56 replies to this topic

[Denise]

KPTM FOX 42

Philadelphian Offers Rewards In Nebraska Missing Persons Cases

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)

A Philadelphia businessman has offered 100-thousand dollar rewards to help find Jason Jolkowski of Omaha
and Gina Bos of Lincoln.

The two are among 20 missing-person cases that Joe Mammana has offered rewards for, totaling two million dollars.

Mammana earlier made news with reward offers in the disappearance of Arkansas teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

An Ohio anti-crime group has raised questions about Mammana's offers and has accused Mammana of backing out on a promise to pay 31-thousand dollars to tipsters in a Columbus, Ohio, murder case.

Mammana said he hadn't paid that reward because he only pays for information that leads to a conviction, and that case hasn't been decided.

[Denise]

Published with permission.

http://www.thereader...._from=&ucat=6

Missing Inaction

The families of two missing Nebraskans have gained renewed hope for finding their loved ones, thanks to a Pennsylvania philanthropist.

Jason Jolkowski of Omaha and Gina Bos of Lincoln are among a score of missing persons whose cases could get a boost from businessman Joe Mammana. The millionaire launched a campaign offering rewards of $100,000 each for 20 missing person’s cases, after hearing about a worldwide concert tour created by Bos’ sister, Jannel Rap.

The reward fund will be available Nov. 5-24, and will be paid to anyone with information that either leads to the missing person’s recovery or to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator responsible for the disappearance.

Mammana made news when he offered rewards in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba. And an Ohio anti-crime group has threatened to file suit after Mammana refused to pay $31,000 dollars for information that led to a suspect’s arrest in the slaying of an Ohio State University student. Mammana said he would only pay for information that leads to a conviction, and that case hasn’t been decided.

Bos, a singer/songwriter and mother of three, vanished Oct. 17, 2000, after performing at Duggan’s Pub in Lincoln. Rap lined up more than 180 bands to play on the Squeaky Wheel Tour across the United States and in nine countries this past fall to generate awareness for missing persons.

The announcement came as a relief to the family of Jason Jolkowski, a Benson High graduate who was 19 when he disappeared June 13, 2001 from the driveway of his family’s home in Omaha.

His mother, Kelly Jolkowski, says that with an average of 105,000 open missing person’s cases in America at any given time, the odds of being selected as one of the 20 cases were astronomical. While no one has led authorities closer to solving her son’s disappearance, “we hope that money makes them talk,” she said.

After Jason went missing, his family set up Project Jason, a nonprofit organization that assists families of the missing nationwide. They also passed Jason’s Law in Nebraska, establishing a searchable public database of missing adults and children.

“We help other families find their missing loved ones, but we don’t have ours back,” Kelly Jolkowski said. With this month’s added reward, “they want to give us that opportunity,” she said.

Coping with the loss of a loved one is difficult, but “the ambiguous loss [that occurs] when you don’t know what you’re grieving for can be unbearable,” Jolkowski said.

“It doesn’t get easier,” she said. “It’s Thanksgiving in a couple weeks. There’s still an empty place at the table. And there’s still a hole in our hearts.”

Anyone with information about Jason Jolkowski should call 444.5818. Anyone with information about Gina Bos should call 441.7204. Information about their cases can be found at projectjason.org and at 411gina.org.

09 Nov 2006

[Denise]

Geraldo Rivera is featuring the 2 Million Dollar Story on his show, Geraldo at Large. you can watch a video about Beatrice's recovery in the archive. Click on the 11/9 link. The other 19 missing persons are shown briefly. Here's the link:

Geraldo At Large - Video Archive

[Denise]

-- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KOLNKGIN - HomePage

Lincoln Family Waits On Remains To Be Identified

There are still more questions than answers surrounding the human remains found last Friday near Lincoln. The Sheriff's Office and Police Department are working together at the site near Southwest 112th and West Van Dorn.

The details surrounding the remains are few, but the discovery has one family of a missing Lincoln woman hoping for closure. The sex, identity and cause of death has yet to be determined.

But, the news hasn't stopped the family of Regina Bos from wondering if a more than six year mystery has come to a close.

