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Linnik, Zina July 4 2007; Seattle, WA 12 YO
Topic Started: Jul 7 2007, 04:56 PM (413 Views)
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http://www.komotv.com/news/8335687.html

Lead in missing girl case leads police to dead end




YouNewsTV™Story Published: Jul 5, 2007 at 10:28 AM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 6, 2007 at 11:19 PM PDT
By KOMO Staff
Watch the story TACOMA, Wash. -- Investigators said a new lead in the case of the missing 12-year-old girl has led to a dead end.

Police on Friday searched a Tacoma home for signs of Zina Linnik, who has been missing since the 4th of July. Police said three different bloodhounds had picked up a scent at the house, but they did not find anything suspicious or any signs of Zina inside.

On Wednesday, police issued an Amber Alert for Zina, who may have been taken by a man driving a gray van near her home.

Police said Zina was walking in an alley behind her family's home Wednesday night in the 2500 block of South 'J' Street when someone heard the girl scream. The witness told investigators that he looked in the alley and saw a man get into an older gray van and drive away.

Zina's sister, Svetlana Linnik, said the man who heard the screams was her dad.

"First he drove past my sister's and he came this way, and my sister was here yelling because she was scared because of fireworks," she said. "I didn't hear the yell, but my dad said he heard it and he came out here, and he just saw the van speed off."

The license plate of the van contains the numbers 1677, but a complete license number was not available.

Some of Zina's seven brothers and sisters initially believed the suspect was the young man whose mother lived just a few doors down. Police said they did not issue an Amber Alert immediately because they knew where to find him.

"Eventually we were able to locate him, but through talking with him for a couple of hours he and his van were eliminated," said police spokesman Mark Fulghum. "So we had to go back and redevelop some information so we had enough to put out."

Twelve hours after the disappearance, the Amber Alert was issued. Since no one actually saw the girl get pulled into the van, tracking dogs and searchers are checking the neighborhood in case she left or was taken by foot. Police are looking for tire tracks that the van might have left and also searching all suspicious vehicles.

Raymond Dinger was one of the men police approached. Dinger said police questioned him and searched his two vehicles."

"Everybody who's living in motor homes and stuff like that, living on the streets are under suspicion and I can't blame the authorities for doing their job," he said.

Early Thursday, bloodhounds tracked her scent to an empty door just a few doors away, but there was no sign of Zina.

Police said they have little to go on.

"Just the scream, the van driving out of the area we don't have anything else other than that. The family has no reason to think that they would take the girl or who would take the girl. She's not, (from) what we can tell, a runaway risk. So not a lot to go on," Fulghum said.

But Fulghum said searchers are not discouraged by the lack of information.

"We're not going to give up. If anything, we've increased the resources and broadened out the approach," he said. "Somewhere we've got to find somebody or something that points us in the right direction."

"It's really actually tough. Hopefully everything goes fine and everything is... somebody finds her or something," Stan said.

Zina is 4 feet 10 inches tall, with blond hair and weighs about 80 pounds. She had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a pink T-shirt with pink and orange capri pants and red flip-flop sandals.

The person driving the van was described only as an Asian male.

Anyone who sees Zina or the van is asked to contact police at (253) 830-6508. In the meantime, The Washington State Patrol Troopers Association is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Zina. The Tacoma Police Department and the FBI are together offering an additional $10,000 reward.

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http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/in...pic=23105&st=0&
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http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/103917.html

Tacoma girl, 12, snatched from alleyTacoma police issue an Amber Alert for a 12-year-old girl who disappeared from the alley behind her house Wednesday night. Her father heard a scream and saw an older-model gray van speed off.

EIJIRO KAWADA; The News Tribune Published: July 6th, 2007 01:00 AM


Enlarge image LUI KIT WONG/THE NEWS TRIBUNETacoma police and a search-and-rescue worker chat Thursday near the home of a missing girl at South 25th and J streets.
Enlarge image Michael Linnik, Zina’s father, and his son Pavel leave their house with Tacoma police detective Brian Vold to search for the girl.
Enlarge image PHOTOS BY LUI KIT WONG/THE NEWS TRIBUNEA search-and-rescue worker Thursday prompts a dog to sniff an item belonging to missing 12-year-old Zina Linnik. Peeking out the back door of the family home in Tacoma are her sisters Svetlana, 13, left, and Oksana, 11.


