Missing Boys: Mark Degner and Bryan Hayes--FL--02/10/2005

[Denise]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?ref=rss&storyid=82811

Two Missing Jacksonville Boys Remembered

By Jackelyn Barnard
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- May 25 is a day set aside to remember missing children across the nation.

Linda Alligood knows all about this day. It's been 27 months since her son, Mark Degner, and his friend, Bryan Hayes, were last seen leaving Paxon Middle School.

Leads on possible spottings continue to pour into authorities. One was reported just last week in Jacksonville, but there wasn't enough information to follow.

"It just gets more and more difficult. Harder and harder, explaining to my eight-year-old, you know, we don't know where he's at we're trying to find them," says Alligood.

She always has a picture of son nearby. She's always showing anyone and telling everyone about him.

"I still pass out fliers, tell people he's missing...look for his face."

Authorities have used a computer program to show what Mark and Bryan may look like today.

The hope is someone will spot the 14- and 15-year-old's faces and call police.

"Someone knows where these boys are. Someone knows what happened to these boys and someone has that information, and it's just that someone coming forward with that information," says Ann Dugger, of the Justice Coalition.

Right now, there is a $10,000 reward available to anyone who can help lead police to the teens.

"You just don't know. You want to hear his voice, see his face, know that he's o.k," says Alligood.

Linda Alligood says she just holds on to the hope that her son will someday be found.

If you know anything that can help, call our partner, First Coast Crime Stoppers, at 1-866-845-TIPS. You will remain anonymous and could receive a cash reward.


Created: 5/25/2007 3:55:56 PM

[Kelly]

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/081607/nec_191411517.shtml

Originally created 081607


Search for Austin Davis: ''We are looking for you''

By CHANEL MARTIN, My Clay Sun

Christie Davis had trouble talking about her missing son, Austin - not because of her grief, but because her 4-year-old grandson, Drew, and a rambunctious miniature pinscher named Alli, were running through the pews, interrupting her with questions and making her smile.

This, and cooling down after the hot Florida afternoon, were likely the only bright spots in her weekend.

On Saturday, family, friends and community members came together in a show of solidarity for the family of missing Argyle man Austin Davis. The short but serious rally took place at the Church of Argyle and as each person spoke, they echoed the value of community and divine assistance in finding the 26-year-old above all else.

The event was also attended by representatives of advocacy groups, like the Justice Coalition, and family members of other missing persons, some of whom relayed their own experiences and gratitude to the community who provide support and information, however limited, about their loved ones' whereabouts.

Davis, a 26-year-old who lived with his sister, Anita Sullivan, her husband, Michael and son, Drew, disappeared between June 26 and 27. Anita says that Davis often came home late, and so she did not realize her brother hadn't come home until one of his co-workers called her on the 27th when he failed to show up for work - an exceptionally unusual act for him, she says. It was then that she filed a police report, though she thought she was being "overdramatic" since she "deeply believed we would make this report ... and the next day, or even later that night, he would show up and say 'sorry'" for not calling. "But here we are, seven weeks later, and he's still not home."

Opened by words of encouragement from Ken Dyal, the Church of Argyle's senior pastor, and a prayer, Sullivan provided a case overviewto rally attendees, followed by testimony from others who have suffered similar losses.

Despite the different stories presented on Saturday, all family representatives agreed that much thanks is to be given to the community, law enforcement and media who keep the stories and cases of their relatives' disappearances going, no matter how long it has been - even the seven years Margaret Rowan has been waiting for someone to find the body of her son, John. Rowan states that her son, formerly a partner in Dynamic Land Development, went missing not long after a large digger went missing in the early hours one day seven years ago. Convinced the digger was used to dig her son's grave, she admits that "without a body, the police are tied. ... My goal now is to find his body and lay him to rest."

More testimonial came from Darlene Briggs, grandmother of Mark Degner, who has been holding on to hope that her grandson will someday be found. Degner and his friend Bryan Hayes, special needs students at Paxton Middle School, were seen leaving the school early February 10, 2005, "and have been missing without a trace ever since."

Christie Davis and family are grateful for the support they've received from friends and strangers alike, saying "The community support we've already received is incredible, but we still have to ask for more. There's not just Austin out there."

"This is no place anybody chooses to be, but we have so many people who choose to be here with support and love," said Jim Davis, Austin's father, whose superiors at the Naval base have run information in the base publications and let him out of work for the past month. His stepmother, Monica, has also left work for the past month to search for him.

