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| 1983 Ramber, Sondra Kay 1983; Santa Fe | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 19 2006, 07:01 AM (1,365 Views) | |
| PorchlightUSA | Jul 19 2006, 07:01 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/ramber_sondra.html![]() Paper: Houston Chronicle Date: WED 12/27/2000 Section: ThisWeek Page: 01 Edition: 2 STAR Missing child is a family's worst nightmare By ANDY SUMMA, Houston Chroniclecorrespondent Two weeks ago, a Bacliff teen-ager who ran away from home returned to her family after four months away. The girl's family, who asked that their name not be used, was happy to have her back. "She sounded relieved to be home," said Sgt. G.W. Hall of the Galveston County Sheriff's Department. "She sounded happy to me. Her family sounded happier." Before coming home, she was one of four missing Galveston County children, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The other three have not been located. They are Sondra Kay Ramber, who disappeared from Santa Fe in 1983; Jessica Cain, who has not been seen since 1997; and Jonathan Miguel Mora, who was last seen by his father in Santa Fe in 1998. Santa Fe police received a tip two years ago that Ramber was spotted in New Mexico. An ensuing investigation covering three states determined it was not her. Ramber's 31st birthday is Tuesday. She hasn't been seen by her family since she was 14. Mora, police believe, is likely in the custody of his mother in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, according to information posted on the Web site of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. He turned 5 on Dec. 14. Cain was 17 when she disappeared on her way home to Tiki Island from a Houston-area restaurant. Her truck, a beige Ford pickup, was found abandoned along the southbound shoulder of Interstate 45 in La Marque. The Texas Department of Public Safety lists 4,656 active cases of missing children. That includes suspected runaways, as well as stranger or family abductions. About 113,000 cases of missing children have been reported this year. In the vast majority of cases, the children are found quickly. When a child disappears, the family's worst nightmare begins, said Bob Walcutt, executive director of the Laura Recovery Center Foundation in Friendswood. "The moment a family discovers a child is missing, their world suddenly becomes their living nightmare," he said. "All they want to do is find their kid. That's all that matters in the world to them." The center was named after Laura Smither, a 12-year-old Friendswood girl who was abducted near her home in 1997. Her body was found near a Pasadena retention pond about three weeks later. "Since we started in 1998, we've worked on hundreds of cases," Walcutt said. "And each case is different. But there's a common element involved in every abduction: The family just wants to be reunited with their child." Children who are taken by a parent who does not have legal custody are treated with the same sense of urgency, Walcutt said. "Often people hear that a missing child is a runaway or was abducted by a noncustodial parent and assume the child is somehow safe," he said. "That's not the case. With noncustodial abductions, the child is often exposed to abuse, neglect and is kept out of schools for fear of being caught." Alicia Bird fears for her 5-year-old daughter, whom she believes was kidnapped by a family member last month. For four excruciating days, she didn't know where her child was, if she was OK or even if she was alive. "It was a terrible four days," the Webster resident said. That's when the family member called and let her know her daughter was in East Texas. "I'm very worried about Michaela. I want to get her back because she's isolated from everybody. She's not in school and she doesn't play with other kids," she said. Bird is working through the legal system to get her daughter back. She hopes to have the ordeal over within the next month. Runaway children also are in serious danger, Walcutt said. "Runaways are out on the street and are usually in great danger of getting seriously hurt," he said. Authorities in Houston and surrounding areas now can use a system that broadcasts information if someone is believed to be kidnapped. Named the Houston Regional Amber Plan, after a 9-year-old girl who was abducted from her Arlington home and killed in 1996, the system covers a six-county area, including Galveston County, and involves participation from almost 20 law enforcement agencies. A FirstCall telephone system was installed in Galveston County in the summer. It alerts residents about emergencies such as kidnappings through automated calls that deliver recorded warnings. The system can call 3,000 residents in a few minutes. Certain criteria must be met for law enforcement agencies to activate the Amber Plan