An Independence Day celebration turned into a nightmare for a Tacoma family late Wednesday night when their 12-year-old daughter vanished, the victim of an apparent abduction.
The girl’s father, Michael Linnik, heard a scream from the alley in the back of the family house, then ran outside to see a van speeding from the area.

Police are searching for Zina Linnik, who was last seen around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday in the alley in the 2500 block of South J Street. They’re also seeking an older-model gray van seen leaving the neighborhood.

Zina is 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 80 pounds and has blond hair. She was last seen with her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a pink T-shirt, pink, orange-and-yellow capri pants and flip-flop sandals.

Police deployed search dogs and walked throughout the neighborhood Thursday. Zina’s parents are immigrants from Ukraine who don’t speak English well, so police were interviewing them through their children.

Stan Linnik, Zina’s 18-year-old brother, said Thursday that family members looked for the girl in the neighborhood and were worried all night.

According to family members, Zina was with a group of children watching fireworks in the alley. She stayed behind when the rest of the group walked down the alley to check out something.

Then, family members heard a scream coming from the alley, according to the account they gave police. When Zina’s father ran outside, he saw the gray van speeding away down the alley.

Family members, who contacted police shortly after the incident, said they thought the van belonged to a neighbor, said Mark Fulghum, spokesman for Tacoma police. But police ruled out the neighbor as a suspect after they interviewed him early Thursday morning, he said.

After doing so, police issued an Amber Alert around 10:30 a.m.

The driver of the van was described as an Asian male, but Fulghum said he might or might not have been Asian as the family member who saw the van speed away only saw the side of the van and didn’t get a good look at the driver in the dark.

Police are searching for the van with a license plate containing numbers 1677.

How to help

Anyone with information about the Zina Linnik case is asked to call Tacoma police at 253-830-6508 or visit www. washington amberalert.com.
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ZINA LINNIK

TACOMA, Wash. — Police said a missing 12-year-old Washington girl is not a runaway, and they fear she was abducted.

The girl, Zina Linnik, disappeared near her home while watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. A witness heard a girl scream and saw a gray van driving away.

Zina is 4 feet 10 inches tall, 80 pounds and was wearing a pink T-shirt, capri pants and flip-flop sandals.

Police are looking for van with a license containing the numbers 1677. The driver may be an Asian man.
http://zoltanzion.blogspot.com/2007/07/zin...d-possibly.html
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http://crimeblog.us/?p=496


Who Has Zina Linnik?

Tacoma, Washington was full of Fourth of July fireworks and fun last night. Twelve year old Zina Linnik was walking in an alley behind her family’s home at about 9:45 p.m. local time and vanished into thin air - or possibly into an older model grey van seen leaving the alley at about that time. Zina Linnik has been missing for about fourteen hours as I write.

The state of Washington has issued an Amber Alert for Zina. She is twelve years old, about eighty pounds, and approximately four feet, ten inches tall. Zina is a hazel or brown-eyed blonde who was last seen wearing a pink t-shirt, capri pants, and red flip-flop sandals.

Zina’s brothers and father report hearing a scream in the alley where Zina was last seen. Upon looking into the alley, Zina’s father, Michael Linnik, reportedly saw a dark-haired man of possible Asian descent climbing into an old grey van. Michael Linnik ran to the van and tried to see inside it as it pulled away, but was unable to tell if Zina was in the vehicle. As the van sped away, family members caught a few numbers on the license plate: 1677. Family members have told police that they believe the man is a neighbor. Police say that Zina has no history of running away and that “this case has red flags all over it.”

I was actually in the middle of working on a post about missing New Jersey mother Amy Giordano when this Amber Alert crossed my computer screen. I’ll get the post about Amy up later today, but I hope that someone sees Zina and can help bring her home safely. If you have any information about Zina Linnik, please contact the Tacoma Police Department at 253-591-5963.