Dozens of investigators combed through the frozen ground this weekend hoping to collect some clues. It's hard for Kevin Rap to get his hopes up in finding his sister Gina. But, he says he can't help but wonder.

Regina Bos disappeared outside of Duggan's Pub, in October of 2000. Detectives have followed thousands of leads, but nothing has ever turned up. Rap says the past few years have been hard on his family.

The Lancaster County Sheriff's office says it's still too early to start comparing the remains to any missing persons reports.

But, investigators say collecting all the evidence could take weeks because the weather is so cold and the ground is completely frozen. A Forensic Anthropologist will be examining the remains. An autopsy will be performed as well.

Note: The remains found belonged to Melissa Schmidt.

[Denise]

The sister of Gina Bos, Jannel Rap, was recently interviewed for the Missing People Podcast, a Project Jason partner. In the interview, Jannel tells the story of her missing sister and how she started her organization, Gina for Missing Persons. You'll also hear some of her beautiful and moving music that was inspired by Gina's disappearance.

You may listen to the three part interview at this link: missingpeoplepodcast.com


Thank you for caring about the missing.

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
Project Jason - Assistance for families of the missing
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
Project Jason-Voice for the Missing

[Kelly]

A Project Jason Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

For further information contact:
Kelly Jolkowski
402-932-0095

kelly.jolkowski@projectjason.org

OMAHA MISSING PERSONS' DAY ON THE CUE CENTER NATIONAL TOUR

Omaha Area Families of the Missing Gather to Remember Their Loved Ones

Omaha, NE, - June 13th, 2007-  June 13th, 2007, marks the six year anniversary of the disappearance of then 19 year-old Jason Jolkowski from his home in Omaha, NE. To bring awareness for area missing persons cases and garner community support for the families of the missing, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey is declaring June 13th as Omaha Missing Persons' Day. Project Jason, founded by the family of Jason Jolkowski, is sponsoring an event to commemorate this day. It will be held at Omaha's Memorial Park at 56th and Underwood Ave from 6:30-8:30pm. The public is invited to attend.
 
This event will also serve to honor four other families of missing persons from the area. They, along with the parents of Jason Jolkowski, will share their stories.s
 
In addition, the Cue Center, a nonprofit organization from North Carolina led by founder Monica Caison, which provides assistance for families of the missing, has included Omaha and this event as a stop on their national tour to bring awareness for numerous missing person's cases. The 4th annual "On the Road to Remember Tour" begins on June 11th and concludes on June 21st, covering 2,400 miles, 22 stops in 11 states, and 75 missing person cases.

This moving ceremony will begin with a march led by the Air Force Color Guard with bagpipe accompaniment. The Mayor's office will then present the Omaha Missing Persons' Day proclamation to Kelly Jolkowski, President and Founder of Project Jason, and to Monica Caison, Founder of the Cue Center.
 
The event will also include music and prayer, and will culminate with a symbolic white dove release by each represented family.
 
Featured Missing Persons' Cases:

Jason Jolkowski disappeared from the driveway of his home in Omaha, NE on Wednesday, June 13th, 2001. He was then 19 years of age. He was preparing to go to work at his part-time job, and was last seen doing his weekly chores outside.
 
Erin Pospisil was just 15 years old on June 3rd, 2001, when she left her home in Cedar Rapids, IA to go visit a friend. Her friend was not home, and when a car pulled up, Erin went over and spoke with the occupants. She entered that vehicle and was never seen again.
 
Singer-songwriter Gina Bos disappeared on October 17, 2000 after performing at a pub in Lincoln, NE. The next morning, her vehicle was found across the street from the pub with the trunk ajar and her guitar inside.
 
Nearly 42 years ago, 18 year-old Jackie Rains-Kracman left her home in Columbus, NE, telling her family she was going to a wedding with a friend in Glenwood, IA. The friend returned home, but Jackie didn't.
 
University of Missouri sophomore Jesse Ross vanished on November 21, 2006, after attending a model United Nations conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, IL. After a dance, Jesse was seen heading towards his hotel room, which was a ten minute walk from the Sheraton. Jesse never made it back.
 
