137 replies to this topic

[Denise]

Molly Dattilo



Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green
Height: 5 ft
Weight: About 100 lbs
Age at time of disappearance: 23
Right arm has birthmark, Left thumb is injured
Native of Madison, IN
EKU student taking classes at IUPUI, Indianapolis

Last Seen:
Evening of Thursday, July 6, 2004 around Westlake Apartments in Indianapolis.
 
Police traced a phone call she made from a pay phone late that evening at Thorton's gas station on Crawfordsville Road in Speedway, Indiana, a suburb on Indianapolis.


If you saw Molly July 6th or after, or you know something about her disappearance please contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police at (317) 262-TIPS

Check updates at: www.DattiloFamily.ORG

Print a Poster: http://www.projectja...ollyDattilo.pdf

[Denise]

http://www.courier-journal.com/local...0801-3641.html

Family, friends push search for EKU student
23-year-old was in Indianapolis

http://t0.gstatic.co...sOw2yOZxFfXhcCA

INDIANAPOLIS - Friends and relatives of a missing student have stepped up their efforts to find her, organizing a search of a field near her home and putting up fliers throughout the city.

Missing is Eastern Kentucky University student Molly Dattilo, 23, a Madison, Ind., native who had been attending summer classes at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She was last seen the evening of July 6 as she headed to a fast-food restaurant to apply for a job.

Police divers searched a pond yesterday but did not find anything that could reveal what happened to Dattilo, Indianapolis television stations reported.

Detective Mark Henninger of the Marion County Sheriff's Department said investigators have no leads or any evidence of foul play.

But some local residents are certain something is wrong.

"We feel we need to show the sheriff's (department) that we're serious and committed and that the family is convinced there is foul play," said John Cooke, a cousin. "We're grasping at straws, trying anything we can."

One group gathered yesterday morning at a wooded area near Dattilo's apartment on the west side of Indianapolis.

Organized by Dattilo's sister, Celestra Dattilo Hoffman, the group spent the afternoon looking for clues to Dattilo's whereabouts and trying to get the word out about her disappearance.

Dattilo is "not the type of person to just run off," said Vince Roberts, a family friend. "We feel like we're losing time."

Dattilo's brother, Nick, and friend, Ron Smith, have been distributing hundreds of fliers with two photographs of her.

Dattilo, 23, is an honor roll student at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. She is also an accomplished track athlete and a singer, hoping for a tryout on a show such as "American Idol," Celestra Hoffman said.

Dattilo is described as 5 feet tall and weighing about 100 pounds. She has light brown hair and green eyes and a dime-sized birthmark on one of her arms.

She disappeared with only the clothes she was wearing and the keys to her apartment, family members said.

"When she first disappeared, we had nothing to go on," Nick Dattilo told The Indianapolis Star.

They do not have much more at this point, because authorities have received few leads, none of which have lead to any breakthroughs.

"The basic thing that I feel is that she did not leave on her own free will," Nick Dattilo said.

[Denise]

http://t3.gstatic.co...CZhGl2pfkdw3Jkg

www.easternprogress.com/n...5264.shtml
Student still missing from Indiana area

By Adam Baker/Editor
Published: Thursday, August 26, 2004

Classes began yesterday without Molly Dattilo.

The 23-year-old Eastern student and track/cross country athlete has been missing since July 6. Dattilo disappeared from Indianapolis where she was taking summer classes and staying with her brother.

Dattilo remains registered for the fall, according to Eastern's Division of Public Relations and Marketing. Eastern's head track/cross country coach, Rick Erdmann said Dattilo ran for three years on the team until her eligibility ran up last year. Dattilo, Erdmann said, needed another semester of classes at Eastern to graduate.

Next Tuesday will mean Dattilo has been missing for nine weeks.

"The longer it goes the scarier it is," Erdmann said. "Most of the girls on the women's cross country team ... are very concerned about Molly. They have expressed that to me and a number of people."

Erdmann added detectives investigating the case have contacted him and members of the track/cross country team. Dattilo's sister, Celestra Dattilo Hoffman, said on Tuesday, the last thing Dattilo did before she disappeared was pick up a job application from Wendy's.

"That day, we know all she had was her keys to her apartment and the clothes she was wearing," Hoffman said. "She left behind her car, her ID and her money card. We do know she still has a substantial amount of money in her account, and it has not been accessed since she disappeared."

Hoffman added Dattilo left her cell phone behind as well.

"If anyone knows Molly, she has to be on the phone all the time," she said. "That's why we're really concerned no one has heard from her."

Hoffman said she is also worried about her sister because of her great love for people. "She never meets a stranger," she said. "She will talk to anyone ... it doesn't matter who you are."

Dattilo also had receipts of things she had bought the day she went missing that were still in her car, Hoffman said.

"The point is everything that she did that day points to the conclusion that she was planning on sticking around," she said. "That's why we know there was some type of foul play involved."

[Denise]

Where is Molly Dattilo?
Family frustrated with fruitless search

Glenn Guimond

The morning of Saturday, Aug. 7 is cool and cloudless. The kind you wait for all summer. A day made for spending time outside at the park. But Molly Dattilo’s family and friends don’t have that luxury. They’re meeting today on the second floor of the Wayne Township Fire Department on the city’s west side to go over maps, to decide on the best approach for today’s search. Molly Dattilo has been missing for more than a month.

If you have any information about Molly, contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Department at 231-8576. We searched last week and didn’t find anything. We thought the dogs we had brought in had found something at a lake but the divers didn’t find anything,” says a private investigator working on Molly’s case who asked to not be identified. “Rain will have washed things away too. I’m not saying that anything can’t happen, but it’s been a month.”

Molly, 23, was last seen on July 6. Weighing about 100 pounds and standing 5-feet tall with shoulder-length, sandy-brown hair and green eyes, she runs cross-country for Eastern Kentucky University. Molly, who grew up in Madison, was taking summer classes at IUPUI before she disappeared. She’s the youngest of nine children.

By 9 a.m. the room at the fire station is beginning to fill. Fifty people have come from as far away as Utah to help with the search. Kevin Skidmore, Molly’s brother-in-law, starts by thanking everyone for coming. “We believe there was foul play involved with Molly’s disappearance,” he says. “Everything points to the fact that something happened.”

Skidmore explains that reliable witnesses may have spotted Molly in Terre Haute. She was seen wearing a white t-shirt, jeans and a baseball hat. “She looked scared and thin. She looked as if she was in distress,” he says and asks for volunteers to drive down I-70 and put up flyers in rest stops.

Everyone breaks into groups. Some go to the interstate but the majority will stay behind to finish searching Westlake apartments, where she was staying with her brother, Nick. “There are still some doors that haven’t been knocked on,” says Molly’s cousin, Amy Dattilo, “We need to find out if someone that we haven’t talked to saw anything that day.”

The day she vanished
On Tuesday July 6, an early morning storm washed away the heat. The day was cool and gray. Molly attended all of her classes at IUPUI. Afterward, she picked up a present for a friend’s birthday and drove to her brother Nick’s Westside apartment.

