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[Kelly]

George Zelaya and Joseph Harris are Project Jason's featured missing persons for January 2009. The image you see below, with links to their news and information threads, is on the main page of the Project Jason website. This is one means of awareness for their cases, and with a high average of daily hits to the site, we'll reach many with their stories.

If your missing loved one is not registered with us for services, please click here: http://www.projectja...org/report.html

La vocazione del passato. Tre indagini nella provincia emiliana

[Kelly]

[Kelly]

AAN Annual Poster Notify Sent to AAN Subscribers  Code 86

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://www.chronicle...210742071071006

Daughter continues search for missing father
Five years later family wants closure

By Shemir Wiles

Kathleen Howarth used to dream about hugging her father again.

But since his disappearance five years ago, the hope he’s living has faded.

“I really don’t believe he’s alive,” Kathleen said.

Today, she yearns to be able to bury her dad’s remains, but even then she admits many questions will continue to linger.

“We can get his body and bury it, but then what? How did he get this way? Why is he gone?” she asked. “There never will be closure.”

And for Kathleen, she said, that is the most troubling part.

— — —

George “Skip” Zelaya left his Homosassa home on South Sea Otter Path around 6 p.m. Jan. 13, 2005. The last person to see him was his ex-wife, Paula Zelaya, who lived with him.

Nothing seemed unusual, Paula told law enforcement, but for reasons unknown, George never returned home. Three days later, Paula called George’s brother, Joe Zelaya, to see if he had heard from his brother. Joe, who lived in Crystal River, said he hadn’t spoken to his brother, so Paula said she was calling the police.

Two days elapsed and Paula spotted George’s white, four-door Lincoln sedan sitting in the parking lot of the Publix Supermarket in Homosassa off U.S. 19. Nothing was found in his car except his wallet, which was missing everything but his Social Security card and photos, Kathleen said. His watch, keys and cell phone were found on a table in his house.

Hundreds of miles away, Kathleen and her husband were taking a break from the chaos of the Washington, D.C., area at a friend’s home in Montana. Usually, she said she would have been with her father at the time he went missing, but she decided to take her friend up on the gracious invite. Therefore, she called her father before the trip and promised him she would see him in May, but a week later she received a call from her little sister telling her that their father was missing and no one knew where he was.

Ever since, she’s been searching for any clues to her father’s disappearance. Actively joining missing persons organizations and submitting materials to DNA databases, she remains optimistic that something will materialize.

“I, myself, have been the power behind getting my dad’s story out,” she said. “I am hopeful.”

— — —

Kathleen resents anyone who could suggest her father intentionally disappeared and could be living a new life somewhere else.

A Jan. 25, 2005, entry in Joe’s journal, which he kept during his brother’s disappearance, read in part:

“Went to mailbox. Received a couple of envelopes from Skip. One contained his driver’s license and check card, the other envelope contained three checks to be deposited and a check to me for $2,000, along with a note that there should be $1,300 left after the check. Note states, verbatim: ‘After you cash this there should be about 1,300.00 left use the card pin …  or use the checks. Remember, you’re on the account too. Sorry. Skip.”

Paula also received an envelope, which Kathleen said contained an audio tape of recorded conversations Paula had with friends about vacations and dates she had gone on with other men.

Kathleen admitted she doesn’t know what to think of the packages, but believe they in no way suggest her father left deliberately.

“That’s just absurd,” she said. “I know my dad wouldn’t leave me or my siblings. I know he adores us all.”

Wholeheartedly, Kathleen said, she believes her father was murdered. Though she has considered the notion that he might have committed suicide, she quickly dismisses it.

“He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” she explained.

— — —

With today being the five-year anniversary of George’s disappearance, Kathleen reminisced about the times she would spend with her father.

“It’s been a very lonely five years,” Kathleen said.

Though she only spent about two to three weeks every year with her dad, she said at 41 years of age, she still is, undeniably, a daddy’s girl.

“I was just the proudest girl to be with my dad,” she beamed.

Even when he would tell the same story repeatedly, she said she didn’t care. She just loved spending quality time with him. It’s the one thing, she says, she misses the most.

