Missing Man: Benjamin Cannon--NE--03/1995

[Kelly]

Missing Person: Benjamin Richard Cannon
 
Date of Birth: 10/11/1974
Missing Since: March of 1995
Missing City: Omaha
Missing State: Nebraska
Age at time of disappearance: 21
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 6 ft  2 in
Weight: 180 lbs
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Hair (other): Short at time of disappearance
Eye Color: Grey
Complexion: Light

Clothing: Dresses casually, sometimes wears a beret

Circumstances: Last seen with the "Rainbow Family" a nomadic, cult-like group.

Medical Conditions: Unspecified Mental Illness.

Agency Name: Omaha Police Dept.
Agency Phone: 402- 444-5864

Print a poster: http://www.projectjason.org/aan/AAN_BenCannon.pdf   

[Linda]

Ben's My Space Page:

http://www.myspace.com/findmybrotherben

[Linda]

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/cannon_benjamin.html



Benjamin Richard Cannon

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: March 1995 from Omaha, Nebraska
Classification: Missing
Date of Birth: October 11, 1974
Age: 20 years old
Height and Weight: 6'2, 180 pounds

Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Dark brown hair, gray/hazel eyes. Cannon's hair was buzz-cut with bangs at the time of his disappearance. His nickname is Ben. He had no tattoos at the time of his 1995 disappearance.

Clothing/Jewelry Description: Unknown, but he dresses casually and sometimes wears a beret.
Medical Conditions: Cannon may suffer from mental illness.

Details of Disappearance

Cannon was last seen in Omaha, Nebraska sometime during 1995. He was involved with the Rainbow Family, a nomadic cult-type religious group, at the time of his disappearance. He has never been heard from again. Cannon was not reported missing until May 2004, nine years after he went missing; prior to then, the police refused to accept a report. Few details are available in his case.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Omaha Police Department
402-444-5818

[Kelly]

Fox 42 video about Ben and Project Jason's bus bench program:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=41088153

[Kelly]

A Project Jason Press Release:

Public Invited to Celebrate Family Safety With Fun Family
Bicycling or Walking at Zorinsky Lake Park

Fifth annual Miles for the Missing gives free ID kits, raises awareness for local missing persons with fun, healthy walk/ride in nature setting

Omaha, Nebraska - (August 2008) -- Families and friends from Omaha and beyond are invited to Miles for the Missing V, a fun, casual walk and bike ride that gives attendees family safety information, and provides free ID Kits. The event is September 21 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Zorinsky Lake Park. This is a chance to do something fun and healthy outdoors in a nature setting, with family and friends and at the same time, benefitting Project Jason, a local nonprofit.  

This is not a pledge-per-mile event. Instead, it is a casual ride/walk on a seven-mile path. You can go any distance you wish, whether it is one mile or several times around. The trail is paved and SAG and free water will be provided.

Fun New Mascot and Photo Opportunity



Attendees will be welcomed by the new mascot, "I.D. Kitty," a large, warm and fuzzy, 6-foot-tall live action figure designed to bring enjoyment to children and families.  Children will be delighted by him, and parents will appreciate how Project Jason is taking the "fear factor" out of obtaining and creating I.D. Kits. I.D. Kits should be part of every household, and for every family member.  Families are welcome to take photos of their children united with ID Kitty in advocating family safety!

Goals for the Event

The event has three goals: to help families understand various safety issues, to disseminate free ID Kits to all, and to honor families of local missing persons.

This year's honored guests are families of the missing Jesse Ross, Erin Pospisil, Melvin Uphoff, Kiaran Norman, Benjamin Cannon, and Jason Jolkowski.

Event Details and Registration

The ride/walk starts at 9:30 a.m, on Sunday, September 21st. Check-in is at Shelter #5, located on the south side of Zorinsky Lake Park, at the 156th & F Street entrance. Trail coverage with first aid and water will be offered until 2:00 p.m. You can come any time convenient to you, with a recommended start time of no later than 1 p.m. The trail is seven miles and you can ride/walk as little or as much as you wish.

The cost per person is $17.00 per person. Riders/walkers who pre-register by September 15, 2008 will receive a free Miles for the Missing V T-shirt at check-in.

Riders/walkers of all ages must have a completed and signed registration form before entering the trail. Children under age 10 riding/walking with a parent or guardian may walk/ride free, but will still need a waiver form signed by a parent or guardian.

T-shirts for children under age ten (optional) may be purchased for $7.50 each at the time of registration, prior to September 15.

All information, including registration forms, is available at http://www.projectjason.org/miles.html

About the I.D. Kit

Since its inception in 2003, Project Jason has given out more than 13,500 I.D. Kits to assist families with safety preparation.

These free I.D. Kits are provided by Project Jason at public events, and as free downloads in English and in Spanish from the organization's website. The kit contains a list of the first steps to take in the event a loved one is missing, plus valuable information that law enforcement will need. The kit should be printed on heavier stock paper, kept in a safe place, and updated at least every 6-12 months.