About Project Jason:

Project Jason, located in Omaha, NE was founded in 2003 by the parents of missing young adult Jason Jolkowski. “Our mission as a non profit organization is to create and increase public awareness of missing people through a variety of outreach and educational activities. Project Jason seeks to bring hope and assistance to families of the missing by providing resources and support.”  Project Jason serves families of the missing nationwide and has been instrumental in the recent passage of missing persons' legislation in several states through their Campaign for the Missing program. To learn more about Project Jason, please see http://www.projectjason.org, or contact Kelly Jolkowski at 402-932-0095 or kelly.jolkowski@projectjason.org
 
About Cue Center:[ 
 
Founded in 1994, the Cue Center, (Community United Effort) based in Wilmington, N.C., provides support, services and search efforts to families of the missing. For full On the Road to Remember tour dates and locations, as well as a complete listing of cases featured on the tour, e-mail cuecenter@aol.com or call Monica Caison at (910) 343-1131 or the 24 Hour Line at (910) 232-1687.For more information, please see http://ncmissingpersons.org/
 
###
 
Important Note: If it is raining, or rain is threatening, the event will be held at Holy Name Church at 2901 N Fontenelle Blvd. (As of this writing, the chance of rain is very high, so it is imperative that the rain location be communicated.) 

If the event takes place at Memorial Park, attendees need to bring their own chairs

[Denise]

http://www.arguslead...S/70612018/1001

Garretson concert to raise money for families of missing persons

By Staff Reports
Argus Leader
Published: June 12, 2007

The band Clementine will perform in concert June 23 as part of Jesse James Days activities in Garretson and raise money for an organization that helps families with missing loved ones.

The show is set for 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 at the door and $7 in advance at Jesse James and Alliance Communication.

Seven years ago, Jannel Rap and her sister, Tammy Smith, who lives in Garretson, lost their sister Gina Bos, who disappeared from Lincoln Neb., on Oct. 17, 2000.

According to Rap, Gina left a bar in Lincoln, Neb., where she was playing guitar. Gina’s car was found with the guitar inside, but there was no Gina. The families’s desperate search for Gina hit a dead end, so Rap created “GINA for Missing Person,” a non-profit group that utilizes entertainment to gain attention for missing people.

“I’m excited that they are playing for a worthy cause,” said Garretson resident Tammy Smith. “Not all of the band members knew Gina personally, but they are willing to give their time to help all families who are missing loved ones.”

Kris Frerk, a member of the Garretson Commercial Club that helped organize the event, said this is a huge opportunity for Garretson. “It is so neat to have a relationship with a band that does national tours and we are going to have the opportunity to hear them live here in Garretson,” said Frerk.

[Kelly]

http://www.madisonco...ArticleID=39871

11/8/2007 3:00:00 PM 

Tour calls attention to missing persons

Laura Halleman
Courier Staff Writer

On Oct. 17, 2000, 40-year-old singer-songwriter Gina Bos disappeared after playing at a local pub in Lincoln, Neb. A mother of three, Gina's car was found across the street from the pub with her guitar in the trunk. She has not been seen or heard from since.

On Aug. 26, 1995, 23-year-old Heather Teague was lying in the sun on a beach in Spottsville, Ky. When a witness says a man appeared from behind her, jerked her up by her hair and drug her into the woods. She has not been seen or heard from since.

On Sept. 3, 2006, 44-year-old Walter Smith, Jr. was last seen at his home in Edinburgh. His black, 2000 Daewoo Laganza was located abandoned two months later on the north side of Franklin. He has not been seen or heard from since.

And the list goes on and on. According to the FBI, tens of thousands of people vanish under suspicious circumstances each year, and there are as many as 100,000 active missing-persons cases daily.

As time goes by and the leads on a missing person fade, law enforcement officials eventually deem them cold cases. But for the families and friends, the unknown of what has happened to their loved one is a constant ache, and their strength and resilience spur them to continue their quest for answers by banding together with other families to find the missing and find creative outlets in doing so.

One such nonprofit organization is www.411Gina.org. Founded in 2001 by Gina Bos' sister, Jannel Rap, the mission of the organization is to bring together musicians and media through what has become known as The Squeaky Wheel Tour.

