went to the home of Raulerson’s friend and co-worker James Richard Cromwell to arrest him on charges of growing marijuana. He fled police and was eventually stopped. He stepped out of his vehicle and said he had nothing to do with Raulerson’s disappearance, before shooting himself. Police say Cornwell was the last person seen with Raulerson. The men worked and car pooled together and in previous interviews with police, Cornwell stated that he dropped Raulerson off at his vehicle parked at the Quick and Handy on SR 121 in Macclenny on August 3. In their investigation, police discovered that Cornwell was a possible suspect in two unsolved murders in Polk County, Florida in the 1980s. He was suspected of being involved in the death of his former wife in 1985 and a migrant worker in Bartow. The case remains open. Yvonne Katharina Belcher Owens, 25, was last seen in Green Cove Springs, Florida on December 22, 2000. She and her husband, Jesse "Andy" Owens resided with his mother on Highland Avenue. The couple argued during the early morning hours and the police were
One of Belcher's friends told investigators that he gave her a ride shortly after 2:30 a.m. Another friend reported seeing her walking along Vermont Street towards Florida Route 16 around daybreak. Belcher has never been heard from again. Owens reported Belcher as a missing person two days after her initial disappearance. He stated that his wife had a history of leaving their home for several days after arguments. While authorities said that Owens and Belcher had a stormy relationship, Owens cooperated with the investigation into Belcher's disappearance and was not considered a suspect. Authorities said that they believed foul play was involved in Belcher's disappearance. Extensive searches of the area produced no clues as to her whereabouts. Investigators received tips that Belcher may have relocated to the Daytona Beach, Florida or Fort Lauderdale, Florida areas to work as a dancer. The leads did not produce any evidence as to her whereabouts. Her family members said that it is uncharacteristic of Belcher to leave for an extended period of time without warning. Belcher was born in the former West Germany and moved to the United States with her parents during her childhood. She was employed as a dancer and a server in a restaurant. Belcher's case remains unsolved. Mark Degner, 12, and Bryan Hayes, 13, went missing February 10, 2005 when they reportedly walked away from Paxon Middle School in Jacksonville. Police and school officials say the
boys left school about 1:00 p.m. after Mark had an argument with a teacher. They had no backpacks, cell phones or money, and were both new to the school and unfamiliar with the area. Police have never been able to find any trace of the boys. Reported sightings have come from as far away as North Carolina, Maine and Arizona, but have proven false. Both boys are developmentally disabled and take medication for emotional and behavioral problems. Bryan also takes medication for a kidney ailment and high blood pressure, and both boys have an emotional development of children three to five years younger. The case is still active and a $10,000 reward is still out there for any information leading to their whereabouts. Joshua Bryan Smith worked out with his father at The Lodge at Ponte Vedra Beach in Ponte Vedra, Florida on November 4, 2000, which was his 23rd birthday. The rest of the day was not unusual. He attended a movie and had dinner later during the day at the Tinsel Town complex before working his evening shift at a local restaurant as scheduled. Smith parked his 1994 Ford Ranger in the 600 block of Ponte Vedra Boulevard shortly after his
Smith's family reported him as a missing person to authorities when he failed to return to their residence on Greencrest Drive that night. Authorities initiated a search for Smith at approximately 6:00 am the morning after his disappearance. There was no sign of foul play at his car and his money and wallet were found undisturbed. Smith's shoes were discovered on the beach approximately 20 feet from The Lodge. Search dogs traced his scent one-half mile from the location of his shoes down the beach, but no additional evidence was uncovered. Authorities told his loved ones that evidence would have washed ashore if Smith drowned in the area, but nothing has ever been located. Smith's family members said it is extremely uncharacteristic of him to leave without warning. His case remains unsolved. He was wearing brown baggy shorts, a dark-colored t-shirt and white Tommy Hilfiger tennis shoes at the time of his disappearance. Police and families are hopeful that continued public attention on these cases will generate new leads, but as the cases get older they become more difficult to solve. Billboards, fliers and articles are helpful but with people missing for long periods of time, the unpleasant truth is that investigators often rely on lucky breaks, such as a hunter or kids playing in the woods happening across the missing person. In many cases families may never know what happened and are left with only hope. Also missing:
Sandra Gann
Disappeared: April 29, 2003 Current Age: 15 Reward: $10,000 Notify: JSO 904-630-0550 / 1-800– THE LOST
Disappeared: July 2, 2004 Current Age: 51 Notify: JSO 904-630-0550 For a larger list of those missing in the Jacksonville and surrounding areas http://www.justicecoalition.org/new_missing_persons.htm |
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