Molly’s father had told her she needed to find a summer job or he would have to take her car away from her. So she decided to walk to the local Wendy’s to apply for a job. Before she left the apartment building, she ran into her brother’s best friend, Ron Smith.

Smith spoke to her as she left, making sure that she had her cell phone with her just in case. Later that night, her cell phone would turn up in Nick’s apartment, along with Molly’s ID and debit card.

But Nick wasn’t worried when Molly didn’t come home that night. “She’s 23 after all,” he says, “old enough to do what she wants. She’d gone on extended visits with people in the past.” But by Thursday he was starting to get worried. Ron talked Nick into calling the police. “When (the police) came they didn’t go through the house, they only took a report,” Nick says.

According to Lt. Taylor, of the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, there was and is no reason to suspect any foul play. “Anything is possible,” Taylor says. “But, as far as we’re concerned, Molly is a missing person. There is no evidence to suggest that she was abducted. But there is enough there to make a guess that something happened.” That’s why Molly is now listed as missing and endangered on the NCIC computer.

A frustrating search
The search on Saturday doesn’t include dogs and is broken down into three teams: Orange, yellow and pink. They all have different areas to cover. “Knock on every door,” says cousin Celeste Hoffman. “If no one answers roll up a flyer and leave it at the door.” Team leaders are picked and the teams make their way downstairs to their cars. Boy Scout leader Jim Gregory and his sons, Alex and Chris, are among them. “I received an email from the district executive,” Gregory says. “We decided to come out and help any way we can.”

Walking through the apartment complex you see kids playing on swing sets, people down by the retention ponds fishing and others laying out at one of the pools. It’s not the kind of place you expect to be looking for a missing girl. “We want everyone to know that we’re still taking this seriously,” Amy Dattilo says.

“And since the police don’t think Molly was abducted they won’t help with the search. Even though Lt. Taylor did show up today he isn’t going to help.”

People begin canvassing the complex. Talking to the residents. Leaving flyers where no one is home. And finding blood where there is none.

At about 11:15 a.m. searcher Anita Bunch calls Lt. Taylor and Westlake security to let them know that she may have found blood on an apartment wall. The spot is about the size of a tennis ball. About 10 minutes later, courtesy officer Frankie Medvescek shows up. “You’ve all got to leave,” he says, “I talked to the man in charge of this search and advised him that you can’t be here today. He was told last week not to come back today.”

“I’m not leaving,” Bunch says. “You can’t make us leave.”

“I can and will. Please leave the apartment complex. I’ve spoken to Lt. Taylor and he said that this search was in no way authorized by the police. If it had been and he escorted you, well, then you could stay,” Medvescek says. “But, until you get the permission of management, I can’t have you wandering around here.”

The exchange continues to escalate until Anita and the other searchers get into their cars and leave the complex. “I hope that they understand. I think something happened to that girl but she wasn’t a resident here. She was only visiting with her brother. If she was a resident I’d have all of the ponds searched and dragged. But now all they’re doing is scaring our residents,” Medvescek says, adding that the stain the searchers thought was blood was actually paint. “We’ve had complaints about them for the past two weeks.

Besides I heard from the cops that the last place she was seen wasn’t anywhere near Westlake. I heard that she was at a bar singing karaoke late that night.”

Lt. Taylor can’t confirm that. “I hadn’t heard about her singing karaoke that night. I know it’s something she enjoyed doing but I’m not sure if she was singing on July 6,” he says.

Where did she go?
Whatever happened, Molly’s family doesn’t believe she’s just taken off. “Molly is a straight A student who is gregarious, friendly, loving, and trusting. She loves to sing and run. She had plans for later that month,” Amy Dattilo says. “Who makes plans and then disappears on their own?”

Her family is afraid that her outgoing personality is what may have led to her disappearance. According to the website set up by her brother, Ben, (www.geocities.com/bfdattilo):”Despite her academic and athletic achievements, she lacks appropriate caution and is emotionally child-like. She frequently initiates contact with strangers, choosing particularly those she perceives as disadvantaged, and she readily shares personal information. She does not consider the danger that people may pose to her.”

If you have any information about Molly contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Department at 231-8576.

www.nuvo.net/archive/2004...ttilo.html

[Denise]

Family works to ensure missing woman isn't forgotten

September 7, 2004

The e-mails started trickling in a few weeks ago from twenty-somethings. They were speaking, uncharacteristically, with one voice.

Why, they asked, didn't The Star devote more inches to 23-year-old Molly Dattilo? Why didn't the case of the pretty, petite athlete/scholar, who seemingly vanished into the night July 6 on the Westside, generate big-time publicity?

And, cutting to the chase: Why do some missing young women -- Laci Peterson, Elizabeth Smart and Lori Hacking were cited -- become huge national stories, whereas others at best receive sporadic local attention? (The Star has published three stories about Molly.)

Good questions -- ones the Dattilo family has asked and agonized over. Sorry to report, but they've had to get answers the hard way. And it's been a process of pain.

They are, however, eager to share. They will do all they can to focus attention on Molly, who was living here this summer with her older brother Nick Dattilo, a statistician for the state. She was taking classes at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis before returning to Eastern Kentucky University, where she was a star both academically and athletically.

Now, this talented young woman, described as a trusting small-town girl from a Mormon family in Madison, Ind., is simply, at one level, a statistic. "The Marion County Sheriff's Department told us they have 3,500 missing person cases a year," explains Molly's cousin, Amy Dattilo of Indianapolis.

What the family has learned, to their chagrin, is that, "If you are over 18 and there is nothing to show where you were last seen, not a shoe or anything to trace, they are not going to do anything," says Amy Dattilo. "Unless," she adds, "you have friends and families to push it."

Molly Dattilo is in that category. From the very first, her parents, eight siblings, extended family and friends have kept the heat on -- and as a result, the Marion County Sheriff's Department has started to bear down on the case in the past three weeks, they say.

In the meantime, the family has done their own legwork. They've hired private investigators, placed fliers from Indianapolis to the West Coast, canvassed truck stops and conducted searches at the Westside apartment complex where Molly lived and at two nearby ponds.

Within the past week, they managed to get Molly's story on the America's Most Wanted Web site. On Monday, cable's Fox News Channel interviewed Amy Dattilo and Molly's older sister, Celestra Dattilo Hoffman of Madison, in a live broadcast.

Still, cousin Tom Dattilo, a criminal-defense attorney in Madison, admits to being frustrated -- especially, he says, because he's seen fliers seeking information about another Westside woman -- Alyson M. Gee, 18 -- who apparently disappeared the same day as Molly.

Marion County Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Phil Burton said the department is aware of Gee's disappearance.

If so, asks Tom Dattilo, why was there no coordination?

Burton said the Sheriff's Department treats all missing person cases equally.