"After my sister disappeared, I got very depressed for some time. One night I went to bed and sat up in the morning and thought, 'We need to get news attention about this. We need to make some noise,'" Rap said. "I knew Gina was pushing me to do this, and I couldn't look at her kids and not do something about it. It was as if God told me what to do, too. I never knew what faith was until she disappeared."

So that's what Rap did. She made some noise. Continually calling the detectives working on Gina's case, Rap made her voice heard because Gina's could not be, she said.

With the inception of the Squeaky Wheel Tour, Rap, who is a member of the tour's headliner band Clementine, said her hope is to bring media attention to missing people whose circumstances surrounding their disappearance are not deemed "lurid" or "dramatic" enough to receive national attention.

The concert tour is held annually, and this year it played 19 shows across the country, including one that generated a packed house at the Electric Lady in Madison. As with each show, fliers with the faces and details of local missing persons are laid out on tables and displayed on posters for those in attendance to see.

Molly Dattilo, who grew up in Madison and who disappeared in Indianapolis on July 6, 2004, was one of several missing persons from the surrounding area whose disappearance was highlighted.

Last year, the tour brought home 10 people, including a boy who had run away from his home in Indiana and was living in New York City.

The missing boy attended the concert in New York and saw his face on the CD cover as one that was missing. He realized his parents did care and were looking for him, so he contacted his parents after the show.

The show in Madison brought out many relatives from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky whose loved ones are missing.

Two women in attendance, whose daughters disappeared in separate states, share a heartbreaking similarity. Although the two men responsible for their daughters' deaths were convicted and given lengthy prison sentences based on circumstantial evidence, they refuse to tell these mothers where their daughters remains are, leaving them without closure.

Patti Bishop's stepdaughter Karen Jo Smith, 35, disappeared from Indianapolis on Dec. 27, 2000. Smith divorced Steven D. Halcomb after a volatile, abusive relationship. Halcomb was convicted and sentenced to 95 years in prison for the murder of Smith, but her remains have not been found and Halcomb isn't talking.

"He has a narcissistic personality, and I don't know if he'll ever tell us where she is, but we will never stop searching for her," Bishop said.

Bishop is now heavily involved in domestic violence awareness and is a volunteer for TeamHOPE, a support network for families of missing children and adults. In 2001, after contacting Rap, she helped organize the first Squeaky Wheel Tour to be held in Indiana.

"It's a passion of mine now. You never realize that in a split second someone you love and cherish will disappear from your life. We will never let other families give up hope," Bishop said.

On Aug. 28, 1996, 22-year-old Carrie Culberson disappeared from Wilmington, Ohio. Culberson's abusive ex-boyfriend, Vincent Doan, was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for her murder. Her remains have not been found. At Doan's sentencing, Carrie's mother, Debbie Culberson, urged Doan to tell her where her daughter's body could be found, but her pleas were met with silence.

"We have told him that if he would tell us where Carrie is, we would agree to a sentence reduction, but he has so far refused," Culberson said. "I and my daughter have been robbed of the natural grieving process that comes with losing a loved one because of this. Some people say our bodies are just a vessel, but it's that physical bond that we need to have closure."

She has since channeled her grief and frustration by working with Congressman Steve Chabot to get legislation passed that would require mandated testing of any unidentified dead and a national repository for these test results for all states to be able to access.

This week the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs demonstrated the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUS, that the department had announced it was setting up in July. NamUs is a national database for matching unidentified human remains with records of missing persons. Ultimately, medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement officials, forensic professionals and the public will be able to use the database to search and match missing persons records and information about unidentified human remains.

The Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Statistics found that on average, 4,400 unidentified human bodies are received in medical examiners' and coroners' offices each year, and about 1,000 remain unidentified after a year.

The database is at www.namus.gov.

Culberson said she feels guilt for her other daughter for what she said is the "Left Behind Children" syndrome.

"I was there for her physical needs when she was growing up, but I was so absorbed in the trial and finding Carrie that she not only lost her sister, she lost me, and sadly, that has put a strain on our relationship," Culberson said.

The grassroots organizations are a monumental aid to those who want to spread the word of a missing loved one or to console those who have or are experiencing the agony of the unknown that some say is indescribable unless someone has gone through it.

But they know their work is not done. With each passing day, another flier with the photo of a missing son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father or other relative is posted in a neighborhood.

