http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20100220/NEWS01/2200334/165-on-Del.-missing-list165 on Del. missing listDetermination for police to solve cases doesn't wane as leads grow cold
By Alex Ruoff and Wallace McKelvey • Staff Writers • February 20, 2010
DEWEY BEACH -- It was just another day at the beach.
Katie Faye Sinclair was to spend the last day of her summer vacation alone, cleaning up the Cullen Street beach house. She said goodbye to friends and called home to tell her daughter she was excited to see her soon.
Two days later, when the next vacationers arrived, they found a house full of her possessions. Her shoes and purse were still there, but she was gone.
"It's one of the strangest things I've ever encountered; it's like she just vanished," said Sgt. Cliff Dempsey, a Dewey Beach police officer who has investigated Sinclair's 1993 disappearance since 2005. "But it's something I keep coming back to."
Her story is similar to that of 164 other missing persons cases still ongoing since 1995. In that time, more than 25,000 people have been reported missing, said Peggy Bell, executive director of the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System.
As of 2005, the most recent data available, there were 109,531 active missing persons cases nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Although the media focus is usually on the first 48 hours of a disappearance, Bell said each filing remains in the system for law enforcement officers to pursue.
"They're still out there," she said. "We still need to know what happened to them."
The search begins
Sgt. Walter Newton of the Delaware State Police said most people reported missing are juveniles who are found right away. Such disappearances are attributed to a miscommunication with friends and family.
Many of those cases are solved within the first two hours, he said. A smaller percent of missing people is not found immediately.
"Each case is different, so you have to look at them differently," Newton said. "You have to consider if they are missing voluntarily or if you are dealing with some element of foul play."
Whenever a missing person's report is filed, an initial search of the area is undertaken, police said. Depending on the situation and if it becomes apparent they could be in danger, police, K-9 units and volunteers are sent to canvas areas where they were last seen.
"We try to pool whatever volunteers are available at the time because that search is important and resources are hard to come by," Newton said.
When authorities suspect an individual has gone missing near the water, U.S. Coast Guard cutters and helicopters are called in.
Bradley Temple of the Indian River Inlet Coast Guard Station said rescuers pay close attention to the weather and the geography of the coastline to determine where ocean currents may have carried a victim.
"There are about seven different kinds of currents they could be subjected to," he said, although rip currents -- which pull people rapidly away from the coast -- tend to be the most common.
Based on the information gathered by witnesses about how many layers of clothing an individual was wearing or whether they had a life jacket, Temple said rescuers can estimate how long the victim can survive in the elements.
The trail goes cold
If a person is not found in the first few days, Newton said the search becomes more and more difficult. After a week, the investigation becomes less proactive.
"The longer someone goes missing, the less you have to work with in finding them," he said. "It depends on the circumstances because it could require us to utilize cadaver dogs or periodic helicopter searches."
In some cases, the trail can go cold because of natural processes, said Edward McDonough, the deputy state medical examiner in Georgetown.
Those who disappear in the ocean during winter and early spring tend to sink to the ocean floor, he said.
"It's not uncommon for someone to disappear in winter and not be found until summertime," when warmer water allows for bacterial decomposition to take place, McDonough said.
Similarly, people who disappear in deep water, such as from fishing vessels, tend to be more difficult to find, he said.
"The deeper you go, the more pressure on the remains," McDonough said. "Any air pockets will be compressed and, therefore, cause less buoyancy."
In either case, decomposition and the subsequent creation of gases will cause the body to eventually float to the surface, he said.
Regardless of where the person disappeared and the likelihood of their survival, Newton said all information is stored in a national database.
Any use of their credit cards, Social Security numbers or a police report including their physical characteristics will raise a red flag, he said.
For long-term cases that go beyond a few months, police must rely on that database for new leads.
"When the physical search ends, you have to wait and see what comes to light," he said.
Hope and vigilance
But Bell said there is hope for families seeking to be reunited with their loved ones --or at least to find closure.
Since 1973, she said only 181 cases have remained open in Delaware, meaning the vast majority of missing persons reports have been resolved.
"A person went missing in 1975 and the next one was in 1979, so you have a four-year span in between there," Bell said. "A whole bunch of people went missing, but they all came home one way or another."
Dempsey said the state requires him to reopen Sinclair's file every year so it can be updated. The 16-year-old case, which started when Dempsey was still in high school, isn't easy to keep up with, he said.
"We've gone as far as Boston to talk to people in looking for more leads, but it's hard," he said. "Your crime scene is gone, witnesses are scattered and what they know can be unreliable."
The Dewey Beach Police Department, together with Sinclair's family, have tried nearly everything they can think of to find the town's only remaining missing person, Dempsey said.
They have searched local beaches, swamps and Cape Henlopen State Park with cadaver dogs, investigated persons of interest as far away as Hawaii and even contacted a forensic psychic.*
"Whenever I'm deep into the case, I'll stare off into space, thinking about where she is," he said. "I know she's somewhere out there."
The experience, Dempsey said, has made him a better investigator.
"Every time we respond to a call, my mind goes back to her case, and I think it keeps me from being complacent," he said. "The next time you go out, you could be looking for someone just like her."
Regardless of where the person disappeared and the likelihood of their survival, Newton said all information is stored in a national database.
Any use of their credit cards, Social Security numbers or a police report including their physical characteristics will raise a red flag, he said.
For long-term cases that go beyond a few months, police must rely on that database for new leads.
"When the physical search ends, you have to wait and see what comes to light," he said.
Because these missing people are often without a voice, Meredith said there is little pressure on law enforcement to increase efforts to find them, especially with long-term cases.
Hope and vigilance
But Bell said there is hope for families seeking to be reunited with their loved ones --or at least to find closure.
Since 1973, she said only 181 cases have remained open in Delaware, meaning the vast majority of missing persons reports have been resolved.
"A person went missing in 1975 and the next one was in 1979, so you have a four-year span in between there," Bell said. "A whole bunch of people went missing, but they all came home one way or another."
Dempsey said the state requires him to reopen Sinclair's file every year so it can be updated. The 16-year-old case, which started when Dempsey was still in high school, isn't easy to keep up with, he said.
"We've gone as far as Boston to talk to people in looking for more leads, but it's hard," he said. "Your crime scene is gone, witnesses are scattered and what they know can be unreliable."
The Dewey Beach Police Department, together with Sinclair's family, have tried nearly everything they can think of to find the town's only remaining missing person, Dempsey said.
They have searched local beaches, swamps and Cape Henlopen State Park with cadaver dogs, investigated persons of interest as far away as Hawaii and even contacted a forensic psychic.
"Whenever I'm deep into the case, I'll stare off into space, thinking about where she is," he said. "I know she's somewhere out there."
The experience, Dempsey said, has made him a better investigator.
"Every time we respond to a call, my mind goes back to her case, and I think it keeps me from being complacent," he said. "The next time you go out, you could be looking for someone just like her."
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*Project Jason does NOT recommend the use of psychics in missing persons cases. There is not a single proven case in which a missing person was found using paranormal means. Use of psychics wastes police and other resources, causes prejudice against the case, and emotional harm to the families.
To understand this issue, please see:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/03/30606-pmp-introduction-to-psychics-and.html