"We don't put a marker on which child is more important," he said. "To the family, that is their missing child, whether it is a 3 year-old or a 23-year-old."

The Dattilos want to believe that. They also want to believe they will find Molly.
http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/176786-6775-009.html

[Denise]

Candlelight Vigil Held For Missing Student From Madison

MADISON, Ind., September 15th, 2004,

It has been more than two months since a 23-year-old woman disappeared. On Tuesday her friends and family gathered in Molly Dattilo's hometown of Madison, Indiana for a candlelight vigil as the police investigation into what happened to her finally gets started. WAVE 3 Investigator Eric Flack was there.

More than eight weeks have passed since Celestra Hoffman last saw her sister Molly, but she hasn't given up hope. ""We want her to know we aren't going to give up until we bring her home."

Tuesday evening, family and friends gathered at Lamplighter Park in Madison to remember Molly. "Green is Molly's favorite color," recalls Molly's high school mentor, Karen Modisett.

They were also there to remind her family they are not alone. "I think families often feel isolated. They're doing all this effort, they're trying so hard. And they don't see that other people in the community are wishing and hoping as hard as they are," Modisett says.

Molly vanished July 6th. She was last seen walking near the apartment she was sharing with her brother in Indianapolis. Immediately, her family suspected an abduction.

However, Hoffman says authorities weren't so sure. "Actually, the Marion County Sheriff's Department continued to tell me that it's not a crime to be a missing person, and since they didn't have evidence of foul play, it was hard to get them to help."

So the family started its own search, creating a website and posting fliers from Indianapolis to Washington State. They asked everyone who showed up at the candlelight vigil to put some up, too.

"We know our sister, we know our daughter, we know our friend, and we know she had too much going for her to just disappear," says Hoffman.

Hoffman says anyone who thinks otherwise just doesn't know Molly.

The family attorney tells WAVE 3 News that after months of complaints and criticism, the Madison County Sheriffs department has assigned a new detective to the case.

And for the first time, the family says it has confidence that investigators in Indianapolis are actively searching for Molly. They just hope it's not too late.

Molly Dattilo is 5-feet-tall and weighs about 100 pounds. She has light brown hair, green eyes and a dime-sized birthmark on one of her arms and is an avid runner.

If you have seen her or think you may have any information concerning her whereabouts, please call the Marion County Sheriff's Department in Indianapolis at 317-231-8154.
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.as...0&nav=0RZFQvvX

[Denise]

www.indystar.com/

Missing woman's family seeks answers -- and changes


October 7, 2004


Molly Dattilo has been mentioned nationally on Fox News six times in the past 13 weeks.

Last Friday, her name came up during CNN's "Larry King Live" when John Walsh was the guest. On Saturday, she was featured on Walsh's show, "America's Most Wanted."

Her photos -- she is a pretty, fresh-faced 23-year-old, a champion runner, slender and petite -- have been placed on 43 billboards around the state, including one on the Westside, not far from the apartment where she lived last summer with her brother.

Next Thursday, a run/walk at Eastern Kentucky University will honor her. She would have been a senior this fall.

Despite this massive, almost unrelenting publicity effort, Molly Dattilo remains lost. The Madison native was last seen on the city's Westside. She was walking to Wendy's to apply for work. And then she was gone.

"It is like Molly was put into a vaporizer," says Capt. Chris Heffner, in charge of the sexual and physical assault and missing persons division of the Marion County Sheriff's Department. Two detectives, he says, are assigned full time to the case.

As painful and frustrating as this has been for her family, it has opened their eyes to a shadow world. In Marion County alone, there are 3,500 missing person/runaway cases every year, says Heffner.

Some, he says, drop off the map only to resurface six months or a year later -- although he has no indication that is the case with Molly Dattilo.

Now the Dattilos and other Hoosier advocates for missing persons want more than billboards and TV mentions. They want statewide emphasis, a swifter police response when an adult is reported missing and better coordination with federal agencies to get accurate numbers of missing Hoosiers.

Amy Dattilo, Molly's cousin, says one concern is that police did not use dogs to track her. Instead, a nonprofit group later offered its dog-tracking services. Also, she says, unlike many other states, Indiana does not have a state co-coordinator for missing adults.

She has learned this the hard way. One of her educators has been Darlene Pitts, who showed up to help when the Dattilos held an early search. Pitts' sister, Lola Katherine Fry, has been missing since Nov. 14, 1993.

Pitts will speak on the issue Thursday at St. Luke's United Methodist Church. On Oct. 25, she plans a golf outing at Valle Vista Golf Course to raise money to hire a private investigator for her sister's case.

Pitts has pressed her case with representatives of Democrat Gov. Joe Kernan and Republican Mitch Daniels, both running for governor. Amy Dattilo also met with U.S. Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., whose chief of staff helped to get Molly featured on Fox's "America's Most Wanted."

But Keri Dattilo, a family member and a Fox editor in California, says she tried to get the case on the show just four weeks after Molly vanished. "At the time, the police told the show they did not have enough evidence to consider it a high priority."

Family member Tom Dattilo is an attorney in Louisville, Ky.

"The kids are doing a magnificent job," he said of getting the word out -- but he is less pleased with police. He said they are sincere, but he wonders if they are always competent.

Heffner says he sympathizes with the family. If it was his daughter, he would do exactly what they are doing.

[Denise]

Molly Run/Walk
Students Gather To Help Find Missing Student

October 14 2004

An effort Thursday afternoon on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University to raise awareness of a missing EKU student. Friends and family of Molly Datillo held a run/walk in the 23 year old student's honor.

Datillo disappeared in July while attending summer classes in Indianapolis. She was supposed to return to Richmond to begin her senior year at EKU this fall but never showed up. Datillo was a member of the EKU track team, one of the reasons the family held Thursday's run/walk in her honor.
http://www.wkyt.com/Global/story.asp?S=2432337

[Denise]

www.wave3.com/

Family Of Missing EKU Student Hopes For Closure By Christmas

By James Zambroski

(MADISON, Ind., November 30th, 2004) -- Molly Dattilo, an Eastern Kentucky University student with ties to Louisville, disappeared last summer. Her friends and family have always suspected foul play, and police now agree she was most likely abducted. WAVE 3's James Zambroski reports.

The investigation into the disappearance of Molly Dattilo, who vanished without a trace from outside her Indianapolis apartment on July 6th, now centers in Morgan County, Indiana, a rural community about an hour south of Indianapolis.

Police have asked local residents to look for evidence, including "anything suspicious, such as clothes or shoes, especially in rural cornfield areas."

Dattilo's family has always suspected their loved one is the victim of foul play. Now, after months of waiting and worrying, a new investigator -- Morgan County Sheriff's Detective Sergeant Volitta Fritsche -- has given them hope that they'll learn Molly's fate.

"I was thrilled to hear that it was being taken seriously and that she felt foul play had occurred, so yes, that was a triumph in my eyes," said Molly's sister, Kendra Skidmore.