"Some people say to me, 'It's been years since your daughter disappeared. Maybe it's time you let it go and moved on with your life,'" Sarah Teague, the mother of Heather Teague, said. "I tell them I will not rest until I have justice, but more importantly I will not stop searching, waiting, hoping and praying for a miracle. How can I? I am her mother."

For more on missing persons or to post information on a missing person, visit www.411Gina.org or www.teamhope.org.

[Kelly]

http://action3news.c...5&nav=menu550_1

Human Remains Found in Lancaster County Field

Posted: Nov 24, 2007 06:47 PM CST

Lancaster County, NE - A trip to cut firewood turns into a full-scale death investigation.  The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office says a man found human remains in a grassy area near a corn field at 120th and Van Dorn Friday afternoon.

Crime Scene Techs joined Lincoln Police Saturday to search the area for clues.  The victim has not yet been identified, but the death is being investigated as suspicious.

A 41-year-old Lincoln woman has been missing for six years.  Regina Bos was last seen leaving a Lincoln bar in October of 2000.

[Kelly]

http://www.action3ne...7&nav=menu550_2

Man Chopping Wood Stumbles Upon Human Remains

11/25/07


Lancaster County, NE - A gruesome discovery just southeast of Lincoln. A man chopping firewood stumbled upon human remains near 120th and Van Dorn Friday afternoon. "My son was looking for some wood to take for his fire place," said Ethel Schroeder. "That's when he discovered the remains over there."

Schroeder says he had to see it for himself. When he got to the creek bank he saw a pair of boots, jeans, a gun, and bones. "It was all in parts," he said. "The animals messed with it a little bit and scattered it."

From the clothes, Schroeder thinks it could be a man. He called in the Sheriff. Investigators aren't saying if the remains are that of a woman or a man. Investigators continue to search for clues and answers. For now, investigators are calling the death suspicious. Schroeder believes the remains may have been there since the summer, but the Sheriff's not saying how long the body may have been there. An autopsy will be performed on Monday.

[Jenn]

A new Project Jason printable poster for Gina:

http://www.projectja...N_ReginaBos.pdf

[Lori Davis]

http://www.pegasusne...s-pub-profile-/

Squeaky Wheel Tour coming to Poor David’s Pub to profile missing Texans
By Pegasus News wire
Saturday, November 1, 2008

GINA for Missing Persons FOUNDation presents the 3rd International Squeaky Wheel Tour® (SWT), launching October 17, 2008.  The acclaimed 19-day event draws attention to several hundred missing people, each profiled by the musicians participating throughout the US and other countries, and is supported by the families of the missing and nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Clementine, one of the bands performing at Poor David's Pub on November 7.

Musicians participating in SWT earmark their concerts or events to profile a missing person(s) in their community.  They profile that missing person during their show and ask attendees to take a flyer to post throughout their community. Audience members become official GINA Volunteers simply by coming to the events and posting flyers.

This year's tour has reached across international boundaries that take us from England in 1996 to Dallas 2008. Damien Nettles disappeared from Cowes, Isle of Wight, England November 2, 1996. He is both an American and British citizen. His immediate family now lives in Dallas and continues to search for Damien whenever and however possible. Damien's family recently connected with GINA for Missing Persons FOUNDation when GINA was preparing a Squeaky Wheel Tour® web cast profiling UK missing persons to air November 2, 2008 at 2:30 CST www.411Gina.org . The Internet has become a valuable tool to help bridge the gap for families to get information out world-wide about their missing loved ones.

Clementine Band / Mark Wayne Glasmire
When: Friday, Nov. 7, 2008, 8 p.m.
Where: Poor David's Pub, 1313 South Lamar Street, Dallas
Cost: $15
Age limit: 21+

Texas area missing to be profiled are Roxanne Paultauf-Austin, Kimberly Norwood-Longview, Sara Kinslow-Greenville, Troy Grumbine-Irving, Melissa Highsmith-Fort Worth, Brandi Wells-Longview, and Monica Carrasco-Balmorhea.

