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Blount, Barbara 05/02/08; Holden, LA
Topic Started: May 18 2008, 05:25 PM (676 Views)
burnsjl2003
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Barbara Blount, age 58, was last seen in the 35000 block of Hwy 1036 on Friday, May 2, 2008 in Livingston Parish in Holden, Louisiana and has not been seen or heard from since. Barbara was last seen wearing shorts and a tank top.

http://www.texasequusearch.org/index.html
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http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/in...showtopic=32823
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Volunteers renew search for woman
Texas group aids search for woman
By DAVID J. MITCHELL

Advocate Florida parishes bureau
Published: May 22, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

HOLDEN — Volunteers from a Texas-based mounted search team, Livingston Parish sheriff’s investigators and area residents renewed efforts Wednesday to find a Holden woman missing since May 2.

Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery volunteers and others were working an area about a mile on either side of La. 1036 near the home of Barbara Blount, 58, a team volunteer said.

Blount was last heard from about 11:30 a.m. May 2. Investigators believe she was taken from her home against her will.

People on horseback, on four-wheelers and on foot could be seen returning from morning searches that started about 9 a.m. or were waiting to start anew shortly before noon.

Donald Wilkersin, 46, of Holden, showed up for the afternoon search Wednesday, saying he watched television news coverage that told how “they needed help today so I decided to come.”

Volunteers would not allow news reporters and photographers back to Blount’s house, which is a few hundred yards off La. 1036 and is where searchers and investigators gathered.

A day of searching by 10 EquuSearch members and between 20 and 30 local volunteers turned up little sign of Blount, Livingston Parish sheriff’s deputies and Texas EquuSearch member Lee Robertson said.

One of Blount’s relatives called on the Texans for help in locating the missing woman, said Cheryl Lawless, office administrator for the group based in Dickinson, Texas.

Previous searches by local volunteers, family members and deputies near Blount’s home and a quarter-mile away where her car was found May 2 have been hampered by rain, backwater flooding and the thick forests.

EquuSearch founder Tim Miller formed the group in August 2000 because of the high number of missing persons in south Harris and north Galveston counties in Texas. Miller’s daughter, Laura, was abducted and murdered in 1984. “Equus” is the classical Latin word for “horse.”

Robertson, 62, of Baytown, Texas, one of longest-tenured EquuSearch volunteers on the Blount search, said the going has been difficult in the woods.

“It is wet, muggy, dark and thick,” Robertson said.

On one side of Blount’s home is open pasture, but along the other is an area of densely forested bottomland and boggy wetlands. A creek runs alongside the long drive from La. 1036 to Blount’s house and then wraps behind the property immediately around her house and into the woods.

Robertson, who rode a four-wheeler to search for Blount, said some parts are best searched on foot because the woods are so dense. He said the group has an unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, but the group has not used them because of the dense foliage.

EquuSearch also didn’t bring its horses because the group didn’t have time to file the proper paperwork to truck them across state lines, Robertson said. But four area volunteers searched on horseback during the day, he said.

Robertson said his group has received plenty of donated food and water in Livingston Parish, including some from members of Blount’s Magnolia Baptist Church. A sign at the church expressed the congregation’s concern: “We are praying for Barbara.”

Robertson also said an anonymous donor contributed money for the group’s fuel needs and has paid for hotel rooms. He said it is nice to work with people so willing to help one another.

“You’re a typical Texas rural community where everybody knows everybody,” he said.

Robertson said the group plans to search through Friday, if necessary, and can use more volunteers.

How to help
To help, call (877) 270-9500. Meet in the field next to the entrance of the drive to Blount’s house, 35580 La. 1036, Holden.


http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/19165309.html
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http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/suburban/18555384.html
PHOTO at link

Search on for Livingston woman

By SONIA SMITH
Advocate staff writer
Published: May 4, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

As many as 100 or more volunteers combed a waterlogged, rural area in northern Livingston Parish Saturday in search of a missing Sunday-school teacher believed taken from her Holden residence against her will Friday, sheriff’s detectives said.

A neighbor last heard from Barbara Blount, 58, at 11:30 a.m. Friday, said Perry Rushing, a spokesman for the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office.

A passerby discovered Blount’s car, a silver 2006 Toyota Camry, at 4:15 p.m. Friday on a logging road near her home, Rushing said. The car, which was parked in an unusual position, was towed late Friday to the State Police crime lab for analysis.

Blount, a widow who lives alone in a house at 35580 La. 1036 near the St. Helena Parish line, has nearby relatives with whom she regularly stays in touch, Rushing said.

After interviewing Blount’s friends and family, detectives with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office believe she was taken from her home against her will, Rushing said.

Thunderstorms dumped heavy rain on southeast Louisiana overnight, leaving the area where the car was found under water five to six feet deep, hampering search efforts, Rushing said.