Update, 2:35 p.m. PDT: Zina’s brothers, Stan (18) and Pavel (14), led police to the home where they believed the neighbor lived. Police did not find Zina, the van or the alleged abductor there. Later this morning, police dogs led investigators to a vacant house with a for-sale sign and a possible match to the van. No further details are available at this time.

Update, 3:05 p.m.PDT: Within the last half hour, the article I linked above has been edited and the information in my update above has been removed. The neighbor has reportedly been interviewed and ruled out as a suspect. I’ll update as more details emerge.

Update, 7/6/07 3.00 p.m. PDT: It seems weird to post an update when there’s nothing really new. Zina has not been found, and the clock is ticking. Unfortunately, the witnesses may not have actually seen the driver of the van. They thought they recognized the van, thought they knew the owner was an Asian man who lived nearby. It seemed reasonable to the family to point the police in that direction first, and it seemed so to police as well until they ruled out that neighbor later yesterday.

It now appears that nobody got a good look at the alleged perpetrator. He may or may not be Asian, although he is most likely male. Even the license plate numbers may not be correct, so similarities in other vehicle registrations are now being explored.

This child’s trail is going cold too quickly, and police will need all the help they can get to find Zina. A better picture of her can be found here, at this slideshow. If you have any details or information, please contact the Tacoma Police Department at 253-830-6508, or at the number above. If you see Zina, please call 911.

Update 7/6/07 4.30 p.m. PDT: A $15000.00 reward has been posted for information leading to Zina Linnik’s safe return by the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association and the FBI. Hopefully, this reward will help bring Lina home.
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http://www.komotv.com/news/8371577.html

Police searching for 2 possible witnesses to girl's disappearance




YouNewsTV™Story Published: Jul 7, 2007 at 11:49 AM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 7, 2007 at 11:52 AM PDT
By KOMO Staff
TACOMA, Wash. -- Two people were seen at a bus stop near the home of 12-year-old Zina Linnik around the time she disappeared, according to Tacoma police.

Spokesperson Mark Fulghum said the two were seen at the bus stop at 25th and South 'J' Street before and after the time the girl disappeared. Police are now trying to find the two people in hopes they may have new clues that could aid the investigation. Police urge anyone with information on the two people to contact them.

On Wednesday, police issued an Amber Alert for Zina, who may have been taken by a man driving a gray van near her home.

Police said Zina was walking in an alley behind her family's home Wednesday night in the 2500 block of South J Street when someone heard the girl scream. The witness told investigators that he looked in the alley and saw a man get into an older gray van and drive away.

Zina's sister, Svetlana Linnik, said the man who heard the screams was her dad.

"First he drove past my sister's and he came this way, and my sister was here yelling because she was scared because of fireworks," she said. "I didn't hear the yell, but my dad said he heard it and he came out here, and he just saw the van speed off."

The license plate of the van contains the numbers 1677, but a complete license number was not available.

Some of Zina's seven brothers and sisters initially believed the suspect was the young man whose mother lived just a few doors down. Police said they did not issue an Amber Alert immediately because they knew where to find him.

"Eventually we were able to locate him, but through talking with him for a couple of hours he and his van were eliminated," said police spokesman Mark Fulghum. "So we had to go back and redevelop some information so we had enough to put out."

Twelve hours after the disappearance, the Amber Alert was issued. Since no one actually saw the girl get pulled into the van, tracking dogs and searchers are checking the neighborhood in case she left or was taken by foot. Police are looking for tire tracks that the van might have left and also searching all suspicious vehicles.

Raymond Dinger was one of the men police approached. Dinger said police questioned him and searched his two vehicles."

"Everybody who's living in motor homes and stuff like that, living on the streets are under suspicion and I can't blame the authorities for doing their job," he said.

Early Thursday, bloodhounds tracked her scent to an empty door just a few doors away, but there was no sign of Zina.

Police said they have little to go on.

"Just the scream, the van driving out of the area we don't have anything else other than that. The family has no reason to think that they would take the girl or who would take the girl. She's not, (from) what we can tell, a runaway risk. So not a lot to go on," Fulghum said.

Late Friday night, police searched an area home after three different bloodhounds picked up a scent at the home. A thorough search, however, did not turn up anything suspicious or any signs of Zina, police said.

