'Missing 411', by David Paulides: Tracking unusual missing persons cases

[Beau]

As for defenses, David mentioned there were no known disappearances of people with a GPS and firearm.

Plenty of hunters who carried firearms have disappeared. He chronicles that in his Missing 411: Hunters book. Searchers typically find the hunting rifle or shotgun without it ever being discharged.

 

[Altair]

Plenty of hunters who carried firearms have disappeared. He chronicles that in his Missing 411: Hunters book. Searchers typically find the hunting rifle or shotgun without it ever being discharged.

As far as I remember, he said that no person disappeared who carried personal locator beacon (and not simply GPS) though personally I think it's rather due to small number of people carrying them.

 

[Adaryn]

Nora Quoirin cops slammed by Madeleine McCann investigator who fears five key blunders let Brit schoolgirl starve to death in Malaysian jungle

COPS who led the hunt for Nora Quoirin have been slammed by a top Maddie investigator who fears five key blunders could have resulted in the teenager starving to death.

According Julian Peribañez, who was hired by the McCann family, mistakes made by Malaysian police bear a harrowing resemblance to those made by Portuguese officers hunting for Madeleine.

1. WERE COPS TOO SLOW TO ACT?

The first 72 hours of any missing person case are the most important, says Peribañez.

Local cops investigating Madeleine’s case took hours before changing it from a missing persons to an abduction case, wasting crucial hours in the search for the kidnapper.

Peribañez said the cops should have gathered CCTV at the scene "immediately", all evidence preserved "in case of any criminal activity".

A timeline based on witness statements should also have pieced together from when she was last seen, said the investigator.

Peribañez told The Sun Online: “It’s the most important thing to treat the case correctly from the very start.

“A young person is vulnerable and Nora had learning difficulties that made this case particularly important to work quickly."

2. TOO MUCH RELIANCE ON MEGAPHONES AND 'ABSURD' SHAMAN

Nora went missing on August 4. By day five, cops resorted to blasting out a recording of Nora’s mother in the dense jungle.

Teams used a recording of Meabh Quoirin shouting: "Nora darling, I love you. Mum is here.”

Other family members were also recorded with authorities hoping to attract Nora towards the sound.

But Peribañez again dismissed the tactics as useless, adding: “I’ve never heard of police using a recording of the mother’s voice before. It had good intentions but it was a little absurd and unlikely to solve anything.

“Taking into consideration the girl and her vulnerability, it could have helped her to focus and find her way so the intention was good.

“But I think they were trying to show off and do whatever they can.”

As the search entered its second week, Malaysian tribal shamans joined cops from Ireland, France and the UK in the dense jungle to crack the case.

Video footage showed the elderly men chanting and praying before claiming a genie lured her away.

“The shamans mean nothing, obviously,” claimed Peribañez.

“It comes into the culture and religious belief of locals. However, to us it’s a bit crazy to bring them in.”

3. QUESTIONS OVER THOROUGHNESS OF SEARCH

It took 12 hours for police to eventually put up roadblocks in Madeleine’s case as they extended the search to the Spanish borders and eventually worldwide as Interpol were notified after five days.

However, during the nine-day search for Nora, officers stayed within a 2.5-square-mile search radius.

When Nora's body was eventually discovered, it was by a waterfall where the team had already searched.

This raises questions over whether Nora was moving in and around the search area during the week she is feared to have been alive and missing.

Peribañez questioned the thoroughness of the search.

“Ultimately, there are lots of concerns about the policing operation," he said.

4. CONCERNS OVER EVIDENCE GATHERING AND WITNESS STATEMENTS

London-born Nora suffered from holoprosencephaly, a disorder affecting brain development, and her family said she was "not independent and does not go anywhere alone".

Her desperate parents asked police to launch an abduction case instead of a missing person.

But police were slow to act and continued regardless.

Even as it looks increasingly unlikely a third party had anything to do with Nora’s disappearance, treating the case as a possible abduction could have focused minds.

In a country where four children go missing every day, treating the case as a kidnapping could have hammered home the gravity of the situation to the officers on the ground.

“They may have thought that, as she’s 15, she’s older and is likely to have wandered off. However, her learning disabilities and assertions from her parents that she would not have done so alone mean they needed to act quickly.

“They should have undertaken an initial investigation of the scene before collecting all CCTV immediately.

“Next, all evidence should have been preserved in case of any criminal activity, witnesses must be interviewed and a timeline pieced together from the last moment she was seen or further back if needed.”

5. WAS THE SEARCH HINDERED BY FEARS FOR TOURIST TRADE?

Peribañez also claimed the local authorities in Malaysia, as in Portugal, didn't want to do anything to harm the tourist trade.

“It’s a British girl who has gone missing and the Madeleine McCann case is still at the forefront of everyone’s first thoughts," he said.

“Therefore, the bad press for the resort and for the location could mean the police were pressured into talking about a missing person and not a kidnapping.”