The kit can be downloaded at http://www.projectjason.org/education.shtml#idkit

If people wanting to attend have any questions, they can write to (402) 932-0095 or email milesforthemissing@projectjason.org

About Project Jason

Project Jason, founded in 2003, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting the families of missing persons, and creating and increasing public awareness of missing people through a variety of outreach and educational activities. Project Jason brings hope and assistance to families of the missing by providing resources and support. The organization is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

The organization has disseminated more than 13,500 personal ID kits in English and Spanish, has helped distribute more than 50,000 posters, and 4,750 photo buttons, of missing persons, and has assisted more than 400 families of the missing. Project Jason has also been directly involved in the recoveries of numerous missing persons.

Project Jason offers extensive online resources as the first and only assistance organization to offer free, professional counseling to families, and the first nonprofit of its type to open an office in the popular virtual world, Second Life.

Project Jason relies solely on corporate and private donors and currently requests the public's help to sponsor a number of ongoing programs. (Nonprofit: IRS 501 (C) (3) Non Profit Charitable Organization - EIN# 20-0256753.)

For more information about Project Jason's objectives, activities and services, go to http://www.projectjason.org

[Linda]

http://www.kptm.com/Global/story.asp?S=9048132&nav=menu606_24_10_1

For Families of Missing People, Project Jason is Helpful

Sep 21, 2008

OMAHA (KPTM) - Dozens stepped out Sunday morning to honor the families of local missing people. The walk and bike ride benefited Project Jason, a non-profit organization that helps relatives of missing people and aims to raise public safety awareness.

Organizers handed out free ID kits to families. They're designed to help relatives and law enforcement in the event a loved one goes missing.

"Put yourself in our shoes for a minute. If someone that you loved disappeared would you know where to go, would you know where to turn, would you know the steps to take and time is so crucial and we're here for you," said Kelly Jolkowski, founder of Project Jason.

Family members of missing people say Project Jason has offered them support and critical resources. "Kelly's been a big help. She really pushes you, she wants to know too, she really helps you. She gives you hope," said Michelle Sells, who's father is missing.

"They realize that a lot of people are in the same situation and a lot of people don't know how to get the word out. So they are a great support system for families with things like this," said Roger Cannon. Cannon's son (Benjamin) is also missing.

The organization's new mascot, "ID Kitty," also made its debut Sunday. Project Jason hopes the mascot will help people understand the importance of creating ID kits for every member of the family.

[Kelly]

Attention Doe researchers:

With DNA analysis, it has been proven that Benjamin Cannon is not the "Grateful Dead Doe" as seen on this page:
http://www.geocities.com/trying2id/JDpage.html

Please do not submit him as a match to this doe.

[Kelly]

AAN Annual Poster Notify Sent to AAN Subscribers   Code 57

Help us find the missing: Become an AAN Member
http://www.projectjason.org/awareness.html

[La Vina]

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/1969

NamUs - National Missing Persons Data System-Benjamin Cannon # 1969

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1691dmne.html

The Doe Network: Case File 1691DMNE

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/cannon_benjamin.html

The Charley Project: Benjamin Richard Cannon

[Kelly]

Older file photo from our bus bench program. Unfortunately, the benches are no longer in service as a new company took over the ads and did not return our many calls.

[Kelly]

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2012/02/missing_persons_misunderstood_rainbow_trail.php

Missing Persons or Just Misunderstood on the Rainbow Trail?

By Keegan Hamilton Thu., Feb. 2 2012 at 7:00 AM


​When 54-year-old Marie Hanson vanished at the Rainbow Gathering last summer, police initially suspected that she hit the fabled "Rainbow Trail," meaning she cut ties with her family and began drifting from one hippie festival to another. Although it turned out not to be the case with Hanson, the Rainbow Trail is a real phenomenon has accounted for multiple missing persons cases over the years.

As detailed in our feature story this week, the Rainbow Trail, or "hippie road," consists of dropouts and other disaffected youth hitchhiking around the country. They drift between music festivals, events like Hempfest, and regional Rainbow Family potlucks.

When these people lose touch with their families, it often results in concerned phone calls from their parents to the police. In Hanson's case, according to her relative Nancy Enterline, the frequency with which the authorities receive such reports made the Skamania County Sheriff reluctant to dedicate resources to scouring the woods for Hanson. Enterline also came to the conclusion that the Rainbow Trail results in indifference toward some legitimate missing persons cases.

Because of the cult-like reputation and nomadic nature of the Rainbow Family, some parents cling to the notion that their "missing" 20-something son or daughter has taken up the Rainbow Trail and is being held against their will.

In Omaha, Nebraska, Susan Cannon says her son Ben left home in March of 1995 when he was 20 and hasn't contacted the family since. She heard a rumor that he was traveling with the Rainbow Family, and several missing persons pages for Cannon include this detail.

"We were told by a friend of Ben's that he had gone to the Rainbow Family or the Rainbow Children," Cannon says. "Other than that, we know nothing about it. He's been gone for about 16 years. We don't know for sure that he's alive, or that he's with them."

Several Rainbow Family "focalizers," as the organizers call themselves, interviewed for our story this week say that they often urge runaways to phone home and let their families know they are alive and well. But those same Rainbows also note that people typically have personal reasons for severing ties with their kin, and as adults they are free to do as they please.

In Cannon's case, his mother says she and her son had a falling out after he was caught smoking pot in the basement of their home. "If you do somehow make contact with him," Cannon says. "Please tell him that his mother says she's sorry, and that I love him."