Kathleen acknowledges her family is no closer to finding George today than they were the day he went missing, but she still prays for any type of lead that could guide her to her father.

In the meantime, she said, she and two of her sisters will go to church together today, have lunch and release some balloons while they console each other over a loss they can’t make sense of and wish never happened.

“We miss being with him,” Kathleen said. “Our father was our everything,”

ON THE WEB

— To learn more about George “Skip” Zelaya and his disappearance, visit http://www.findgeorgeskipzelaya.com.

[Denise Harrison]

George Zelaya is among the featured people for February in The Garden for the Missing/Project Jason advertising program within the 3D virtual world, Second Life. The posters are showcased at one of the highest traffic areas in the 3D virtual world, with 45,000 daily visitors from the U.S. and abroad.



These advertisements are purchased by The Garden for the Missing http://www.gardenforthemissing.org/. More information about our efforts in Second Life is available at http://www.projectja...condLife.shtml] http://www.projectja...econdLife.shtml

The advertisements for each person is displayed for two weeks, then another person’s poster appears. The posters are provided by Project Jason’s Awareness Angels Network -- [url=http://www.projectjason.org/awareness.html]http://www.projectja.../awareness.html    

[Jenn]

NamUs Profile for George: https://www.findthem....org/cases/1368

[Deborah]

Skip is still missing.

 

Investigative Agency: Citrus County Sheriff's Office
Phone: (352) 726-4488
Investigative Case #: 05010575

[Lori Davis]

http://www.chronicle...odYHX8.facebook

 

For some, found remains bring hope

Families of missing people await news about possible ID, but it could take time

By Buster Thompson

Friday, January 30, 2015 at 12:00 am (Updated: January 30, 9:09 am)

 

Monday night’s discovery of human remains inside a wooded area in Homosassa has many relatives of missing loved ones hoping for answers and conclusions.

 

“There’s been quite a few people tagging a lot” Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) spokeswoman Rachel Warner said about the CCSO’s Facebook site and the reaction of people to the discovery.

 

The skeletal remains were found un-buried about 150 yards inside the woods, in between South Mason Creek Road and South Garcia Road by someone originally looking for cinder blocks, Warner said.

 

Authorities on Tuesday confirmed the bones to be human remains.

 

The search area is being treated as a crime scene and sheriff’s forensic crews continue to sift through and scour the area, collecting remains and evidence in hopes of identifying the individual and determining the circumstances leading to the discovery.

 

The collection is expected to take a few days.

 

“That process takes a long time,” Warner said.

 

So far, no evidence of foul play has been uncovered. According to Tuesday’s CCSO news release, it’s still too early in the investigation to determine the gender, age and time of death.

 

However, that won’t keep Kathleen Howarth from praying that her father has finally been found more than 10 years after his disappearance.

 

“I feel that it’s a good chance,” she said about concluding the search for 61-year-old George Robert “Skip” Zelaya, her father who went missing on Jan. 13, 2005, in Homosassa.

 

Zelaya was last seen leaving his Homosassa home on South Sea Otter Path by his ex-wife Paula Zelaya, who lived with him.

 

Howarth, who lives in Maryland, believes there’s a good chance of the remains being those of her father because his home was not far from Monday’s discovery.

 

South Sea Otter Path is a little more than 1,500 feet to the northeast of the scene, according to Google Maps.

 

Howarth said in a 2012 Chronicle article that her father’s watch, keys and cellphone were left on a table at home. Zelaya’s white 1988 Lincoln sedan was found in the Homosassa Publix parking lot off of U.S. 19 by his ex-wife a couple days after his disappearance, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).

 

Inside his car was his wallet.

 

During the beginning of the search for her father, sheriff’s investigators indicated to Howarth her dad might have just walked away, Howarth said. But she said she cannot accept that her dad simply “walked away.”

 

“I don’t believe that for one second,” she said.

 

Howarth considers murder a strong possibility, but hasn’t ruled out suicide.

 

“If you committed suicide, you can’t hide your body,” she said. “We were pretty close and he never spoke of any problems  …   If it was suicide, I can accept that, but it would just be another heartbreak.”

 

Howarth and her younger sister submitted DNA swabs to a national DNA database at the University of North Texas that collaborates with NamUs to help local law enforcement agencies identify recovered remains.