Tom Dattilo, Molly's cousin, who is also a criminal attorney in Madison, Indiana, has conducted his own investigation into Molly's disappearance. "If Morgan County's involved and it's a small town investigator, we hope she does a good job," he said. "We believe she has an interest and if they have interest, maybe they can do a real good job."

Dattilo said alerting farmers may help find key evidence, including Molly's remains.

"Possibly Molly is there," Dattilo said, asking that farmers "be aware that when they're doing their plowing, etc., they check for the possibility of finding her."

The family wants locals to look for a shallow grave, he said.

Molly was on her way to fill out a job application at a fast food restaurant on the day she disappeared. Her family has scoured the nation looking for her ever since. Now it may come down to a few feet of freshly plowed ground.

"Morgan County is a real possibility for that to have occurred," Tom Dattilo said. "We need closure for these kids."

The family hopes that closure comes as soon as Christmas, so that Molly can finally be brought back home, one way or another.

"If she's gone, we want to find her," Dattilo said.

www.lex18.com

Police Say Disappearance Of EKU Student May Have Been An Abduction

The search continues for an Eastern Kentucky University student reported missing in July. Police now believe she may have been abducted.

Molly Dattilo, 23, turned up missing while attending summer-school classes in Indianapolis. Police are now asking residents south of that area, in Morgan County, to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, such as clothes or shoes, especially if they're found in a rural cornfield.

Datillo is a member of the EKU track team.

Dattilo's sister, Kendra Skidmore, told LEX 18 Monday that the family has believed all along that Dattillo was kidnapped.

"A couple of months ago there was a new investigator put on the case," said Skidmore. "And when I talked to this person I was thrilled to hear that it was being taken seriously, and that she felt foul play had occurred. So, yes, that was a triumph in my eyes."

The family is not saying who they think may have abducted Datillo, but early in the investigation they asked police to check-out her boyfriend, who was later cleared of any wrong doing.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Molly Dattilo, please call Marion County detective Catherine Byron. The number is (317) 231-8150.

[Denise]

On July 6, 2004, Molly Dattilo went shopping and bought supplies for her hobbies and for school. She dropped one of the three classes she was taking that semester and picked up a job application. Also on July 6th, 2004, Molly Dattilo disappeared. Her cell phone, her ATM card, her identification and her car were all left at her apartment. There is no evidence that Molly packed any clothes or belongings. Molly has not been seen or heard from since about 7:30 pm that evening.

Below is an interview that includes words from both Molly's mother and her sister, Kendra. Most of the responses were given by Molly's mother. Other responses (which will be specified) were given by Kendra.

I would like to thank both Kendra and her mother for doing this for Molly. I know this was very difficult for the both of them!



Q. So that our readers might come to know Molly a bit more, can you tell us about the kind of person she is?
Molly is a diligent and ambitious person who places a lot of emphasis on fulfilling her dreams musically and academically. She is also friendly, kind and compassionate and would often go out of her way to help others. For example, she would congratulate and make friends with members of opposing teams in high school years of running. At EKU she would help others out even financially at times even though she had limited funds herself.

Q. Molly was attending summer school at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis before beginning her forth year at Eastern Kentucky University (Molly attended Wichita State University her first year of college). What were her plans for after college?
Although Molly had not made her final career choice at the time of her disappearance, she spoke about going into environmental science. At one point she wanted to go into forensic medicine but she was concerned it might have so many demands on her time that she wouldn't have time for her music.

Q. Molly is a very pretty young woman. Did she date or have a boyfriend?
Yes, she had been dating someone.

Q. It has been reported that Molly has excelled in track and in academics. Did those things come easy to her or did she have to constantly work to maintain that level of success?
Molly did have natural talent when it came to running because her body seemed naturally adapted for it however, she did have to work to maintain or increase speed. She was the fastest during her sophomore year in high school and the years before her senior year when she trained the hardest. Things did seem to come easy for Molly academically although I know she still did study. She got A's in the most challenging classes and helped other students with their classes.

Q. Is it possible that Molly put so much pressure on herself to be a high achiever that at some point she just had to walk away?
No, she has always had high expectations for herself and she always accomplished the things that she said she was going to do. She always completed her goals.
The weekend of the 4th of July before she disappeared, Molly visited her sister Celestra and told her of her plans to try out for American Idol in August and that she had to get a job to pay for the car that her father got for her so she would have transportation to the try outs. All the things that happened the day she disappeared show she had every intention of staying to prepare herself for her goal-to try out for the American Idol audition.
Molly attended her IUPUI music (voice, etc) classes the morning of July 6th. The last time she was seen on the 6th was at about 7:30 pm. She was leaving to pick up an application to get a summer job to keep the car.
Additionally, on July 6th, Molly dropped one of three IUPUI classes that she was taking because it was the last day to drop classes and still get her money back. Why wouldn't she drop them all if she was going to leave? If she was going to leave of her own free will, she would have taken her things. She did not even have a change of clothes, purse or ID.

Q. Did your sister have other hobbies or did she put all of her time and energy into school and her running?
As mentioned before, she liked to sing and spent time with friends singing karaoke. Her IUPUI classes were music classes. One of them was voice class and the other was a guitar class.

Q. You come from a large family. How has Molly's disappearance affected your parents and siblings?
Molly's father is sometimes angry but mostly sad. I am more angry right now.
(Kendra's comment)
My brothers and sisters all handle Molly's disappearance in different ways. Some of my siblings are in denial. They do not want to face the possibility that Molly may no longer be alive. Others try not to think about it, but cannot escape the reality. They suffer from nightmares. I think all of us have feelings of regret and loss. Some of us have a hard time functioning at times.

Q. Were you aware of the huge number of missing children and adults before Molly went missing?
I was aware that there are a lot of missing children but not adults.
(Comment by Kendra, Molly's sister)
When Molly first came up missing, I looked at the missingadults.org web site and was overwhelmed by all the faces. I knew I understood exactly how these families of these missing people felt. (My mom does not have access to internet.)

Q. Do you have any thoughts on why some cases of missing young adults get so much more attention than others?
(Comment by Kendra)
Unfortunately, the families with the most money and influence get the most support and attention from the media, etc. Our family asked a prominent individual (the uncle of a missing person) from a well known missing persons case for help with connections for media coverage for Molly's case. After interviewing family members, this prominent individual didn't feel Molly met the "Status Criteria" for him to assist with media. It was disheartening to know she was being judged this way. Fortunately, thanks to the persistance of Amy and Keri Dattilo, our cousins, we were still able to get Molly national attention.
Also, I think those people or cases that get the most attention are those that have direct evidence such as a bloody knife or continually have something exciting to report to keep the story going. There is no evidence like that to keep my sisters story going. She is just gone. While there have been tips, nothing substancial has come about yet.