“This whole area that we’re dealing with is flooded,” Rushing said. “If there’s evidence out there, it’s under water.”

Volunteers in small boats and on horseback and four-wheelers criss-crossed the wooded area around Blount’s home and where her car was found, Rushing said. One of the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office helicopters was used to search the area from the sky.

Neighbors told deputies that it will be Monday before the water shall have receded enough to traverse the area on foot, Rushing said.

“We had boats, horses, people wading in water up to their necks who were searching,” said Raymond Blount, the missing woman’s nephew.

Raymond Blount said his relatives and other volunteers will continue searching the inundated property — owned by the family and a logging company — until they are certain Blount or any evidence relating to her disappearance is recovered.

Raymond Blount said that it would be out of character for his aunt, a Sunday-school teacher at Magnolia Baptist Church in Holden, to leave without telling anyone.

Blount was widowed in 2004, when a train collided with the gasoline tank truck her husband, Henry Blount Jr., was driving in Chalmette.

Anyone with information regarding Barbara Blount’s whereabouts is asked to call the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office at (225) 686-2241 or (800) 443-7681 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.


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http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8265880&nav=0aWU

Hundreds Search Livingston Parish for Missing Sunday School Teacher

Posted: May 3, 2008 11:50 AM CST
Updated: May 3, 2008 02:28 PM CST

More than 200 people, including some on horseback, took part in a massive search Saturday for -a missing Sunday school teacher from Holden. Police say they -do- suspect foul play in the woman's disappearance.

Livingston Parish detectives say 58-year-old Barbara Blount was last seen around noon Friday. Her abandoned silver 2006 Toyota Camry 4-door was located in a wooded area near her home Friday afternoon, detectives said.

Blount, who is 5' 7" with dark brown hair and hazel eyes, wears glasses. Her home is located off Highway 1036 north of Holden.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Department at 225-686-2241 or 1-800-443-7681.

___________________________________________________________________________

UDATE FROM SHERIFF WILLIE GRAVES:

The search continues for Barbara Blount of 35580 La. Hwy 1036 Holden, La. As reported last night she is a 5'7' tall 150 lb w/f with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. Her silver 2006 Toyota Camry was discovered about 4:15 p.m. on 5-2-2008 abandoned and partially hidden on a "logging road" about ¼ mile from her home.

Last known contact was made with her at approximately 11:30 a.m. on 5-2-2008 when a neighbor spoke to her on the phone. While Ms. Blount, who is a widow, does live alone she has family living nearby on adjacent property. Family and friends in this rural yet close knit community have led investigators to believe that she was taken from her residence against her will.

Following it's discovery, the car was towed to the State Police Crime Lab for analysis. Due to the extremely heavy rain last night the area where the car was found is currently under as much as 5-6 foot of water thus hampering search efforts by the estimated 100 volunteers from the area.

Resources being used in the search range from volunteers on horseback to people on 4 wheelers to friends and even strangers in small boats. The Sheriffs Office Air Support Helicopter has also been used.

People who live in the area tell Detectives that it will probably be Monday before the water recedes enough to conduct a grid search of the area.

Any one with any information that could help is urged to contact the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office @ 1-225-686-2241 or 1-800-443-7681.



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http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/suburban/18539574.html

Public asked to help find Holden woman

Advocate staff report
Published: May 3, 2008

HOLDEN — Livingston Parish sheriff’s deputies are looking for a missing 58-year-old Holden woman who was last seen around noon Friday.

Barbara Blount’s silver four-door 2006 Toyota Camry was found Friday afternoon in a wooded area near her home off La. 1036 north of Holden, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Perry Rushing said.

Blount is 5 feet 7 inches tall with dark brown hair and hazel eyes, Rushing said. She wears glasses. Detectives suspect foul play in her disappearance, Rushing said.

Anyone with information regarding Blount’s whereabouts is asked to call the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office at (225) 686-2241 or (800) 443-7681.


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http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/18570874.html

Missing woman troubles town

Blount Volunteers use boats in unsuccessful search

By SONIA SMITH
Advocate staff writer
Published: May 5, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

HOLDEN — Investigators said Sunday they hope water recedes enough today to allow cadaver dogs to walk through the low-lying area where a missing Holden woman’s car was found Friday.

Volunteers in boats paddled the dogs over the waterlogged gravel road and woods Sunday near where Barbara Blount’s silver 2006 Toyota Camry was found, uncovering no new clues in her disappearance.

A neighbor last heard from Blount, 58, at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Perry Rushing has said.
Authorities believe Blount was taken from her residence against her will, he said.

A passer-by discovered Blount’s car abandoned on the logging road less than a mile from her red brick house on La. 1036 near the St. Helena Parish line around 4:15 p.m. Friday.