Jannel Rap, founder of SWT, has intimate knowledge of the missing.  Her sister, musician Gina Bos, disappeared on October 17, 2000.  Because there was no lurid or dramatic circumstance, Gina's case didn't achieve great media attention and was soon forgotten by the community.  In honor of Gina, and knowing how scattered, broken and lost the families of the missing felt, Jannel knew she had to do something. The concept of the Squeaky Wheel Tour® was born.  A musician herself, Jannel used the power of music (and her band, Clementine) to start being the "squeaky wheel" that demands attention.

Mark Wayne Glasmire joins Clementine on stage to play music and profile missing people.

Jannel's LA based band, Clementine is a merging of singer/songwriters on a mission to help educate the public about missing persons cases. Clementine is most known for their musical and lyrical hooks and their unique vocal sound reminiscent of the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Crosby Stills Nash and Young. Clementine has shared the stage with Hal Ketchum, Louden Wainwright, Nickel Creek and more.

Mark Wayne Glasmire is joining Clementine at Poor David's. He was a top 10 finalist in the GINA Singer/songwriter Contest of 2008 consequently joining in the family of International GINA Artists. He is a seasoned singer/songwriter with melodies and lyrics that hook you in and make you feel at home while challenging your senses.

850,000 missing persons reports are made each year in the U.S. 110,000 of those cases go unsolved.  To date, over 300 missing people profiled by GINA for Missing Persons FOUNDation and SWT have been found.

[Kelly]

Jannel Rap, sister of missing Gina Bos and founder of Gina411, has been chosen as one of the top 50 iconoclasts in the music industry for 2008 by Music Connection magazine.

"When Music Connection began to compile this exclusive list, we not only drew upon the magazine's own resources - our editorial staff, freelance writers and industry contacts - but via our Weekly Bulletin we invited 70,000 readers to participate. So we want to thank the thousands of respondents who contributed thoughtful and, in many cases, heartfelt nominations.  As is the nature of such a list, it was not possible to include all who were deserving of recognition.  And we do not expect you will agree with every choice we ultimately made. But this one-of-akind list, a result of many hours of deliberation and presented in no particular order regarding an individual's importance or accomplishment, is composed of people and entities who had an important impact on music and music-makers in 2008.

Jannel Rap

This singer/songwriter turned grief into action by founding GINA (Greater Information Now Available) For Missing Persons in honor of her sister, Gina Bos (also a musician), who vanished after her performance at a show on Oct.17, 2000, in Nebraska. GINA has expanded its reach worldwide and its website profiles missing persons and provides resources for the families of the missing.
(www.411GINA.org)"

Congratulation, Jannel!

[Jenn]

http://www.action3ne...1&nav=menu550_2

Missing for Nine Years; Case Still not Cold

Lincoln, NE - She vanished nearly a decade ago. Still, the mystery surrounding a Lincoln woman's disappearance remains unsolved. Now, we help shed some light on the disappearance of Gina Bos and how her sister, living on the west coast, is taking action here and everywhere else, to find her and millions more missing.

Silenced by their disappearance, the missing once again gain a voice. Musicians from around the world dedicate their music to the "GINA" for missing persons foundation, to gain awareness about those who've disappeared. A music phenomenon stemmed from a one woman mission to find the missing. Singer/songwriter Jannel Rap's own sister, Gina, disappeared in Lincoln.

"She left the bar and essentially disappeared and nobody has seen her since," says Detective Greg Sorensen. Bos never made it home after performing at an open mic night in 2000. Her car was found across the street with the trunk popped and guitar inside.   

Bos' family knew this was not a case of a missing woman, their sister was in trouble. "All we can think is bad i mean that's all i could think something bad happened to her," says her brother Kevin Rap. Still, Rap's gut feeling was not enough to convince police. Now, nearly a decade later, and still no sign of bos, the lead detective admits mistakes were made.

"Oh, I have a ton of regrets on everything you always do. When you look back and it's 20 20 you think, I should have done this, I should have done that. Yeah, there were some definite things that we should have done but we missed."   

Without any hard evidence of a homicide, police, and the media for that matter, treat it as just another missing person case. But Jannel Rap refuses to let this case and hundreds others go cold. While, Bos' disappearance remains a mystery, the "GINA for Missing Persons" foundation work and music have been instrumental in finding hundreds more once missing.