 

“There’s a good possibility of a match,” said Todd Matthews, director of communications and case management with NamUs. “(Zelaya) has a very good profile, good dental detail and his DNA details are being searched. I don’t know how else to improve it, but just to wait.”

 

Sheriff’s investigators are currently looking through their missing persons’ cases for possible matches, but have not yet considered a match.

 

“Could it be a missing person? Sure,” Warner said. “We just don’t know.”

 

Once sheriff’s forensic crews have finished collecting from the scene, CCSO officials will possibly work with an outside agency to help identify the remains, Warner said.

 

If the remains are identified as those of her father, Howarth would be relieved, but believes she would never have full closure.

 

“It would mean a lot …   I would know that I could have him, properly bury him — and then from there, what happened?” she said. “But your heart doesn’t mend, it’s still broken.”

[Deborah]

Skip is still missing.

 

Investigative Agency: Citrus County Sheriff's Office
Phone: (352) 726-4488
Investigative Case #: 05010575

[Kelly]

http://www.chronicle...an-missing-2005
 

Remains matched to man missing since 2005

By Buster Thompson
Monday, February 22, 2016 at 10:03 pm

Police have found the final resting place of a missing Homosassa man, but have yet to discover why or how 61-year-old George “Skip” Zelaya met his end.

Authorities confirmed Monday that a set of skeletal remains found in January 2015 in a wooded area of Homosassa belong to Zelaya, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. Zelaya was reported missing to the sheriff’s office January 2005.

The sheriff’s and medical examiner’s offices are still continuing investigations into the cause and manner of Zelaya’s death.

“Although it’s a sad day for the Zelaya family, we are grateful we were at least able to provide them with an answer,” said Capt. Brad Smith of the Criminal Investigations Division. “I’m sure the uncertainty of not knowing where he was for the past 11 years has been traumatic to all of those who knew and loved him.”

Zelaya was last seen Jan. 13, 2005, by his ex-wife Paula Zelaya while leaving his home on South Sea Otter Path, according to previous Chronicle reports. The couple lived together at the residence.

A few days later, Paula Zelaya found her husband’s white, four-door Lincoln sedan parked at the Publix at 3942 S. U.S. 19 in Homosassa. Inside were Zelaya’s wallet, Social Security card and photos.

Zelaya’s watch, keys and cellphone were found on a table inside his house.

Zelaya’s brother, Joe, received numerous items belonging to Zelaya in the mail a few days later, including his driver’s license and a few checks for Joe Zelaya to cash, according to the release.

That would be the last contact anyone would have with George Zelaya.

Ten years later on Jan. 26, 2015, a person looking for cinder blocks uncovered unburied skeletal remains about 150 yards into the woods between South Mason Creek Road and South Garcia Road in Homosassa.

Sheriff’s office detectives sent the remains to the University of North Texas Human Science Center, which works with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database, or NamUs. UNT confirmed in a report Monday to the sheriff’s office the remains being Zelaya.

[Kelly]

http://www.chronicle...ily-missing-man

Grief replaces hope for family of missing man
The remains of George Zelaya were found after 11 years

By Buster Thompson
Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at 10:04 pm

Kathleen Howarth is comforted yet troubled now that she knows where her father is after an 11-year search.

“Considering that I’ve been praying for 11 years for God to tell me where my dad is, I’m relieved to know,” Howarth said. “And then at the same time I’m just thinking, my dad’s not missing anymore, I know he’s dead.”

It was about 5 p.m. Monday when Citrus County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cregg Dalton called Howarth to let her know a set of skeletal remains found in a wooded area in Homosassa was her 61-year-old father, George “Skip” Zelaya, Howarth said.

Dalton, now a road-patrol sergeant, was handed Zelaya’s case a couple years ago when he was a detective under the sheriff’s Major Crimes Division, he said.

He’s been working with Howarth, who lives in Maryland, ever since.

“I had to collect myself when I called her, when I knew her life will be forever changed with the information I was about to share with her,” Dalton said about wanting to tell Howard and her family. “How do you tell somebody we found their father?”