Q. Has your family been approached by any "organizations" that are unethical, in that they ask for money or ask to be the "official" spokesperson for your family?
No

Q. Do you have any theories as to what happened or where Molly might be?
We believe that someone took advantage of Molly's friendly, trusting nature and somehow lured her away and took her. Of course, we have no idea what actually happened. All we know is that Molly has not contacted anyone in the family since her disappearance and that whatever has happened to her could not be good. Molly was very close to me and would typically call me two to three times a week and would also call other family members frequently. We miss her terribly and hope that she will be found.

Q. Child Seek was formed to help lend support to families with missing loved ones and to help them keep the face and story of that loved one in the public eyes. Do you think that organizations such as ours really do help you feel like you are not alone?
(Kendra's comment)
I think that organizations such as yours are incredible resources for cases such as Molly's and our family is extremely greatly for your love, concern, and support for Molly. Viewing the various missing person web sites, I do feel less alone.

[Denise]

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.as...9&nav=ORZFVURv

Searching For Molly: Connie Leonard Reports

Missing Student's Family Refuses To Give Up Search, Hope

By Connie Leonard

(MADISON, Ind., January 22nd, 2005) -- Many young women are unsuspecting targets of predators. The family of Molly Dattilo, a 23-year-old college student missing since last summer, still believes that's what happend to her. Now they're taking every step possible to keep her story in the news. WAVE 3 Investigator Connie Leonard has the latest.

In their latest attempt to find Molly, her family created and paid for a billboard along Interstate 65 near Seymour. Another board was purchased near Indianapolis, where Molly was attending summer classes at IUPUI. She was last seen July 6th, walking outside her brother's apartment.

Like many people who report adult loved ones missing, the family felt assaulted with this question: did she simply decide to leave of her own free will or run off with someone else?

Molly's cousin, Tom Dattilo, says such questions frustrated the family because they felt police were wasting precious time. "She always checked in, she always checked with her friends."

Molly's family believes with certainty that she was taken by force. "She's absolutely been abducted and Marion County needs to know that," Tom said.

And the recent news of the abduction and murder of 19-year-old Megan Holden in Tyler, Texas only strengthens their belief that Molly may have suffered the same fate. Video from security cameras show Holden being forced into her car in the parking lot of Wal-Mart as she was leaving work. Her body was later found on a Texas roadside.

Even though it has been six months since Molly disappeared, Tom Dattilo says her family will continue to keep her picture in the media, hoping that one day the truth with be revealed.

"The kids are continuing to hope," Tom said. "As to the finality of it, I can't speak, but they need closure of some sort. The kids are continuing to do everything they can to find peace for the family."

Family members say a new detective with the Morgan County Sheriff's office has told them she also believes foul play is involved in Molly's disappearance. Anyone with information about Molly is asked to call 765-342-1080.

[Denise]

Running for Molly Dattilo

A benefit run for Molly Dattilo, the young Madison woman who has been missing since last July, is scheduled for April 16, with a number of downtown streets to be closed for two to three hours for the event, the board decided.

Keri Dattilo, a cousin of Molly Dattilo, told the board that there will be both a five-mile run and a five-kilometer run. The route will be from Vaughn Drive east to St. Michael's Avenue, up St. Michael's to Second Street, down Second to Vernon Street, then return.

Keri Dattilo said the run probably will last from 8 to 11 a.m.
www.madisoncourier.com/

[Denise]

www.madisoncourier.com

Dattilo reward offer brings in new leads

3/16/2005 3:00:00 PM

By: Wayne Engle
Courier Staff Writer

The tip lines and reward offered for the safe return of Molly Dattilo, or for information leading to her location, are bringing some progress in the search for the young Madison woman, one of her brothers-in-law said today.

“We’ve gotten some pretty credible leads,” said Dan Hoffman, whose wife, Celestra, is one of Molly’s sisters. “Several police agencies are checking on those tips. But at this time I don’t know what the results of those checks are.”

Molly Dattilo, a Madison native who grew up here, has been missing since July 6, 2004, when she was last seen outside an Indianapolis apartment she shared with her older brother, Nick. Since then intensive searches, the circulation of fliers, TV appearances by family members, and other methods have failed to turn up any credible information that has been made public about her whereabouts.

The Dattilo family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Dattilo’s safe return, or to her location. A deadline for tips is midnight Saturday.

The Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons will share those and all subsequent tips with police investigating Dattilo’s disappearance, Celestra Hoffman said in an earlier interview.

The CUE Center’s tip line numbers are (910) 343-1131 and (910) 232-1687. Callers can remain anonymous.

[Denise]

http://www.fox41.com
Family of Missing Indiana Girl Denies Reports That She's Been Found

The family of a missing Indiana college student is denying a rumor that she has been found alive.

The family of 23-year-old Molly Dattilo says someone pretending to be a family member was spreading the rumor in their southern Indiana hometown of Madison.

Dattilo was last seen in July 2004 walking to an Indianapolis fast-food restaurant to apply for a job.

The family has conducted several searches and has offered a 10-thousand dollar reward for her safe return.

Dattilo's sister says police called her yesterday asking about the rumor, and she told them it was not true.

[Denise]

http://www.wave3.com


$100,000 Reward Offered In Case Of Missing College Student
March 29, 2005, 01:47 PM CST Email to a

(MADISON, Ind.) -- An anonymous donor is offering a $100,000 reward for the return of a missing college student and the arrest and conviction of those involved in her disappearance.

The Molly Dattilo Reward Fund was established to coordinate the payment of any reward, Fifth Third Bank officials said Tuesday. The reward will be offered for one year.

Molly Dattilo, 23, of Madison, was last seen the evening of July 6, 2004, walking to an Indianapolis fast-food restaurant to apply for a job. Since then, her family has conducted several searches.

Dattilo, an Eastern Kentucky University student who had been attending summer classes at IUPUI, was last seen near an apartment she shared with her brother on the west side of Indianapolis. Although there have been reports of possible sightings since then, none has been confirmed as being the missing woman.

Police have said there was no evidence of foul play.

Dattilo's sister, Celestra Dattilo Hoffman, said she did not know who the anonymous donor was.

"You don't believe anyone could be that wonderful," she said. "It kind of restores your hope in people."

[Denise]

http://www.amw.com

Student Athlete Disappears

Molly had a running scholarahip at Eastern Kentucky University23-year-old Molly Dattilo is a straight A student at Eastern Kentucky University where she has a track scholarship. This summer she was living with her brother in Indianapolis and taking summer classes at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis.

July 6th, 2004 started off as a normal day for Molly. She attended two classes; she ran some errands; she talked to friends. Then around 7:30 that night she told her brother she was walking to a nearby Wendy's Restaurant to fill out an application. She hasn't been seen since.


Molly was actively working toward an August audition for American Idol.

Family Suspects Foul Play

Marion County Sheriff's Department officials say they can't find any evidence of foul play and they have no leads to follow. But Molly's family is certain that she did not leave of her own accord. In the apartment she shared with her brother Molly left behind her cell phone, her identification and her ATM card. Her clothes were also left behind and there is no evidence that she packed a bag. They point out that Molly was actively working toward an August audition for American Idol. Since her disappearance, she hasn't contacted her voice coach and she left practice equipment inside her car.