system. The missing child must be younger than 18 years old, and officials must believe the child was abducted. They must believe the child is in danger, verify the abduction or eliminate other possible reasons the child is missing. Authorities also must have sufficient information to issue an alert. Requirements for a child to be declared missing are much less stringent, said Joe McKey, program administrator for the Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse, based in Austin. "The moment you realize your child is missing, immediately notify the police," McKey said. "If the police verify the child is missing, the child's picture and information will be loaded into the FBI database and can be distributed almost immediately. But don't wait." Every second counts when a child is believed to have been abducted by a stranger, Walcutt said. "Studies suggest that if the kidnapper is going to murder the child, he or she will do so 44 percent of the time within the first hour and about 75 percent in the first three hours. So, please don't wait to notify authorities about any possible abduction," he said. For more information on missing children in Galveston County and surrounding areas, call the Laura Recovery Center Foundation at 281-482-5723. Anyone with information on the Cain case can call the La Marque Police Department's missing person's department at 409-938-9269. Information on the Ramber case should be directed to the Santa Fe Police Department, 409-925-8901. The Galveston County Sheriff's Department is investigating the Mora case. The telephone number is 409-797-3702. |
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| burnsjl2003 | Oct 31 2007, 03:01 PM Post #2 |
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http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/in...?showtopic=3733 |
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| PorchlightUSA | Nov 7 2007, 12:29 AM Post #3 |
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http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/ramber_sondra.html Sondra Kay Ramber Left: Ramber, circa 1983; Right: Age-progression at age 35 (circa 2004) Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: October 26, 1983 from Santa Fe, Texas Classification: Non-Family Abduction Date Of Birth: January 2, 1969 Age: 14 years old Height and Weight: 5'5, 123 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Ramber has a mole on her right cheek. Her last name may be spelled "Romber." Details of Disappearance Ramber was last seen at her family's residence in Santa Fe, Texas on October 26, 1983. She disappeared from their house and has not been seen again. The door to the home was open and biscuits were baking in the oven at the time Ramber vanished. Her coat and purse were also located inside the residence. She was initially believed to have gone to the store for a moment, but she never returned to the house. Some reports may state that Ramber disappeared while en route to school during the morning hours. Ramber's father reported her as a missing person during the following morning. Authorities initially classified her as a runaway, but the circumstances surrounding her disappearance are unclear. Several investigators believe Ramber may have started a new life for herself with an assumed identity, but there is little evidence available in her case. Ramber's case may be related to a string of disappearances and/or murders of young women from the Galveston County, Texas area since the 1970's. Michelle Thomas vanished in 1985, Suzanne Richerson disappeared in 1988 and Jessica Cain vanished in 1997. Law enforcement has not determined if these four cases are connected. Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Santa Fe Police Department 409-925-8901 OR Texas Department Of Public Safety 800-346-3243 Source Information The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children Crime Search Inc. Texas Department Of Public Safety The Galveston Daily News Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 8, 2006; distinguishing characteristics updated. Charley Project Home |
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| PorchlightUSA | Feb 25 2011, 10:04 PM Post #4 |