[Kathylene]

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070910/NEWS01/70910026

Published - September, 10, 2007

Missing Children Day offers little healing

Stephen D. Price
News Journal capital bureau

TALLAHASSEE -- The Ninth Annual Florida Missing Children's Day was not healing for Alene Hayes, who drove from Port Orange to attend the ceremony at the Capitol Courtyard on Monday.

"There is no healing, but there is comfort," said Hayes, whose grandson, Bryan Hayes, 13, and friend, Mark Degner, 12, have not been seen since Feb. 10, 2005, when they walked away from their Jacksonville school.

Bagpipes played, children sang and bloodhounds from breeders across the state filled the courtyard to remember the missing. Students from Leon and Jefferson county schools were fingerprinted, photographed and received safety literature.

Gov. Charlie Crist met with family members after the ceremony and offered words of encouragement.

"Florida grieves with you, but Florida also celebrates with you," Crist said. "It is your spirit and it is your heart that gives future Floridians hope. ... The strength that you give others, who may go through a similar circumstance, when you can say to them, 'Don't give up. Be strong. Endure."

Public Service Commissioner Nancy Argenziano was recognized for legislation she sponsored as a state senator that cracks down on predators who troll the Internet for child victims.

"These are our babies, they belong to all of us," said Argenziano, who received the John and Reve Walsh Award. "We can't feel what you feel, we can only imagine what you feel and that hurts too much."

[Kelly]

From the Family of missing Michael Austin Davis:

"Rally to Remember Missing In JACKSONVILLE-Please Repost
Body:    My son Austin has been missing since June, these folks and many more like them have been suffering for a lot longer the loss of their loved ones. Please come out and show you support if you live in the Jacksonville, FL area.

Christy
~Austin's Mom

We are approaching the 3rd year anniversary of Mark Degner & Bryan
Hayes disappearance from Paxon Middle School. We will be hosting a
Rally on:

Sunday, February 10th from 2pm-4pm

for ALL missing in Jacksonville. The rally will be held in the open area next
to Paxon High School. Please attend and show your support to the families."

[Kelly]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/15266322/detail.html

Rally Marks Year 3 Since 2 Boys Disappeared
Families Remain Hopeful

POSTED: 7:23 pm EST February 10, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The nightmare for two Jacksonville families continued Sunday, exactly three years after their boys disappeared after walking off the campus of a local middle school.

Mark Degner and Bryan Hayes vanished on Feb. 10, 2005. The boys were 12 and 13 years old when they went missing.

On Sunday, family and friends gathered near Paxon Middle School to honor the missing boys and to keep their images in the public eye.
 
"It's been three years since they walked from Paxon Middle School, and they haven't been seen since. Having a missing loved one has been the most trying time and difficult time that our family has ever faced. It has been our faith in God that has sustained us and brought us peace, encouragement and hope," said a family member.

The families said they hope Sunday's event keeps the memories of their loved ones alive, and they hoped someone would remember something they saw three years ago and come forward with that information.

"We know that God is in control and that he sees the bigger picture. That doesn't mean that we stop doing everything in our power to bring our family members home, but it means that we move forward trusting God with the outcome," one family member said.

Progression pictures of what Degner and Hayes may look like three years after they disappeared were also shown at Sunday's rally.

"As of today, through technology we're looking at age-progression picture. We're asking anyone through media, if you happen to see someone who happens to resemble and looks like these boys, please call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office," said Ann Dugger, of the Justice Coalition.

The boys' families said they would not stop searching until their boys came home. They were not alone.

As the rally for Degner and Hayes grew, so did the number of families in attendance holding out hope that their own loved ones would find their ways back home.

One by one, family members of missing persons took the microphone and told their stories:

"My name is Vikki Smith and my son, Joshua, disappeared in 2000."

"My name is Mattie Johnson and my daughter, Sheena, disappeared Sept. 8, 2006."

"Hi, I'm Anita Sullivan. My brother is Austin Davis, who has been missing since June 26 of last year."

"My name is Margaret Rowan. I'm mother of John Rowan, missing since Feb. 21 2001."

Although each story was different, heartbreak was something all of the families shared.

"She left home and told me, 'Mom, I'm going. I'll be back.' The last we heard from her she went to the store - she walked out the store and she hasn't been seen or heard from since," Johnson said.

Rowan's family came to Sunday's rally wearing pins to remember her son, who she said was a hardworking Irish immigrant who she believes was murdered.