But Fulghum said searchers are not discouraged by the lack of information.

"We're not going to give up. If anything, we've increased the resources and broadened out the approach," he said. "Somewhere we've got to find somebody or something that points us in the right direction."

"It's really actually tough. Hopefully everything goes fine and everything is... somebody finds her or something," Stan said.

Zina is 4 feet 10 inches tall, with blond hair and weighs about 80 pounds. She had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a pink T-shirt with pink and orange capri pants and red flip-flop sandals.

The person driving the van was described only as an Asian male.

Anyone who sees Zina or the van is asked to contact police at (253) 830-6508. In the meantime, The Washington State Patrol Troopers Association is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Zina. The Tacoma Police Department and the FBI are together offering an additional $10,000 reward.

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http://www.ktvb.com/news/regional/stories/...a.4b1b0a29.html



AMBER Alert: Search continues for missing Tacoma girl

09:18 AM MDT on Friday, July 6, 2007

By CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News and KING5.com Staff



Zina Linnik missing since July 4 TACOMA, Wash. - The AMBER Alert is still in effect for 12-year-old Zina Linnik, a Tacoma girl who police fear was abducted from her home Wednesdy night.

The girl was last seen walking in the alley behind her family's house in the 2500 block of S. J St. enjoying Fourth of July festivities. According to reports, a witness heard a girl scream at about 9:45 p.m., looked into the alley and saw an Asian male get into an older gray van and drive away.

"My father heard the scream and by the time he got out of the house, just saw the driver running around to the front of the car and sped off," said Stan Linnik, victim's brother.

Zina Linnik is of Ukrainian descent. She is described as white, 4-foot-10, 80 pounds, blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a pink T-shirt, pink/orange/yellow capri pants and red flip-flop sandals. Her hair was in a ponytail.

The only description of her abductor is an Asian male, driving an older model gray van with a license plate that contains the numbers 1677 or something similar. Police are asking people to watch for the vehicle.

"The family has no reason to think anyone would take the girl," said Mark Fulghum of the Tacoma Police Department. "She's not a runaway risk."

Tacoma Police have interviewed some guests who attended a Fourth of July party nearby in connection with the case.

Authorities admit there was some initial confusion with this alert, which wasn't sent out until roughly 12 hours after Zina's disappearance. Tacoma police say they initially thought they found the suspect van, but that didn't materialize, and so the alert was given.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 immediately.
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Police: Missing 12-Year-Old's Body Found

The Associated Press
Friday, July 13, 2007; 2:28 AM



TACOMA, Wash. -- Police and FBI agents found the body of a 12-year-old girl who was snatched from an alley behind her house during a July 4 fireworks celebration, police said.

Information provided by a man in custody on an immigration complaint led police and FBI agents to an undisclosed location in Pierce County where they found Zina Linnik's body, Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell said late Thursday.

The news brought "great anguish" to the Linnik family as well as Tacoma police and FBI agents who had worked to find the girl, Ramsdell said.

"Our hearts and prayers are with the Linnik family and we will continue to put forth our best efforts to bring the perpetrator of this senseless and horrific crime to justice," Ramsdell said.

Ramsdell did not identify the man who provided the information.

A partial license plate description of a gray van seen in the alley around the time Zina vanished led police to Terapon Adhahn, 42, a Thai immigrant who was convicted of incest in 1990.

A search of the home where Adhahn had been staying turned up "girl's undergarments," according to a search warrant return.

Adhahn denied any involvement in Zina's disappearance and said he was not in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood July 4, Detective L.J. Wade wrote in an affidavit filed in Pierce County Superior Court in support of the search warrant application.

Investigators and forensic experts from the FBI searched the home on Monday, seizing items including used vacuum cleaner filters, bedding, black plastic sheeting and the undergarments.

Adhahn was being held at a federal immigration detention in Tacoma because he could face deportation for his 1990 incest conviction, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lorie Dankers. He also has been charged in Pierce County with failing to register as a sex offender, and would face that charge before being deported.

Ramsdell took no questions Thursday night. Messages left seeking comment Thursday from Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum and the FBI were not immediately returned.

There was no immediate word on the cause of death or when the girl died.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1300089_pf.html

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