Storms dumped more than three inches of rain on Holden on Friday night, leaving the road and the low-lying area around it covered by several feet of water.

“The water definitely has been a hindrance to us,” said Stan Carpenter, the chief of detectives for the Sheriff’s Office.

Carpenter stressed that the three dogs from the Slidell-based Louisiana Search and Rescue team used to search the area Sunday gave no strong indicators that there was a body under water.

Investigators plan to guide the dogs through the area on foot today, Carpenter said.

The dogs were not used Friday when authorities found the car.

“We want to eliminate one location. This is where our efforts are concentrated right now,” he said.

Blount’s disappearance has touched a nerve in this close-knit, rural community. More than 100 volunteers scoured the area around Blount’s property Saturday, wading or riding on horseback or four-wheelers through the deep water as a Sheriff’s Office helicopter searched from the sky.

Family and friends gathered at several houses near Barbara Blount’s home Sunday afternoon, waiting for news from detectives and offering each other support.

“You don’t expect something like this in the country,” said Winnie Wheat, a cousin of Blount.



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http://www.wafb.com/global/story.asp?s=8272297

Authorities believe missing woman was taken

Posted: May 5, 2008 12:13 PM CDT

Updated: May 5, 2008 12:13 PM CDT

HOLDEN, LA (WAFB) - Authorities in Livingston Parish are stepping up the search for a Holden woman who's been missing since Friday.

The general consensus is that 58-year-old Barbara Blount was taken from her home against her will.

Over the weekend, volunteers searched near where the Sunday school teacher's car was found Friday.

Monday, investigators say they hope water recedes enough to allow cadaver dogs to do a walk-through of the area.

Blount's friends and family say they never thought she would be in danger.

Those who know her say she's tough and cautious, unwilling to open her doors to just anyone.

Family members say Blount told a neighbor that she was going to clean up in her kitchen and she hasn't been heard from since.

Blount is 5'7" with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and she wears glasses.

If you've seen Barbara Blount, call the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office or Crime Stoppers at 344-STOP.

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http://www.wxvt.com/Global/story.asp?S=827...;nav=menu1344_2

Volunteers search for missing Holden woman

May 5, 2008

HOLDEN, La. (AP) - Authorities suspect foul play in the disappearance of a 58-year-old Holden woman.

Investigators said they hope water recedes enough today to allow cadaver dogs to walk through the low-lying area where a missing woman's car was found Friday.

Volunteers in boats paddled the dogs over the waterlogged gravel road and woods yesterday near where Barbara Blount's car was found.

A neighbor last heard from Blount Friday morning.

Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Perry Rushing says authorities believe Blount was taken from her residence against her will.


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http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/18677684.html

Search expands for missing woman as flooding eases

May 6, 2008

HOLDEN — Backwater flooding from heavy weekend rains receded enough Monday to continue the search for a Holden woman last heard from shortly before noon Friday, a Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman said.

But a search by cadaver dogs Monday turned up nothing as Barbara Blount, 58, remained missing, Deputy Perry Rushing, Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said.

Volunteer firefighters and Blount family members and friends also searched Monday in the area where Blount’s 2006 Toyota Camry was found, but turned up no new evidence, Rushing said.

He expected searching to continue today as backwater from the Tickfaw River and its tributaries continues to fall.

Blount’s abandoned car was found Friday afternoon on a gravel logging road in a wooded, low-lying area less than a mile from her house on La. 1036, deputies have said.

It is completely out of character for Blount, a church-going, devoted mother of two adult children, to have left without calling someone, Rushing said.

Investigators believe Blount was taken from her house against her will, deputies have said.

Rushing said six to seven detectives and patrol officers were on the scene Monday working the case.


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http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/18883259.html

Missing person case still open in Livingston Parish

Advocate Florida parishes bureau
Published: May 13, 2008

LIVINGSTON — Livingston Parish sheriff’s investigators are continuing to pursue leads in the disappearance of a Holden woman missing since May 2, deputies said Monday.

But a ground search of the area around where Barbara Blount’s car was discovered was suspended last week, said Deputy Perry Rushing, a spokesman for the parish Sheriff’s Office.

Rushing said the case is still being treated as a missing person investigation. He said investigators have been interviewing family and friends to understand Blount’s habits.

Blount’s 2006 Toyota Camry did not appear to be stolen, Rushing said, but he would not comment on whether investigators had found any evidence in or around it.

The car was found abandoned on a logging road about a quarter-mile from Blount’s house, 35580 La. 1036, Holden. Backwater flooding from heavy rains in the low-lying area nearby initially hampered searches by law enforcement investigators and volunteers.