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http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?...0f8fbf234b2e613 Cops seek leads on mystery torso from 1971 By Scott E. Williams The Daily News Published January 28, 2008 GALVESTON — In 1971, the disappearance of two Webster girls last seen on 61st Street in Galveston launched an investigation that ended in an arrest and the discovery of a skeletal torso in a Pasadena bayou. More than 36 years later, investigators say they believe the wrong man was convicted, and the torso did not belong to the missing kid police had identified. Sharon Shaw and Rhonda Johnson, both 14, had come from Webster to Galveston in summer 1971 to surf. The pair was last seen alive Aug. 4, 1971, waiting for a friend to pick them up on 61st Street. The friend later told investigators the girls were gone when she arrived. In early 1972, police found the girls’ skulls in Turner Bayou, a month apart. However, months earlier, in the same area, a torso had turned up. Police ascribed the remains as belonging to Phillip Manning, a 13-year-old boy from Pasadena who had gone missing weeks earlier. A few months ago, police learned that Manning, now 49, was alive and well. At 13, he had left home with a trucker, who had offered to make him an apprentice, of sorts. However, months later, Manning abandoned the truck driver, who was abusive. At 14, Manning joined the U.S. Army, even though he was four years below the age requirement. When his true age was discovered more than a year later, he was discharged and sent home, although he ended up in Louisiana. After a lifetime of moves and brushes with the law, Manning now lives in Austin. Galveston police detective Fred Paige said that Manning’s life prompts the question, “Whose bones were those?” Paige said he and other investigators with a variety of agencies believed that the torso likely belonged to Sharon Shaw or Rhonda Johnson. However, he also said detectives wanted to be certain. He asked that anyone with information on the remains call the police at 409-765-3702. Webster resident Michael Self ultimately received a life sentence in the girls’ killings, but police now believe he was innocent. Self died in prison more than 20 years ago. The Webster investigator in the case that led to Self’s conviction was Tommy Deal, who would later be sentenced to federal prison for bank robbery. +++ Mysteries along I-45 Anniversaries of disappearances and unsolved killings can be trying times, not only for the families of the victims, but for others who lost loved ones similarly. Among the unsolved cases of missing and murdered girls and women in Galveston County are: • July 1, 1971 — Brenda Jones, 14, was last seen in Galveston, saying she was on her way to visit a relative in the hospital. She never made it there. Brenda’s body was later found floating in Galveston Bay, about 500 yards west of the Pelican Island Bridge, with a head wound and a piece of cloth stuffed into her mouth. • Nov. 9, 1971 — Allison Craven, 12, vanished from her Galveston home. About three months later, her dismembered remains were found buried in two separate places — in a field near her family’s home and in another field in Pearland, about 13 miles southeast of Houston. • Nov. 19, 1971 — The half-nude bodies of Ball High School students Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, both 15, were found in Turner’s Bayou in Texas City four days after they had gone missing. Both had been shot to death. • Sept. 6, 1974 — Brooks Bracewell, 12, and Georgia Geer, 14, were last seen at a payphone outside a Dickinson convenience store. Their remains were later found in an Alvin marsh. • Oct. 10, 1983 — Sondra Romber, 14, left her Santa Fe home for school but never arrived there. Her father reported her missing the day after he returned home to find his daughter gone and his house unlocked. • Oct. 26, 1985 — Michelle Doherty Thomas, 17, disappeared after leaving her Alta Loma home with a group of friends. Investigators believe she may have been kidnapped and killed because she had served as a police informant in a drug bust. • May 1986 — Shelley Sikes, 19, left her summer job at Gaido’s restaurant for her Texas City home but never made it. Her car was found on Interstate 45’s northbound feeder road about a mile north of the causeway. Her body was never recovered, but Bayview resident John Robert King and El Lago resident Gerald Peter Zwarst were later convicted of aggravated kidnapping, the most severe charge prosecutors could pursue without a body. • Oct. 1988 — Suzanne Rene Richerson, 22, disappeared from the lobby of the Casa Del Mar Condominiums on Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard. One of her shoes was found, but no one has been able to turn up any other trace of her. • Sept. 1991 — The remains of an unidentified woman, known as “Janet Doe,” were found in a Calder Road field, just east of Interstate 45. Her body was the fourth found in the field since 1984. Heidi Villareal Fye, 25, disappeared in 1983 and Laura Miller, 16, disappeared in 1984, both from the same convenience store. The bodies of Fye and Miller later turned up in the field, as did another unidentified woman, known only as “Jane Doe.” • March 5, 1996 — Krystal Jean Baker, 13, was reported missing after being seen last walking in the 4500 block of FM 1765. Her body was later found near Interstate 10 and the Trinity River in Chambers County. • April 1997 — Laura Kate Smither, 12, disappeared while jogging near her