Just before her disappearance, police say she picked up a job application from a local Wendy's restaurant. Her wallet, identification, ATM card and cell phone were all left in her apartment.

Her family is worried sick. Molly's sister Kendra Skidmore told local media, "We're living it every day, like a nightmare you can't wake up from; I just wish someone could tell us where she's at."

[Denise]

Money Raised In Search For Missing Student

http://www.wkyt.com

Nine months ago, an Eastern Kentucky University student vanished without a trace while taking summer classes in Indianapolis.

Saturday, friends and family came together in her hometown of Madison, Indiana to help raise money for the investigation into Molly Dattilo's disappearance.

Keri Dattilo organized the event. She's also Molly's cousin. "It's a costly search, so we thought what a great idea it would be to have a run because Molly grew up on the streets of Madison."

Celestra Hoffman is Molly's sister. "The more people show that they care, the more help we'll get."

The family is offering a $100,000 reward for information into Dattilo's whereabouts.

[Denise]

www.madisoncourier.com

They haven’t forgotten Molly

4/18/2005 3:00:00 PM

Jenny Jones
Courier Staff Writer

The community was like one giant family coming together in hopes of bringing home one of its own.

As the sun shone brightly on Vaughn Drive, participants in the “Run For Molly” lined up on the street and prepared to start the event. “Remember, we’re doing this to bring attention to the fact that Molly is still missing,” said Lou Knoble, who announced the start of the event.  “We love ya.”

More than 200 people took part in the “Run for Molly” Saturday morning. Some participated in the walk, which started the event, while others psyched themselves up on the sidelines by stretching or sprinting to take part in one of the runs - a 5K or 5-mile.

Whether people joined the walk or run, it didn’t matter. They were all there for the same cause - to raise awareness about the disappearance of Madison native Molly Dattilo and to raise money for the search to find her.

Dattilo has been missing since July 6, 2004. She was last seen near Westlake Apartments in Indianapolis, possibly walking to a nearby Wendy’s to submit a job application.

“It’s really disturbing that a girl could be missing for so long,” said Kevin Dillman, who participated in the 5K run with his daughter Krista Dillman and several students from Pope John Elementary and Shawe High schools. People are here “to raise awareness.”

Though everyone at the event wished Dattilo was home, the mood of the day was upbeat. Dan Dattilo of Madison served as disc jockey for the occasion, playing energizing songs such as “YMCA” that got people dancing. Everyone was glad to be together and hoped Molly Dattilo would soon be able to join them.

“I think it’s great,” Carol Wingham of Madison said. “You’re here to support the family. I have children of my own. I can’t imagine what they’re going through.”

Several members of the Dattilo family were present at the event, including Molly Dattilo’s mother, Cherie Dattilo. She ran the 5K in honor of her daughter. Upon finishing, she was greeted with cheers from other participates and bystanders of the event.

“I’m really grateful to all the wonderful people who are praying for Molly,” Cherie Dattilo said. “I want to thank everyone for being here.”

The family held a similar event in Indianapolis last year and wanted to give the local community an opportunity to help in the search for Molly, a former cross-country runner.

“People are still concerned about Molly’s return,” said Celestra Dattilo Hoffman, Molly Dattilo’s sister. Events such as this “kind of put pressure on the police to do more.”

Hoffman said she has not heard of any new leads in Molly Dattilo’s case but hopes fliers, billboards and other items that will be purchased with money raised during the run will help stir new information.

“It’s this kind of event that gets her name out again,” Hoffman said. “We want to make sure Molly’s always on the back of people’s mind.”

[Denise]

http://www.indystar.com

May 2, 2005

Families raise abduction awareness
Father of slain girl among speakers at Downtown fundraiser for missing persons.

By Jon Murray
jon.murray@indystar.com


Television cameras tested Guillermo Mendoza's nerves Sunday afternoon, but the quiet man said his first time in the spotlight as an activist wouldn't be his last.

He told the cameras 10 minutes was all it took last Christmas Eve for his daughter, Christina Tedder, to vanish. Six days later, Christina's abused body was discovered in a Hancock County creek.

As Mendoza recounted the ordeal, heads nodded around the small banquet room at Jillian's in Downtown Indianapolis. The gathering, which started a day-long fundraiser, drew more than a dozen family members of children and young adults who have been missing for months or years.

The group aimed to highlight the risks of abduction in the hopes of sparing other families the heartache.

"I never figured this would happen to me," Mendoza said after the cameras turned off. The 40-year-old truck driver's T-shirt featured an air-brushed image of 12-year-old Christina.

"It's bad, man. I wouldn't wish it on anybody."

Family friend Jeffrey A. Voss, of Indianapolis, is accused of sexually assaulting and killing Christina. Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi is seeking the death penalty in the case.

Several speakers Sunday called for the General Assembly and Congress to join efforts in other states to stiffen penalties for sexual assault and monitor offenders after they leave prison.

One bill, expected to be signed into law by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush today, would increase penalties for sexual assault and require convicted child predators to wear electronic tracking devices for the rest of their lives.

The death of Jessica Lunsford, a 9-year-old Tampa-area girl, helped spur the law after a convicted sex offender was charged in the crime. She is the niece of Steve and Debbie Wissen, an Avon couple who both spoke Sunday and praised the Florida legislature.

U.S. Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., also endorsed the idea.

"This is one of the worst, most heinous crimes that can be committed," he said.

Organizers and speakers cited statistics from the National Crime Information Center that recorded 1,206 active cases of missing people in Indiana through March 1 -- including 834 children and 372 adults.

The Indiana Missing Person Awareness Event, which was scheduled to end Sunday evening with a dance, was sponsored by Burton's office and Jillian's. The entertainment center agreed to donate 10 percent of the day's revenue to the searches for Molly Laura Dattilo, 23, who disappeared in July, and Lola Katherine Fry, who was 28 when she vanished more than 11 years ago.

Fry's sister Darlene Pitts, 42, and Dattilo's cousin Amy Dattilo, 32, organized the event. Some of the proceeds also will benefit Indiana's Missing, a nonprofit organization created recently by Pitts to aid families of missing individuals.

Mervin and Doreena Javins know that struggle well, particularly since their son, Scott, was 20 when he disappeared three years ago near Terre Haute.

Unlike when children vanish, family members and friends of adults must organize searches without police help in the first few days.

"It's been tough," said Mervin Javins, 49. "Our system seems to not be working for missing persons."

Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Chief Herman Humbles said 99 percent of the department's 200 missing person cases each month end happily, but police can do better. Soon, he said, the Sheriff's Department will begin a program called Missing and Endangered Person Alert to spur action more quickly.

John Neace, the father of Crothersville girl Katie Collman, also spoke at the news conference. The 10-year-old girl's body was found Jan. 30 in a stream in Jackson County.

"My daughter was abducted and murdered and molested," Neace said, and he said parents and police need to be more vigilant about protecting children.

