Posted 11:52 pm Sunday, February 19, 2012
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Search Continues In Lingering Missing Persons Cases
By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer
In 1991, Megan Elizabeth Garner is believed to have been snatched by a stranger from a park off Paluxy Drive in Tyler.
Garner, 3 at the time, was last seen March 27, 1991, and her case remains open, with Tyler detectives still working it.
In Henderson, Marie Martin said she fears she will never again see her brother, 50-year-old Jimmy Scott.
Scott was last seen Nov. 3 2001, near his home close to Plantation Estates and Myrtle Drive in Rusk.
Ms. Martin believes her brother is dead, with foul play involved.
“I feel like I'll never find out anything about Jimmy in my lifetime,” she said.
Since Scott's disappearance, Ms. Martin lost her brother, Jessie, to Alzheimer's.
Staff Writer
In 1991, Megan Elizabeth Garner is believed to have been snatched by a stranger from a park off Paluxy Drive in Tyler.
Garner, 3 at the time, was last seen March 27, 1991, and her case remains open, with Tyler detectives still working it.
In Henderson, Marie Martin said she fears she will never again see her brother, 50-year-old Jimmy Scott.
Scott was last seen Nov. 3 2001, near his home close to Plantation Estates and Myrtle Drive in Rusk.
Ms. Martin believes her brother is dead, with foul play involved.
“I feel like I'll never find out anything about Jimmy in my lifetime,” she said.
Since Scott's disappearance, Ms. Martin lost her brother, Jessie, to Alzheimer's.
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“It's just me by myself as far as my siblings go and sometimes I just sit and cry. I wish the authorities would declare my brother dead so I could at least place a marker and have some closure,” she said.
Ms. Martin said she takes comfort in helping others through her organization Victims and Survivors Against Violent Crimes, which she started after Scott's disappearance.
Ms. Martin said she takes comfort in helping others through her organization Victims and Survivors Against Violent Crimes, which she started after Scott's disappearance.
Cherokee County Sheriff officials have said since 2001 that they believe Scott was the victim of foul play, but there has been no information about the body or responsible party.
Smith County Sheriff Lt. Tony Dana and Tyler police spokesman Don Martin said the majority of the reported missing cases are runaway teenagers, but those cases usually are solved within two days when the child is located and returned home.
However, Dana said human trafficking, in which runaways sometimes are forced into a life of sexual slavery, is becoming more prevalent.
“There is a big push in rethinking runaway cases to determine if there is a reason, such as abuse or some other cause,” he said. “Because of increased child labor and sex slave situations, we need to take these (runaway) cases a little more seriously.”
Dana said four missing person cases his agency is working are considered suspicious. They date back to 1998.
“People may think we forgot about a case, but we have detectives constantly working the cases for new leads. Sometimes the leads never develop,” he said.
Smith County Sheriff Lt. Tony Dana and Tyler police spokesman Don Martin said the majority of the reported missing cases are runaway teenagers, but those cases usually are solved within two days when the child is located and returned home.
However, Dana said human trafficking, in which runaways sometimes are forced into a life of sexual slavery, is becoming more prevalent.
“There is a big push in rethinking runaway cases to determine if there is a reason, such as abuse or some other cause,” he said. “Because of increased child labor and sex slave situations, we need to take these (runaway) cases a little more seriously.”
Dana said four missing person cases his agency is working are considered suspicious. They date back to 1998.
“People may think we forgot about a case, but we have detectives constantly working the cases for new leads. Sometimes the leads never develop,” he said.