The foundation has helped solve 300 missing person cases. There is a link on our newspage above.  Also, if you have any info on Gina's disappearance, call Lincoln police.

[Kelly]

http://www.myfoxla.c...g_Gina_20090723

Finding Gina

Updated: Thursday, 23 Jul 2009, 11:17 PM PDT
Published : Thursday, 23 Jul 2009, 11:10 PM PDT

Video from: FOX 11 News
Reporter: Christine Devine

Los Angeles (myFOXla.com) - When a loved one disappears without a trace families feel completely helpless. One woman who went through that pain has turned her anguish into action. She founded a group that uses music to bring hope to those who are lost and those left behind.

You can watch Christine Devine's report in the video player.

More Info:

To learn more about the music and events of Clementine and the Finding Gina organization, please go to www.411gina.org .

also, for more on Erin Runnion's The Joyful Child Foundation, go to www.thejoyfulchild.org .

and for the work that Mika Moulton is doing on behalf of community safety, go to www.christophersclubhouse.com .

[Kelly]

AAN Annual Poster Notify Sent to AAN Subscribers  Code 74

Help us find the missing: Become an AAN Member and receive notifications about missing persons via email.

Click here to become a part of the solution: http://www.projectja...awareness.shtml

[Kelly]

http://journalstar.c...1cc4c002e0.html

9 years since the guitar went silent

11/7/09
Cindy Lange-Kubick

It's open mike night at Meadowlark Coffee.

There's a signup sheet by the cash register, where the baristas are busy with double espressos and hot tea.

Women knit next to an old upright piano. A game of double solitaire plays out by the windows. Laptops glow, electronic galaxies at tables of one.

Two women walk in. Sisters, slim with narrow faces and long hair.

One sister - Jannel Rap - carries a shopping bag stuffed with sheet music.

The other - Tammy Smith - carries a guitar.

Jannel spreads fliers on an empty table, like stacks of circulars for garage sales or housecleaning services.

Missing Person: Randa Jawhari.

MISSING: Jason Jolkowski.

Vanished: Erin Pospisil.

MISSING PERSON: Regina Marie Bos.

Regina Bos, their middle sister. Their missing sister.

Gina disappeared on a night like this one nine years ago.

She'd been to a baby shower, went home to her three kids and then sang at open mike night at Duggan's Pub, just south of downtown.

Shortly before the bar closed, she put her guitar in the trunk of her car, not quite latching the lid.

Then she disappeared.

Today - Nov. 4 - is her birthday.

* * *

"We smell bad, girls," Jannel says, settling in at a table. "All that cigarette smoke. All those bars."

She's next to the makeshift stage with Tammy and "Grandma Pat" - Pat Williams, Gina's mother-in-law, the woman who finished raising Gina's kids.

All three are young adults now, out on their own.

They coped their own way, Pat says. They didn't want to talk with her about their mom. But sometimes they'd congregate in a bedroom with the door closed.

"Their huddles," she calls them.

Earlier today, Tammy's phone beeped. A text from Gina's middle child, her only girl.

Happy birthday to Mama ... Love to you all.

Gina's family is slowly gathering here tonight. It's informal. Later, there will be cupcakes and singing.

Tammy picked Jannel up from the airport a few hours ago.

The musician and music teacher flew in from Vegas and a gig on The Strip - another concert for missing people.

* * *

The Rap family was always musical. The seven brothers and sisters grew up on gospel and hymns. Gina's guitar was like her fourth child. She even named it: Harley.

So it made sense to Jannel to use music to get the word out about her little sister when she disappeared.

She called them "Gina Concerts" that first helpless year. A way to keep her name and face in the public eye.

Later, she started 411Gina.org, a place to tell Gina's story and stories of other missing people who didn't have the ear of the media.

Then came her Squeaky Wheel tour, 19 days of concerts starting on the day Gina disappeared, Oct. 17, and ending on Nov. 4, her birthday.

The attention helped find dozens of missing people.

But not her sister.

* * *

From the beginning, police had considered the petite Lincoln woman a missing person under "extremely suspicious circumstances."

And even though they investigated hundreds of leads - from heroin overdose to Mexican mafia kidnapping - nothing ever came of any of them.

But one thing is certain: Gina's family never thought they'd be sitting here, now, with nothing.