Friendswood home. Her body was found weeks later in a Pasadena retention pond. Friendswood Crime Stoppers, at 281-480-8477, is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of anyone involved in the child’s death. • Aug. 17 1997 — Jessica Lee Cain, 17, disappeared on her way home from a Bennigan’s restaurant in Webster. Her father found her tan 1992 Ford extended-cab pickup on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 45 between exits 7 and 8 in La Marque. Her wallet and keys were inside. The Cains have established a $50,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts, or to the arrest and indictment of anyone involved in her disappearance. Anyone with information can call the Laura Recovery Center at 281-482-5723. • July 12, 2001 — Tot “Totsy” Harriman, 57, was visiting family in League City when she left for a planned trip up state Highway 35 looking for property to buy. Neither she nor her 1995 Lincoln Continental have been seen since. • July 12, 2002 — Sarah Trusty, 23, was last seen riding her bicycle near Algoa Baptist Church. Fifteen days later, two fishermen found her decomposed body on the Texas City Dike. Her death was ruled a homicide, and doctors determined she had been dead more than a week when her body was found. • Nov. 3 — A man on a motorcycle found the body of Terresa Vanegas, 16, at the edge of a Dickinson High School practice field. Vanegas had last been seen three days earlier at a Halloween party on California Avenue. Her death was ruled a homicide, with police saying she had suffered various types of injuries. • Nov. 10 — A passerby found the body of Amanda Nicole Kellum, 27, lying facedown at the eastern edge of Omega Bay, just north of the neighborhood bearing the same name. She had been beaten and stabbed to death. • July 15 — Beach campers found the body of Bridgette Gearen, 28, on Crystal Beach. Gearen, a single mother who worked at a Beaumont law firm, had been raped, beaten and strangled. Gearen vanished one Saturday night from outside a beach house at the corner of Redfish and Crystal Beach roads that she was renting along with a dozen friends. +++ How To Help Anyone with information in any of these cases can call his or her respective law-enforcement agency: • Dickinson Police Department: 281-337-4700 • Friendswood Police Department: 281-996-3300 • Galveston County Sheriff’s Office tip line: 866-248-8477 • Galveston Police Department: 409-765-3760 • Hitchcock Police Department: 409-986-5559 • Jamaica Beach Police Department: 409-737-1143 • Kemah Police Department: 281-334-5414 • La Marque Police Department: 409-938-9269 • League City Police Department: 281-332-2566 • Santa Fe Police Department: 409-925-2000 • Texas City Police Department: 409-643-5760 • Texas Department of Public Safety, Galveston County office: 409-933-1125 |
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| PorchlightUSA | Aug 10 2012, 10:03 PM Post #5 |
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Vigil set for 15th anniversary of disappearance By Chris Paschenko The Daily News Published August 10, 2012 LA MARQUE — A candlelight vigil next week will commemorate the 15th anniversary of a teenage girl who disappeared without a trace. Jessica Lee Cain was last seen at the age of 17 leaving a Bennigan’s restaurant at Bay Area Boulevard at Interstate 45, where she’d met a group of friends after a performance at Harbour Playhouse in Dickinson. Cain’s father found her car the following morning on the southbound shoulder of I-45 in La Marque between exits 7 and 8, but there was no trace of her. Her wallet and keys were inside the 1992 Ford pickup. Cain’s disappearance was among the mysteries of several women reported missing or found murdered in Galveston County since 1971. A $50,000 reward was established for information leading to Cain’s whereabouts or an arrest and indictment in the disappearance. La Marque police detective Danielle Herman said Thursday she believes there could be a statement from Cain’s relatives at the vigil, which will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 18 at La Marque’s Highland Bayou Park. There will be a dedication of a newly constructed memorial Herman also expected information about a newly issued reward and possibly a team’s review of the case. +++ Mysteries Along Interstate 45 Here is a list of cases of missing and murdered girls and women in Galveston County: July 1, 1971 — Brenda Jones, 14, was last seen in Galveston, after saying she was on her way to visit a relative in the hospital. She never made it there. Brenda’s body was later found floating in Galveston Bay, about 500 yards west of the Pelican Island Bridge, with a head wound and a piece of cloth stuffed into her mouth. Nov. 9, 1971 — Allison Craven, 12, vanished from her Galveston home. About three months later, her dismembered remains were found buried in two separate