"I want answers and I need answers now. I can't go on any longer. I need people here in Jacksonville to support me. I need answers. Somebody did something wrong to my son that morning, and I really need to find him," Rowan said.

Anyone with information about any missing person can call Crimestoppers at 866-845-TIPS to give authorities tips. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

[Kelly]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/crimestoppers/news-article.aspx?storyid=102037

Family of the Missing Come Together

By Kristin Smith
First Coast News
2/10/08

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It's a day of awareness and rememberance. Little yellow ribbons were passed out to signify the rememberance of not just the two young boys who disappeared three years ago Sunday, but for all those who've disappeared in Jacksonville.

"I need answers. Somebody did something wrong to my son that morning."

One mother's desperation for the truth is shared by everyone at the rally held in honor of the missing.

Three years ago another mother lost her son, Bryan Hayes.

"I love you. And I want you to come home."

On that day, Hayes was with Mark Degner.
Degner's mother has a similar message.

"I love you and still come home, no matter what," said Linda Alligood, Degner's mother.

She feels her son is alive, and still waiting to be found.

"I just hope one day that he's going to call one day and say 'here I am,' or someone is going to call and say, 'we found him, here he is, come get him,'" said Alligood.

Every parent, sister, brother, and other family member at the rally hopes the same thing for their loved one.

And they hope that day, is today.

"No, there's never a day that goes by that I don't think of him," said Alligood.

The rally, held on the third anniversary of Hayes' and Degner's disappearance, was held outside Paxon Middle School, where they were last seen.

If you have any information that can help detectives find those boys, or anyone missing, call our partner, First Coast Crimestoppers, at 1-866-845-tips.

[Denise]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=102022&ref=rss

Family Holds Out Hope After Three Years To Find Missing Teens

 2/11/2008 6am report

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Family and friends of a missing First Coast teens will gathered Sunday to remember and ask the community for help. Sunday marks three years to the day that Mark Degner and Bryan Hayes disappeared.

They were last seen leaving Paxon Middle School in February of 2005. They were 12 and 13 at the time. A staff member says he saw one of the boys get into a car with a friend.

For the past 3 years, the Degner's family has held out hope someone would come forward with clues leading to the whereabouts of the teens. There have been a few leads, but none that produced the boys. There is still a $10,000 reward for information.

This year, as in years past, the Degner family is inviting the community and other families with missing loved ones to rally together.

They met at 2 p.m. Sunday at Paxon School for Advanced Studies on Norman E. Thagard Boulevard.

[Denise]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/crimestoppers/news-article.aspx?storyid=111006&catid=69

Family Uses Mobile Billboard to Help Find Loved Ones

Posted By: Angela Williams

 JACKSONVILLE, FL -- They are pictures you need to see and faces we should not forgot. Linda Alligood and her mother Joyce are trying to make sure that doesn't happen. The two have volunteered to take a mobile billboard around parts of Florida. The billboard has pictures of 12 missing people from the state.

"If it helps just one person you know. Maybe not our kids but if it helps one person find them. It's worth it," says Alligood.

Linda Alligood says knows the pain of dealing with a missing person. Three years ago her son Mark Degner and his friend Bryan Hayes went missing. While waiting for news, she's doing what she can to keep the news out there about her son and other missing people.

"We can maybe get more people to see it. If you move it around in different areas," says Joyce Baldwin, Degner's Grandmother.

The billboard was stationed off of Beaver Street for a few days. Alligood says this was the area where her son and his friend were last seen. From the Beaver Street location, the sign will move to a spot off of Edgwood. Eventually they plan to take it to Dayton and Lake City.

"Basically to get my son out there and get other people's names out there and faces that their still missing," says Alligood. "People don't know, they think 'Oh you found them' Make aware that they are still missing and keep an eye out for them," says Alligood.

Mark Degner and Bryan Hayes went missing February 10, 2005 when they reportedly walked away from Paxon Middle School. A $10,000 reward is still out there for any information leading to their whereabouts. If you have any information call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

[Denise]

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7175213&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Another birthday for one of Central Florida’s missing kids 
 
Last Edited: Monday, 11 Aug 2008, 10:01 AM EDT 
Created: Sunday, 10 Aug 2008, 11:07 AM EDT 

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- Another year has passed, and Sunday marked another painful anniversary for the family of another missing Central Florida child.

