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| 1989 Linderman, Mona 12/00/1989; Deweyville | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 27 2008, 04:28 PM (430 Views) | |
| PorchlightUSA | Jan 27 2008, 04:28 PM Post #1 |
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Sabine River search ongoing for woman missing since ‘89 By Debby Schamber The Orange Leader Members of Texas EquuSearch once again on Tuesday looked for the body of Mona Linderman, who has been missing since December 1989. This time using a side-scan sonar they were looking in the Sabine River near Highway 12 in Deweyville where they found a few “points of interest.” The EquuSearch team plans to take the scanned images to their lab and look at them in further detail. If they find something they need to look into further, a dive team will be called. A member of Linderman’s family left the area saddened and frustrated with not being able to bring some closure. Divers from the Port Arthur Dive Team searched in August at the boat ramp on West Bluff Road in search of a vehicle believed to hold body of Linderman. However, all they managed to retrieve from the muddy water was two vehicles that did not have anything to do the case. Linderman, 46, was reported missing by her parents December 1989. Her father died three years ago not knowing what had happened to his oldest daughter. Recently investigators from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about the location of Linderman’s vehicle and body. Her body is believed to be in the trunk of a 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix. The dive team was unable to return to the water in August after pulling out the pickup because of a communications failure with their equipment. They hope to return to the site in the future for further evaluation. “With the current and lack of visibility, it is unsafe for divers,” said Capt. Scott Wonders of the PAFD Dive Rescue Team. “We will come back once we can get our communications back.” Tim Miller of Texas Eqqusearch said he is not 100 percent satisfied from the search. Miller said, he is “not ready to give up on the area entirely.” “We will be back in the near future and re-scan the area,” Miller said. “I am not ready to totally give up.” Members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are also not ready to call off the search either. “This one hasn’t panned out so far, but we are continuing to investigate,” said Capt. David Reeves of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “All of our cases are always on the forefront and we will run leads down as they come in; it doesn’t matter how old the case is.” http://www.orangeleader.com/local/local_story_325020522.html |
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| PorchlightUSA | Jan 27 2008, 04:28 PM Post #2 |
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http://www.orangeleader.com/features/local...=secondarystory Published: January 04, 2008 09:54 pm Cold case continues to haunt Mauriceville family The Orange Leader By Debby Schamber The new year is a chance for new beginnings — but for the family of Mona Linderman it is an ongoing battle to move on after 18 long years of not knowing where their loved one disappeared to on that December day so long ago. The recent anniversary of her disappearance only serves as a reminder that time may have passed, but her memory is alive and well within their hearts. “I initially had hopes of her coming home, but I knew as time passed it became more and more less likely and plain ol’ not going to happen,” said Carolyn Ratcliff, Linderman’s younger sister. Linderman, 46, was reported missing by her parents Dec. 6, 1989. They waited five days after her disappearance to file the report when she failed to return to her parent’s Mauriceville home where she lived. Co-workers reported she was last seen in a light blue work uniform. Her father died about three years ago not knowing what happened to his oldest daughter of 14 children. Mona Linderman’s 84-year-old mother, who is ailing in her health, still waits to see her daughter one more time. Family members, in an effort to protect the family matriarch, do not discuss new developments in the case. They are just hoping to be able to finally tell her, “Mona has been found.” Linderman had plans to go “out” for the evening Dec. 6, 1989, and meet with friends. She never arrived. Before going out, she stopped by her boyfriend’s house, but found him with another woman, her sister reported. Angrily, Ratcliff said, her sister slashed the tires of his vehicle. It is not known exactly what happened next, but Linderman was never heard from again, according to Ratcliff. “I feel the person responsible for her disappearance is still in Orange County,” said Terry Manuel, investigator with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Linderman worked at a Beaumont Hospital as a janitor, but never arrived the next day to pick up her paycheck. “After they could not find the her car, I knew she wasn’t coming back,” Ratcliff said. Recently, investigators from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about the location of Linderman’s vehicle and body. “The caller relayed some information from what they had heard,” said OCSO Capt. David Reeves. Linderman’s body is believed to be in the trunk of her 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix. The white vehicle with a red top had dealer tags on it when it disappeared. The search goes cold After they received the tip, members of Texas Equusearch and the Port Arthur dive team were called in to search the murky, swift moving water on Moss Bluff Road. The team initially pulled out a mud covered car — a vehicle that did not belong to Linderman. Members of the Texas Equusearch team searched in water about 14 feet deep and about a mile wide, using side scan sonar to locate Linderman’s vehicle this past summer. Linderman’s family stood on the roadway near the boat ramp, staring off into the murky water — their hearts filled with hope that they could soon give their loved one the peace she deserved. Every once in a while they would begin pacing back and forth as if that would make the search go faster. The sweltering heat of that August day was stifling as two sisters talked of their big sister, Mona. They only stopped long enough to gaze at the water. Occasionally they would smile and laugh when they thought of some of the things Mona did. Mona’s younger sister, Carolyn remembers her big sister as “good hearted” and someone who “would do anything in the world for anybody.” Mona’s daughter who was a teenager when her mother disappeared is now grown. Mona missed seeing and sharing in the life of her grandson as he has grown from toddler to man, the sisters reported. Divers finally came to the surface stating they saw a vehicle and hoped it was the Grand Prix. Finally after a few tense minutes, they were able to pull a side mirror from the vehicle and bring it to the surface. The team examined the mirror closely, trying to determine what type of vehicle they had uncovered. Convinced they had found what they were looking for, the vehicle was pulled