places — in a field near her family’s home and in another field in Pearland, about 13 miles southeast of Houston. Nov. 19, 1971 — The half-nude bodies of Ball High School students Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, both 15, were found in Turner’s Bayou in Texas City four days after they had gone missing. Both had been shot to death. Sept. 6, 1974 — Brooks Bracewell, 12, and Georgia Geer, 14, were last seen at a pay phone outside a Dickinson convenience store. Their remains were later found in an Alvin marsh. Oct. 10, 1983 — Sondra Romber, 14, left her Santa Fe home for school but never arrived there. Her father reported her missing the day after he returned home to find his daughter gone and his house unlocked. Oct. 26, 1985 — Michelle Doherty Thomas, 17, disappeared after leaving her Alta Loma home with a group of friends. Investigators believe she might have been kidnapped and killed because she had served as a police informant in a drug bust. May 1986 — Shelley Sikes, 19, left her summer job at Gaido’s restaurant for her Texas City home but never made it. Her car was found on Interstate 45’s northbound feeder road about a mile north of the causeway. Her body was never recovered, but Bayview resident John Robert King and El Lago resident Gerald Peter Zwarst were later convicted of aggravated kidnapping, the most severe charge prosecutors could pursue without a body. Oct. 1988 — Suzanne Rene Richerson, 22, disappeared from the lobby of the Casa Del Mar Condominiums on Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard. One of her shoes was found, but no one has been able to turn up any other trace of her. Sept. 1991 — The remains of an unidentified woman, known as “Janet Doe,” were found in a Calder Road field, just east of Interstate 45. Her body was the fourth found in the field since 1984. Heidi Villareal Fye, 25, disappeared in 1983 and Laura Miller, 16, disappeared in 1984, both from the same convenience store. The bodies of Fye and Miller later turned up in the field, as did another unidentified woman, known only as “Jane Doe.” March 5, 1996 — Krystal Jean Baker, 13, was reported missing after being seen last walking in the 4500 block of FM 1765. Her body was later found near Interstate 10 and the Trinity River in Chambers County. Authorities retested DNA evidence in the case and arrested Kevin Edison Smith on Sept. 22, 2010. Smith was convicted April 26 of capital murder, and he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, the longest punishment he could receive under the 1996 state Penal Code. April 1997 — Laura Kate Smither, 12, disappeared while jogging near her Friendswood home. Her body was found weeks later in a Pasadena retention pond. Friendswood Crime Stoppers, at 281-480-8477, is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of anyone involved in her death. Aug. 17, 1997 — Jessica Lee Cain, 17, disappeared on her way home from a Bennigan’s restaurant in Webster. Her father found her tan 1992 Ford extended-cab pickup on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 45 between exits 7 and 8 in La Marque. Her wallet and keys were inside. The Cains have established a $50,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts, or to the arrest and indictment of anyone involved in her disappearance. Anyone with information can call the Laura Recovery Center at 281-482-5723. July 12, 2001 — Tot “Totsy” Harriman, 57, was visiting family in League City when she left for a planned trip up state Highway 35 looking for property to buy. Neither she nor her 1995 Lincoln Continental have been seen since. July 12, 2002 — Sarah Trusty, 23, was last seen riding her bicycle near Algoa Baptist Church. Fifteen days later, two fishermen found her decomposed body on the Texas City Dike. Her death was ruled a homicide, and doctors determined she had been dead more than a week when her body was found. Nov. 3, 2006 — A man on a motorcycle found the body of Terresa Vanegas, 16, at the edge of a Dickinson High School practice field. Vanegas had last been seen three days earlier at a Halloween party on California Avenue. Her death was ruled a homicide, with police saying she had suffered various types of injuries. Nov. 10, 2006 — A passer-by found the body of Amanda Nicole Kellum, 27, lying facedown at the eastern edge of Omega Bay, just north of the neighborhood bearing the same name. She had been beaten and stabbed to death. July 15, 2007 — Beach campers found the body of Bridgette Gearen, 28, on Crystal Beach. Gearen, a single mother who worked at a Beaumont law firm, had been raped, beaten and strangled. Gearen vanished one Saturday night from outside a beach house at the corner of Redfish and Crystal Beach roads that she was renting along with a dozen friends. http://galvestondailynews.com/story/333330 |
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