Paula Zelaya reported her ex-husband missing Jan. 13, 2005, to the sheriff’s office. She last saw him leaving their home off South Otter Path in Homosassa, according to previous reports.

Paula and George Zelaya were married for a year before getting a divorce. They continued to live together for 12 years in the same Homosassa home until George Zelaya went missing, said Paula Zelaya, who found out Tuesday about her ex-husband being found.

“We were just good friends,” she said. “And I loved him, I loved him so much.”

Since Zelaya’s disappearance, 48-year-old Howarth and relatives worked tirelessly, building a website and putting up notices to get the word out about their missing loved one, who they say loved his family more than anything else.

“He was very strict, but he was a lot of fun,” Howarth said about how her father would take his children on vacations. “Our parents weren’t getting along when I was younger, but he never left us.”

Howarth said she was frustrated about past search efforts for her father, who, detectives said, just “walked away.”

Dalton said he cannot speak for what happened then.

“I wasn’t around 11 years ago,” he said. “All I wanted to do was to find Skip Zelaya.”

With hopes any sign of their father could be traced back to them, Howarth and her younger sister, Susan Zelaya, sent in DNA samples to the University of North Texas, which collaborates with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUS.

It would not be until Jan. 26, 2015 — 10 years later — when a person stumbled on unburied human remains about 150 yards into the woods between South Mason Creek Road and South Garcia Road in Homosassa.

Zelaya’s home is a little more than 1,500 feet to the northeast of where the remains were found, according to Google Maps.

In its preliminary findings Jan. 28, the medical examiner’s office notified detectives the remains could belong to an older man. Those results were considered unofficial.

Sheriff’s detectives sent the remains to forensic anthropologists in Tampa and then to the University of North Texas Human Science Center for better identification with DNA, Dalton said.

Dalton said detectives needed to be sure they found Zelaya. He made sure stayed in touch with Howarth after she heard about the remains being found close to her father’s home.

“It obviously sparked some interest,” Dalton said. “We had to make sure without a doubt who that was, and we had to help Kathleen through that process.”

Howarth said she had a feeling it was her father.

“I got a good gut-feeling system, and I’m usually pretty right with my gut feelings,” she said.

After about 13 months of uncertainty, Howarth was right.

However, unanswered questions of how her father ended up in the woods and how he passed away still linger in her mind.

“You cry tears at first, but then you’re kind of still in shock,” she said. “I need to know how did get that way? How did he die? And I’m just hoping that it’s possible to get that answer.”

Investigators with the Major Crimes Division and medical examiner’s offices are still working to answer those questions, Dalton said.

Paula Zelaya said she believes her ex-husband took his life because he had health problems.

Howarth still knows the possibility of her father committing suicide, but the circumstances of how he disappeared does not point to that, she said.

“I just can’t wrap that around my head that yet,” she said.

A few days after reporting him missing, Paula Zelaya found her missing ex-husband's car parked at the Publix at 3942 S. U.S. 19 in Homosassa. Inside were his belongings, including his wallet and Social Security card.

Zelaya’s brother, Joe, also got numerous items belonging to Zelaya in the mail.

“That just doesn’t happen,” Howarth said about what may have preceded her father’s disappearance. “So hopefully there is some more investigating, but at this point, all these years I just wanted to know where he was.”

“They have peace and they can close that chapter in their life,” Dalton said. “But losing a family member can’t be easy.”

“We get involved in cases that sometimes that just reach out and grab you and you want to make sure you treat those people as your family, and she made it easy,” Dalton added about Kathleen.

Howarth has been contacting family members to let them know of Monday’s news, including her father’s remaining living sibling, Maria Papanicolas.

“She’s very grateful that she finally knows,” Howarth said.

Howarth said her father had five children: Michael R. Zelaya, Jennifer A. Zelaya, Elizabeth A. Zelaya (deceased), Susan Zelaya and herself.

“He loved us kids more than anything,” Howarth added.

Paula Zelaya said even though she and the rest of Zelaya’s family lost touch, she’s still relieved to have closure herself.

“It’s been a long 11 years,” she said.

Howarth said now she wants to get her father’s body for a proper burial and meet Dalton in person.

She also wants to meet and thank the unknown man who found her father’s body in the woods.