A neighbor last heard from Blount about 11:30 a.m. May 2, deputies have said. Family members have said Blount would not leave home without telling someone she was gone and authorities believe she was taken from her residence against her will.
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http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS01/805160314

Police seek missing woman
86-year-old reported driving toward Jackson from Memphis

The Jackson Sun
• May 16, 2008


Memphis police were searching Thursday for Elizabeth Ferguson, 86, who left her home in East Memphis May 5 at around 8 a.m. for an 8:30 doctor's appointment. She never arrived, according to a press release from her family.

Daughter Cheryl Ferguson Feeney on Thursday said police had received reports that Elizabeth Ferguson was seen driving along Interstate 40 just past Arlington, headed toward Jackson last Saturday.

Feeney said her mother has high blood pressure, is a borderline diabetic and suffers from early stages of dementia.

"It's critical that she receives treatment for her high blood pressure, and we fear that she may have had a mini-stroke which has caused her to become more disoriented and confused,'' Feeney stated in an e-mail. "Although she is 86 years old, she is quite active and may appear to be much younger.''

Feeney said police are hopeful because Ferguson's car had not been found Thursday and no attempt had been made to use her credit card or to cash a check in her name.

Anyone with information about Elizabeth Ferguson should call Memphis police at (901) 545-2677.


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http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/19226669.html

Search for Holden woman suspended

By DAVID J. MITCHELL
Advocate Florida parishes bureau
Published: May 23, 2008 - UPDATED: 8:15 p.m.

A Texas mounted recovery team temporarily suspended its search of northeastern Livingston Parish woodlands without finding a Holden woman missing since May 2, team members said Friday.

Lee Robertson, 62, of Baytown, Texas, said Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team is calling off its effort until the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office finds leads on new areas to search.

Deputy Perry Rushing, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, said investigators would follow additional leads as they come in. Team members were expected to leave Friday night and Saturday morning.

Barbara Blount, 58, was last heard from about 11:30 a.m. May 2. Investigators believe she was taken against her will from her house at 35580 La. 1036, Holden.



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Missing woman added to FBI wanted list
Advocate Florida parishes bureau
Published: Jun 19, 2008 - UPDATED: 6:48 p.m.
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HOLDEN — A 58-year-old Livingston Parish woman missing since early last month is now on the New Orleans FBI’s online most wanted list, authorities said.

Barbara B. Blount, 35580 La. 1036, Holden, was added as a missing person around 11 a.m. Wednesday, said special agent Sheila Thorne, spokesperson for the FBI’s New Orleans office.

Thorne said the FBI is trying to help gain national publicity for the case, which previously had drawn the aid of community and out-of-state volunteers to search for her. Blount disappeared from her home in a rural corner of northeast Livingston Parish May 2.

The FBI already has been assisting the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office with the case, a sheriff’s spokesperson said.

Jason Ard, Sheriff’s Office chief of operations, said agents helped with interviews as sheriff’s investigators tried to develop leads on the disappearance of the church-going mother of two adult children.

Deputies have said previously that they suspect foul play. Searches of surrounding woodland were hampered by floodwaters from heavy rain last month and later the soggy terrain.

The FBI notice, which includes a previously distributed picture of her with glasses, as well as one without, notes that Blount was last seen at her house the morning of May 2 and reported missing about 4 p.m. that day. Her car was found a short distance away, the FBI notice says.

Ard said that solving the case is matter of getting the right evidence and suspects.

“I think it’s a solvable case,” he said.

Blount is described as being a white woman, 5 feet 7 inches tall who weighs 150 pounds and who has brown hair and hazel eyes.

The online list is located at http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/fo/nowanted.htm.

Call the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office at (800) 443-7681, ext. 345, or the nearest FBI office or local law enforcement agency. For sightings outside the United States, call the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/20582889.html
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May 2, 2008
Livingston Parish, Louisiana
Barbara B. Blount


DESCRIPTION
Date of Birth: March 29, 1950 Place of Birth: Ashland, Alabama
Sex: Female Hair: Brown
Height: 5'7" Eyes: Hazel
Weight: 150 pounds Race: White

THE DETAILS
Information is being sought in connection with the disappearance of 58-year-old Barbara Blount from Louisiana. Mrs. Blount was last seen at her residence in Holden, Louisiana, during the morning of Friday, May 2, 2008. She was reported missing about 4 p.m. Her vehicle was recovered a short distance from her residence.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Individuals with information concerning this case should take no action themselves, but instead immediately contact the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office at 1-800-443-7681, extension 345; or the nearest FBI Office or local law enforcement agency. For any possible sighting outside the United States, contact the nearest United States Embassy or Consulate.


| New Orleans Field Office | Kidnapping and Missing Persons Investigations |
| FBI Home Page | FBI Field Offices |

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/blount_bb.htm
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