Sunday, August 10 was the 4th birthday of Trenton Duckett, a Leesburg boy who disappeared in 2006. The Duckett family told FOX 35 that they planned to recognize the day quietly, privately.

“We're just gonna keep it a family day and spend some time together,” said Trenton’s dad, Josh Duckett.

The Ducketts will soon be forced to acknowledge another tragic anniversary -- Aug. 27 is the date Trenton went missing two years ago from his Lake County home.

Trenton’s mother, Melinda Duckett, remains the sole suspect in the boy’s disappearance. She committed suicide about a week after Trenton went missing.

Josh Duckett is still holding out hope, although he admits there are “no big breaks yet.”

“I'm still working and waiting for that one big tip to lead to him,” he said.

On Saturday, Duckett teamed up with two missing persons organizations to keep the now cold search for his son alive.

“It's all about getting their name and their photos on there,” Duckett said of the mobile billboards the Kid Finders Network and Never Lose Hope Foundation had on display in Holly Hill.

The event, held on the third birthday of missing Orange County toddler Caylee Anthony also commemorated two missing boys whose cases have also gone cold.

Bryan Hayes, 13, and Mark Degner, 12, disappeared after leaving their Jacksonville school in February 2005. They have not been seen or heard from since.

Bryan’s grandmother Alene Hayes was also in attendance at the Holly Hill event, hoping to bring the boys’ names and faces back into the spotlight.

“There are no leads,” Hayes said. “They don’t have an idea of what happened to them.”

[Denise]

Print a Poster: http://www.projectjason.org/aan/AAN_BryanHayes.pdf

Print a Poster: http://www.projectjason.org/aan/AAN_MarkDegner.pdf

[Kelly]

AAN Annual Poster Notify Sent to AAN Subscribers   Code 55

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

[Jenn]

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/crime/2009-02-09/story/families_mark_4th_anniversary_of_missing_jacksonville_boys

Families mark 4th anniversary of missing Jacksonville boys

By Scott Butler
Story updated at 9:06 AM on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009



Friends Mark Degner and Brian Hayes went missing from Paxon Middle School four years ago Tuesday.

They were 12 and 13 at the time. Family and friends want to continue community awareness that these boys are still missing and they are not giving up hope.

Anyone with information can call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) THE-LOST (843-5678) or the Sheriff's Office at (904) 630-0500

[Jenn]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/18677941/detail.html#-

Mother Holds On To Hope That Son, Friend Will Be Found
Middle School Boys Missing Since 2005

POSTED: Monday, February 9, 2009
UPDATED: 11:41 pm EST February 9, 2009



JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The heartbroken family members of two boys who disappeared four years ago said they won't stop looking until their loved ones are back home.

Tuesday marks the anniversary of the disappearance of Mark Degner and Bryan Hayes. The two boys were 12 and 13 years old when they vanished without a trace after walking off the campus of Paxon Middle School in 2005.

On Monday, Degner mother, Linda Alligood, said although some time has passed every day with her son is painful.

"Nobody has seen them. Nobody saw which way they went. It's like they disappeared," Alligood said.

As she spoke about her son and his friend, she held a flier with two photos of people she doesn't even recognize. The pictures on the fliers were altered to show what the boys would look like four years after the last time they were seen.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about him," Alligood said.

She said information that has come out since the boys' disappearance puts the boys on the baseball field behind the school. That was the last time anyone saw them.

"Not knowing if he's OK, if he's safe or one day is he going to call and say, 'Come get me.' One day is he going to show up at my doorstep? It's hard," Alligood said.

She said she believes both boys walked away from school on purpose and were planning to run away, but she said it wasn't supposed to end the way it has.

"Knowing my son, he was supposed to come home that same night," Alligood said.

Alligood wants the community to remember her son and his friend, not just on the anniversary of their disappearance, but every day.

A billboard with the missing boys' pictures is on Interstate 95.

"We still love them. It doesn't matter, we just want them home," Alligood said.

Anyone with information about any missing person can call Crimestoppers at 866-845-TIPS to give authorities tips. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

[La Vina]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=144940&provider=rss

Missing Children's Day in Jacksonville Focuses on Two Teens



Modified photos of how they could look 2 years later

9/14/2009
Ann Butler/ Dave Wax

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The disappearance of teens Mark Degner and Bryan Hayes several years ago is among the missing children cases noted today on Florida Missing Children's Day.