"We need to fight it."

[Denise]

Cue Center for Missing Persons Press Release:

MOLLY DATTILO’s BIRTHDAY HONORED:

BALLOONS LAUNCHED

Family and Friends of Missing Indiana Woman Gather to Remember

Wilmington, N.C. - Monday, June 13, is the 24th birthday of Molly Dattilo, who has been missing from Indianapolis since July. To remember her birthday and to renew hope in her recovery, Molly’s family and friends will hold a small ceremony in Indianapolis, Indiana on Monday and release balloons over Indianapolis. The public is welcome to attend. For more information and directions contact Shelley Fitzpatrick (317) 710-5906 or (317) 733-8728.

These activities come on the heels of the CUE Center’s latest search for Molly and the announcement of the recent $100,000.00 dollar Reward. The CUE Center organized volunteers from North Carolina and eight other states to comb through an undisclosed location in Indianapolis on June 3rd, 4th and 5th of 2005. A total of sixty searchers, including thirteen K9 groups, used dogs to conduct an intense on-the-ground search for any information that might lead to Molly.

About the case:

Currently, the family of Molly Dattilo has learned that there is a person of interest concerning her disappearance.

On July 6, 2004, Molly Dattilo was a student at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), at the time of her disappearance. She was living with her brother in Indianapolis and taking summer classes at the university. Molly was planning to begin her fifth year at Eastern Kentucky University and was just finishing a four-year track scholarship.

Molly was also taking voice lessons, and commented the weekend before that she was preparing for an upcoming singing competition in August. Molly, who faithfully attended her university classes and voice lessons, has not shown up to either since July 6.

On that date, Molly bought supplies for her hobbies and school, and picked up a job application from a Wendy’s restaurant. The supplies were later found in her car. Her car, identification, ATM card, and cell phone were all left at her apartment. Her clothes were also left behind, and there is no evidence that she packed a bag.

She was last seen in Indianapolis on July 6 at about 7:30 p.m.

About Molly:

Molly Dattilo is the youngest of nine children. She was born in Madison, Indiana, and lived there until she went to college. She had never lived in a city as large as Indianapolis.

She is a talented achiever and excels in academics, athletics, and music. At the universities she attended, she received mostly As, even in the most challenging classes. She excels at running and has successfully competed in track events. Additionally, Molly is a talented singer and would often sing the national anthem at high school athletic games.

Molly is described as gregarious, friendly, trusting and compassionate, often going out of her way to help people.

[Denise]

http://www.theindychannel.com

Investigators Pursue New Leads In Missing Woman's Case

POSTED: 5:35 pm EST June 13, 2005
UPDATED: 6:19 pm EST June 13, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS -- There are two new developments in the mysterious disappearance of Molly Dattilo, now missing for nearly a year.

Marion County sheriff's investigators were in Kentucky Monday, interviewing the person alleged to be the last person to see Dattilo.

Monday would have been Molly's 24th birthday.

To remember her birthday and to renew hope in finding her, Dattilo's family released balloons Monday morning in Military Park. Datillo's friends want people to know she is still missed.

"We don't have any answers. We don't know where she is. All we can do is stay positive and all we can do is just keep hoping and keep praying," Datillo family friend Shelley Fitzpatrick said.

The 5-foot, 100-pound Dattilo went missing July 6, 2004, from her far west side apartment complex.

Friends said she just disappeared, leaving her cell phone, her clothing, books, and bank account behind.

Family and friends organized multiple searches. National organizations representing missing adults also have conducted their own searches for Datillo.

According to the Marion County sheriff's department, investigators are pursuing the strongest lead in Kentucky.

"We hope the person can provide us with some information that will help us bring this to closure. But, he's definitely not a suspect at this point," Capt. Phil Burton said.

An anonymous donor has offered a $100,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest, a conviction, or the recovery of Dattilo's remains.

In the meantime, the Dattilo family and her many friends refuse to give up hope.

Earlier this month, a national missing persons group arrived in Indianapolis and conducted three days of extensive searches of the city's west side.

Private detectives, criminal profilers and even psychics have weighed in on the case. Yet, Dattilo's disappearance remains a mystery.

[Denise]

http://www.madisoncourier.com

6/13/2005 3:00:00 PM

Molly Dattilo turns 24 today

Today is Madison native Molly Dattilo's 24th birthday. Dattilo has been missing since July 6, 2004. She was last seen on the west side of Indianapolis where she was living at the time.

Dattilo's family provided this photo, one of Molly Dattilo's favorites. She had a dream of appearing on the American Idol television show and had this special magazine cover photo taken.

A small ceremony is planned for today in Indianapolis where balloons will be released. Last week, several volunteers searched different locations in Indianapolis for clues to Dattilo's whereabouts.

[Denise]

Press Release from the Cue Center:

AREA CHURCHES TO OBSERVE ONE-YEAR MARK IN DISAPPEARANCE OF MOLLY DATTILO

Prayer Vigils Scheduled for College Student Missing Since July 6, 2004

Wilmington, N.C. - A 24-hour community prayer vigil for Molly Dattilo will be held on July 6th, exactly one year since the Indiana native was last seen. Christ Episcopal Church in Madison, Ind., will open its sanctuary for all 24 hours of July 6, while other area churches, organizations, and individuals in Molly’s community have been invited to host successive one-hour services over the 24-hour period.

Each short program will include music and readings, and Molly’s friends and family will read scripture or offer remembrances of her. The full schedule will be announced later.

Members of the community are invited to attend any of the programs and to come to Christ Episcopal Church, where the 24-hour vigil will begin at 12:01 a.m. on July 6th with a service by Father Draper and others. In addition, at 7:00 p.m., a service will be held at Christ Episcopal, which will include prayer, readings, music, and reflection. The vigil will conclude at 12:01 a.m. July 7th.  Christ Episcopal is located at 506 Mulberry St. in Madison, near the corner of Third and Mulberry.

Molly’s family and friends also ask that those who are unable to attend the vigil choose a time during the day to remember Molly in their thoughts.

About the case:

On July 6, 2004, Molly Dattilo dropped one of her three classes Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), because it was the last day to drop a class without penalty. She was living with her brother in Indianapolis and taking summer classes at the university. Molly was planning to begin her fifth year at Eastern Kentucky University and was just finishing a four-year track scholarship.

Molly was also taking private voice lessons, and commented the weekend before that she was preparing for an upcoming singing competition in August. Molly, who faithfully attended her university classes and private voice lessons, has not shown up to either since July 6.

On that date, Molly bought supplies for her hobbies and school, and picked up a job application from a Wendy’s restaurant. The supplies were later found in her car. Her car, identification, ATM card, and cell phone were all left at her apartment. Her clothes were also left behind, and there is no evidence that she packed a bag. She was last seen in Indianapolis on at about 7:30 p.m.

About Molly:

Molly Dattilo is the youngest of nine children. She was born in Madison, Indiana, and lived there until she went to college. She had never lived in a city as large as Indianapolis.