"Nine seems harder," Tammy says. "It's so close to 10, and that's a decade. We've missed all of her 40s."

And she's missed theirs.

For the longest time, her family assumed Gina was dead. They knew she'd never leave her kids.

But then they hear about strange cases, women turning up in some sicko's backyard, years after disappearing.

So they keep showing up on nights like this.

"What if she were out there somewhere and we stopped looking," Jannel says.

"It's about honoring my sister."

They pull up memories while waiting for the stage to open.

The last time Jannel saw Gina, walking away.

"She was in one of her one word answer moods."

The way Tammy's little boy grew distant and cold after his Aunt Gina disappeared.

I'm trying not to love you so much, he told his mom, so I won't miss you as much if you're gone.

Grandma Pat remembers Gina on the sidewalk, her son's white baby blanket draped around her shoulders.

Her way of knowing God was close to her.

* * *

Two moms share a table near the stage where Jannel will perform.

They've come to support her. They know Gina's story.

Kelly Jolkowski's 19-year-old son vanished in Omaha a few months after Gina. Carolyn Pospisil's 15-year-old daughter turned up missing in Cedar Rapids that same year.

An unfortunate kinship.

"No one else knows what it's like," Kelly says.

"I know I can call Jannel and say, 'This is where I'm at,' and I don't have to explain," Carolyn stated.

Their children's fliers are on the table by the door.

Pick one up, Jannel tells people as they leave. Put it up somewhere.

"Someone might be found because you did."

* * *

Jannel sits down at the old piano near the stage.

Tammy will take her back to the airport tomorrow morning. Back to California, and her work, her kids, her life.

Things will become routine, as routine as they can get when a part of you is lost and you don't know where to find it.

Jannel runs her fingers over the keys. Pulls the microphone close.

"It's a special night because 50 years ago my sister Gina was born."

The table of knitters keep knitting. Cards are dealt. Laptops glow. But the big room settles, gets quiet.

Before she starts to sing, Jannel tells a story she's been telling for nine years.

How her sister played at an open mike night and then walked out with her guitar.

"And that's all we know."

[Jenn]

NamUs Profile for Gina: https://www.findthem...ng.org/cases/67

[Kelly]

Project Jason announces the featured missing persons in the August 2010 issue of the CDLJobs.com Online Magazine, which can be viewed at http://www.cdljobs.c...azine/AUG10.htm  This month's ad is on page 5. The site receives thousands of visitors per day.

Each month, CDLJobs.com publishes a full color ad in their popular online magazine which will feature 5-6 of Project Jason's missing person cases from across the country. The ad has clickable links which take the reader to additional information about the missing person, and a link to their printable poster.  Readers are encouraged to sign up for the AAN program and help with poster distribution. "You can be a Hero" is the theme of the joint venture.

Awareness Angels Network (AAN). AAN, begun by Project Jason in 2008, provides a way for the public to assist the families of missing persons. Missing persons posters designed specifically for the AAN program are disseminated via email to those enrolled in the program. Participants can then upload the posters to websites, print and place the posters in public areas, and forward them to their contacts. The program helps spread the word and increase the chances of finding the person.

In the August 2010 issue, the following missing persons were featured:


Regina Bos, Missing from Lincoln, NE, since October 17, 2000:
http://projectjason....php?topic=280.0

Michael "Mickey" Brougham, missing from Belchertown, MA, since 6/25/2010:
http://projectjason.....php?topic=9037

Mary Chafin, Missing from Macon, GA since 6/1/2010:
http://projectjason.....php?topic=8856

Eric Chapman, Missing from Plaistow, NH, since 7/2/2010:
http://projectjason.....php?topic=9140
Thankfully, Eric was found safe after press time.

Amy Davison, Missing from Waterford, MI, since 11/8/2009:
http://projectjason.....php?topic=9004
Amy's case was closed by the police as "voluntary missing", but she has not been found.

Richard Goodwin, Missing from Henderson, NV, since 10/23/2008:
http://projectjason.....php?topic=8719

Nita Mayo, Missing from Sonora Pass, CA, since 8/8/2005:
http://projectjason....php?topic=579.0


You can read more about this program at
http://projectjason.....php?topic=6319