Mark Degner was 12 years old and Bryan Hayes 13 when they walked away from Paxon Middle School in 2005. The two friends are believed to have run away together and despite sightings, no one has heard from them in more than four years.

Age progression pictures of Mark and Bryan were unveiled this afternoon at a news conference held by the Justice Coalition and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at the Police Memorial Building.

Mark Degnan's grandmother, Darlene Briggs, says she hopes the new pictures will help someone find her grandson.

In Tallahassee, families and state leaders gathered at the capitol courtyard for the state's 11th Annual Missing Children's Day.

"Florida Missing Children's Day is a bittersweet day for so many," said Gov. Charlie Crist. "It's filled with great sorrow for the lost of the missing children but also with hope...the hope that one day they will be returned home."

But too many, including Maddie Clifton, never come home.

"Missing Maddie is an everyday event," said Maddie's mom, Sheila Delongis.

The Jacksonville native disappeared and was found murdered more than a decade ago. The young boy who killed her is now a man, and still in custody.

"It will be 11 years this November 3rd," Delongis recalled the night Maddie disappeared.

The ceremony is an opportunity for Maddie's family, and others like them, to honor lost loved ones.

"Without hope, how do you live and it's what keeps you strong and keeps you motivated to want to continue to stay strong to fight the fight for the life of our daughter and for all of those that are missing," said Joyce Kesse, mother of Jennifer Kesse.

Crist joined other state leaders to honor those Floridians who continue to prevent and raise awareness of child abductions. Among them, essay award winner, Destin fifth-grader Taylor Allen.

"Just because you may not be as strong as some bad guys, it doesn't mean you can't be smart about safety," said Allen.

State lawmakers adopted a law earlier this year that is named after Jennifer Kesse and Tiffany Sessions. It requires law enforcement to synchronize investigation materials with a national database within 2 hours of starting any missing person investigation for any Floridian under 26 years old.

[Jenn]

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/crime/2009-09-15/story/jacksonville_boys_are_among_mysteries_of_the_missing

Jacksonville boys are among mysteries of the missing
Mark Anthony Degner and Bryan Andrew Hayes went missing after walking home from Paxon Middle School in 2005.

By Dana Treen
Story updated at 10:15 AM on Tuesday, Sep. 15, 2009



For Darlene Briggs it was like a glimpse into the future.

“Mark looked so much like his brothers and sisters it took our breath away,” the Jacksonville grandmother said of the age-enhanced portrait showing what her grandson would look like four years since his disappearance.

“That is just who we’re looking for,” she said.

Of course the future is now and the portraits of Mark Anthony Degner and Bryan Andrew Hayes are simply artists’ concepts of how the two friends would look in 2009. The boys disappeared from Jacksonville after walking away from Paxon Middle School together on Feb. 10, 2005.

Neither has returned home and it is believed they ran away.

Detective Rodney McKean of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said reports still come in that the boys have been sighted but none have been confirmed.

The pair, 12 and 13 when they vanished, would have transformed from children into young men, Briggs said. Mark would be 17, Bryan a year older.

“We are really, really hopeful on this,” Briggs said.

The portraits were unveiled as part of the statewide recognition Monday of Florida Missing Children’s Day.

“As of today, there are more than 300 children missing in our state,” said Ann Dugger, executive director of the Justice Coalition, a Jacksonville victims advocacy group that helped coordinate the unveiling at the Sheriff’s Office.

The boys were among four missing children spotlighted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse.

For Briggs and family members of other missing children, the paramount concern during a search is to keep awareness elevated.

It is a focus that has recently been felt acutely in Northeast Florida, where Putnam County kindergartner Haleigh Cummings disappeared in February.

Marie Griffis, a grandmother of Haleigh Cummings, was at the Sheriff’s Office in Jacksonville to also remind that the youngster, now 6, is still missing.

“It means a lot to me to be able to be here today,” she said. “It’s horrible not knowing where she is.”

Recent cases, such as the return of Jaycee Dugard 18 years after she was abducted from her California neighborhood are encouraging, however faintly.

“It makes you want to search even more,” Griffis said. “But you don’t know where to search.”

In both Northeast Florida cases, families have used fliers and other methods to keep the stories alive. Billboards of all three have been erected and decks of cards with Mark and Bryan were even distributed in jails in case someone there would recognize the boys.

The age-enhanced portraits have been printed on new fliers in the case.

“Our family is hopeful that these posters will be key in bringing our boys home,” Briggs said.