She is a talented achiever and excels in academics, athletics, and music. At the universities she attended, she received mostly As, even in the most challenging classes. She excels at running and has successfully competed in track events. Additionally, Molly is a talented singer and would often sing the national anthem at high school athletic games.

Molly is described as gregarious, friendly, trusting and compassionate, often going out of her way to help people. Because Molly is not judgmental of people, she sometimes chooses to talk to those she perceives as disadvantaged, hoping to help them without realizing that they may pose a danger to her.

Description:

Molly Laura Dattilo
Age: 23
Height: 5 ft
Weight: 100 lbs
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green

Missing Since: July 6, 2004
Missing From: Indianapolis, Indiana, Westlake Apartments

Distinguishing Characteristics: Dime-sized birthmark right arm; tip of left thumbnail visibly deformed

Additional photographs and information about Molly are available on the Web at http://www.dattilofamily.org/

To report a sighting or to pass along information about Molly’s disappearance, call:

The Marion County, Indiana, Sheriff's Dept. at (317) 231-8702

The CUE Center for Missing Persons at (910) 232-1687

Your local law enforcement agency

[Denise]

News from the family:

"I want to let you know that on Sat. July 2, at 4:35 ET/ 3:35 CT, The Fox News Channel (not the local Fox network, but the cable station) has offered to do an interview with Kendra for Molly's year anniversary. Det. Kathryn Bryon, from the Marion County Sheriff's Dept., will also be interviewed.

We are very grateful for The Fox News Channel, because they extended the interview to us. Also, Marion County is finally going to be involved in this one. Hopefully, you will have a moment to watch. The interview will probably be pretty quick, so it won't take too much time out of the holiday weekend."

[Denise]

One year later, search for EKU student continues

FEW LEADS EMERGE AFTER 23-YEAR-OLD DISAPPEARED IN INDIANAPOLIS

By Cassondra Kirby And Peter Mathews
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS
Posted on Wed, Jul. 06, 2005

Kendra Skidmore remembers the last time she saw her baby sister.

Skidmore was leaving for the airport after a short visit with her family in Indiana.

"I said 'I love you, Molly' and she flashed me this big smile," she said. "I'll never forget that."

But no one has seen or heard from Molly Dattilo since she disappeared a year ago today. Skidmore said she doesn't think she'll ever see her sister's heart-warming smile.

"It's hard to have hope after this amount of time," Skidmore said. "I miss not knowing she's doing OK and things are fine. I wish I could turn back the time, but I just can't."

Dattilo, a Madison, Ind. native was scheduled to graduate last fall from Eastern Kentucky University, where she was a standout track athlete. The 23-year-old disappeared last July while attending summer classes at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She was reportedly last seen walking to apply for a job at a Wendy's in the city, about a quarter of a mile from her brother's apartment, where she was staying.

Detective Catherine Byron, with the Marion County Sheriff's Department in Indiana, said police are actively investigating Dattilo's disappearance as a missing person's case. But investigators don't seem to be any closer to finding Dattilo, baffling her family.

An anonymous donor has put up a $100,000 reward through March 31, 2006 for her discovery and the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.

An earlier reward of $10,000 offered by Dattilo's parents, Fred and Cherie of Madison, Ind., in cooperation with the Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons of Wilmington, N.C., expired last March.

Byron said the department will continue to work on the case as long as there are leads. Police receive tips regularly but none have led to a break in the case.

A sweet-spirited girl

Dattilo's teammates have described her as friendly and trusting, particularly toward strangers.

While Indiana police have spent their time poring over evidence and chasing leads, EKU students have held a walk-athon, offered prayers and kept her story alive through the university's student newspaper, The Eastern Progress. In Indiana, a 24-hour community prayer vigil is planned today at the Christ Episcopal Church in Madison.

Although more than a year has passed since members of the EKU community have seen Dattilo running around the school's track or studying in the locker room as she often did before track meets or practice, she is not forgotten, head coach Rick Erdmann said.

"It's always there," he said. "It's something that doesn't leave."

Teammate Angie Lee sent a letter to Dattilo's family, speaking of the memories of Dattilo she said she will carry with her throughout life.

Dattilo, who had plans of auditioning for American Idol, had a "beautiful singing voice," Lee wrote.

"We'd often hear that as we ran. She was likely to break out in song and dance on the track or at a meet."

Lee wrote about Dattilo's "compassionate heart" and how the team could always count on her for a laugh when they were down.

"Everyone knew her bright smile and outgoing spirit," she wrote. "She never seemed to meet a stranger and anyone who's ever met her will not easily forget it."

Still searching

Officials from the Marion County Sheriff's Department in Indiana said they have no evidence of foul play and that they haven't found any credible leads to her whereabouts.

But Dattilo's family said she wouldn't have just left without her car, cell phone, contact-lens solution and driver's license. And there hasn't been any activity on her bank account since she disappeared.

"Nothing else makes sense, she was either taken against her will or foul play was involved," Skidmore said.

Dattilo, the youngest of nine children, also attended classes at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis the day she disappeared, dropping one class on that day.

Byron said she believes there is "someone out there that has information about Molly's whereabouts."

"I hope that person or persons come forward," she said.

But without evidence that a crime has occurred and the mounting number of caseloads -- 3,500 people were reported missing last year in Marion County alone -- manpower devoted to Dattilo's case has been limited.

"I feel that we may not be any closer to location than when we started the search," said Celestra Hoffman, an older sister.

To aid the search, the Dattilo family has hired private investigators, placed flyers from Indianapolis to the West Coast, offered cash rewards for information leading to her whereabouts, canvassed truck stops and conducted searches at the Westside apartment complex in Indiana and two nearby ponds.

They also placed a story of her disappearance on the America's Most Wanted Web site and on Fox News.

But Dattilo's family wonders why Molly's disappearance hasn't attracted national media attention.

"It's not like the Aruba case," said Skidmore, referring to the recent disappearance in Aruba of Natalee Holloway, 18, an Alabama college student. "Sometimes we have to create that attention."

Hoping for the best

The family remains hopeful.

"Mom has a lot of faith, she has a lot of hope that something will come about," Skidmore said. "My dad is probably a little more sad. Obviously, after all of this time, you have to face the possibility that she's no longer alive."

Statistically, the chances of finding Dattilo alive are grim, said Kym Pasqualini, chief executive officer of the National Center for Missing Adults. But the family should maintain hope, she said.

"Once a person is missing for that period of time ... safety becomes more of a concern," said Pasqualini, who has been in the business for 11 years.

She said Dattilo is one of 47,000 missing people listed on the Arizona-based organization's Web site.

But no matter what the chances, Erdmann said the EKU community looks toward the day when the "high-spirited young lady" comes home.

He said professors and other EKU officials ask him regularly for updates on Dattilo, an honor student.

"I think in all of our minds we just sort of hope she's out West somewhere," he said. "We just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best."

http://www.kentucky.com/