from the water with the help of a tow truck on the surface. Searchers were elated with the find until an early 90s model Dodge Dakota pickup was pulled out of the muddy water. The truck — covered in mud —smelled foul and after the door was opened, the thick brown earth of the river bed oozed out. Family members gazed at the empty truck with sinking feelings and showed visible signs of despair. The dive team was unable to return to the water after pulling out the pickup because of a communications failure with their equipment. “With the current and lack of visibility, it is unsafe for divers,” said Capt. Scott Wonders of the PAFD Dive Rescue Team during the August interview. “We will come back once we can get our communications back.” Tim Miller of Texas Equusearch said, he was not 100 percent satisfied from the search. Miller plans to give the water in the area time to go down and said he is “not ready to give up on the area entirely.” “We will be back in the near future and re-scan the area,” Miller said in August. “I am not ready to totally give up.” A few months later, Texas Equusearch, scanned the water under the Highway 12 bridge near Deweyville, discovering a few “points of interest.” Hope for Mona continues The Equusearch team plans to take the scanned images to their lab and investigate the data in further detail. If they find something they need to look into further, a dive team will be called back to the area. “This one hasn’t panned out so far, but we are continuing to investigate,” said Reeves. “All of our cases are always on the forefront and we will run leads down as they come in; it doesn’t matter how old the case is.” “It is good that the case has been reopened, but it brings you back to live it all over again,” said Donna Rash-Merriman, one of Linderman’s sisters. Rash-Merriman said she has hope Equusearch will continue to search as long as they continue to find clues. “I have always thought she was somewhere in the river since they never found the car,” Ratcliff said. Both sisters vow to be there as many times as it takes until the vehicle is pulled out of the water. If Linderman’s body is recovered, they plan to finally have a funeral for their big sister. In the spring of 2008, investigators hope to return to the Moss Bluff Road area. “The problem with bodies of water is the vehicle could be covered in silt or debris, it could just be sitting there or the current could have moved it,” Reeves said. In addition to the “black water,” there is a danger of abandoned trot lines, downed trees and the current in the river. “We will keep trying — just looking for anything,” Reeves said. One of the many problems facing investigators is the “unknown.” Without knowing the degree of deterioration. Factors such as age, the water, and floating debris all have to be considered. However, investigators feel if the vehicle is recovered it still has some “forensic value.” “We are just unsure of what will be found until it is recovered,” Reeves said. Once the vehicle is recovered, investigators will consult with forensic experts. “We will process everything as if it is fresh evidence,” Reeves said. If the vehicle is discovered in the waters of Deweyville, which is in Newton County, Orange County investigators say they will share information and equipment in an effort to solve the case and bring the murderer to justice. “We are asking for anybody with information to help the family have some closure. They need to call us,” Manuel said. To contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, call 409-883-2612. Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2613, or dschamber@orangeleader.com |
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| PorchlightUSA | Jan 27 2008, 04:28 PM Post #3 |
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http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/in...pic=26535&st=0& |
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| PorchlightUSA | Aug 25 2009, 11:59 PM Post #4 |
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http://www.panews.com/local/local_story_22...tml?start:int=0 Published August 09, 2007 06:51 pm - Port Arthur Fire Department divers returned Thursday to the boat ramp on West Bluff Road in Little Cypress in search of a vehicle believed to hold body of Mona Linderman. PAFD helps Orange officials search for missing woman The Port Arthur News By Debby Schamber The News staff writer ORANGE — Port Arthur Fire Department divers returned Thursday to the boat ramp on West Bluff Road in Little Cypress in search of a vehicle believed to hold body of Mona Linderman. Linderman, 46, was reported missing by her parents in December 1989. Her father died three years ago not knowing what happened to his oldest daughter. Last week, investigators from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about the location of Linderman’s vehicle and body. Her body is believed to be in the trunk of a 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix. However, once again, they were only able to recover a vehicle that was not Linderman’s. Thursday they pulled out of the muddy water an early 1990s model Dodge Dakota pickup truck. Members of Texas Equusearch searched in water about 14-feet-deep in about a mile-wide area, using side scan sonar to locate Linderman’s vehicle. They thought they had found it but were disappointed when it turned out to be the pickup. The dive team was unable to return to the water after pulling out the pickup because of a communications equipment failure. “With the current and lack of visibility, it is unsafe for divers,” said Capt. Scott Wonders of the PAFD Dive Rescue Team. “We will come back once we can get our communications back.” Tim Miller of Texas Equusearch said he is not 100 percent satisfied from the search. Miller plans to give the water in the area time to go down. “We will be back in the near future and re-scan the area,” Miller said. “I am not ready to totally give up.” Miller said he also hopes to scan the water near the Highway 12 bridge near Deweyville. “This one hasn’t panned out so far, but we are continuing to investigate,” said Capt. David Reeves of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “All of our cases are always on the forefront and we will run leads down as they come in; it doesn’t matter how old the case is.” Members of Linderman’s family left the area saddened and frustrated with not being able to bring some closure. “I was very hopeful that his would turn out to be her vehicle,” said Donna Rash-Merriman, Linderman’s sister. “It is good that the case has been reopened, but it brings you back to live it all over again.” |
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| PorchlightUSA | Aug 26 2009, 12:03 AM Post #5 |
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pdf article about Mona's disappearance here http://thepolicenews.net/html/setjan08.pdf |
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| PorchlightUSA | Aug 26 2009, 12:05 AM Post #6 |
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I can't find a picture of Mona anywhere. |
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9:20 AM Jul 11