After Madeleine’s disappearance, the quiet coastal resort of Praia de Luz attracted international notoriety for all the wrong reasons.

The once popular tourist destination became synonymous with the case and failed to shrug off its dark history.

Peribañez believes tourism, and the financial impact it has on the Malaysian economy and Dusun resort, could have swayed investigators decision making.

“There will be political and economic matters that relate to a case of this size and type,” he said.

Peribañez said he was concerned under-pressure cops fearing negative press may have had an impact on both the way Nora’s disappearance was spoken about and how the search was conducted.

“We’re talking about a high-class resort that could face bankruptcy as a result of bad press and there’s a lot of phone calls going on behind the scenes,” he said.

The post-mortem found Nora succumbed to "intestinal bleeding" after wandering through the Malaysian jungle as emergency crews desperately searched for her tragically finding her body three days after she died.

Negeri Sembilan Police Chief, Mohamad Mat Yusop, today said authorities had found no evidence of foul play despite fears the teen had been abducted and her body dumped.

And he said a post-mortem also found she had not been sexually abused.

"For the time being, there is no element of abduction or kidnapping," said.

He added that there were some bruises on her legs but that these would not have caused her death.

Prior to the post-mortem findings, French prosecutors had joined the probe - as Nora's father is French - to investigate whether the teen was kidnapped before her death.

A lawyer representing the family in France told Le Parisien that the parents had filed a complaint “for kidnapping" and were convinced her disappearance is of "criminal" origin.

Malaysian police admit ‘inexperienced’ cops may have missed vital clues in 10-day search for Nora Quoirin, 15

One officer, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Mail on Sunday: “The searchers included people who were inexperienced and got tired quickly in the hot and humid conditions and didn’t always walk at arm’s length from each other.

“We can’t blame them because it was the first time for many of these searchers working for so many hours in these conditions and water and food supplies were limited. Overall, I think they did a good job despite incredibly arduous conditions.”

Another officer, who also did not want to be named, told the paper the area where Nora was found is still being investigated by forensic experts to see if there were any signs Nora was abducted or assaulted before her death.

The officer added: “We have found no evidence to support a criminal element so far and we are continuing to examine the area where she was found for clues. Locals are also being interviewed.

“The circumstances surrounding her death remain a complete mystery. Nora was barefoot and dressed only in her underwear when she disappeared from an open hall window of her holiday bungalow on the first night of the family’s holiday.

“Sniffer dogs only picked up her trail about 100 metres from the lodge, and how a child with special needs could have walked nearly two miles into dense forest and through a steep ravine is mystifying.

“Everyone is very upset and we have agonised over how she ended up in a waterfall area that had been combed by search teams in the first seven days.”

The comments come after a volunteer member of the search team said it would have been "impossible" for the barefoot 15-year-old to cross the dense jungle on her own.

Nora suffered from physical and mental difficulties - making it extremely unlikely that she would have ended up near the ravine without any help.

The treacherous gradients and dense vegetation surrounding the place where Nora was found would have been "impossible" for her to reach.

This new information has generated even more doubt over the police theory that she reached the site alone after wandering off from her family's holiday chalet.

While the authorities have ruled out any foul play, her family are insistent that she couldn't have walked out on her own.

The volunteer, who is an expert on the area surrounding the remote Lata Berembum waterfall, said: "Nora couldn’t have got there by herself.

"I struggled to walk. The path is difficult even for an able-bodied person.

"Dense vegetation snags your feet. The average gradient of the slopes where Nora was found range from 20 to 40 per cent.

"You have to cross two reasonably deep streams to reach the area where she was found.

"The terrain by the stream is very slippery. The roots and rocks are wet.

"My boots were destroyed by the end and Nora was barefoot.

"I can’t imagine how she could have walked to the place where she was found."

Nora’s family have consistently said they can't believe she walked out on her own - and this new information has brought more speculation to the theory.

Nora - who had learning difficulties - was reported missing by her parents Meabh, 45, and Sebastien, 47, at 8am Sunday August 4.

Two days later, local police were told a “white girl” had been spotted swimming in a nearby river the afternoon she went missing but were said to be unsure whether to believe the eyewitness.

Nora wandered around the jungle for a week before her body was found by volunteer hiker – three days after she died – and the family’s lawyer has said it is possible she would have met someone in that time.

It has been claimed Malaysian police made five key blunders in the hunt for Nora and that she could have been saved.

Child protection expert Jim Gamble who has been advising Nora's family told Sky News that there are still questions to be answered about the teen’s disappearance and death.

He said the Malaysian authorities should keep an open mind despite them insisting Nora’s death wasn’t the result of foul play.

Gamble, the former chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, also told the BBC's Breakfast said the cottage window where the family was faulty and could not have been locked and could have been opened from the outside.

'TAMPERED WITH HER BODY'
A post-mortem examination found she died from internal bleeding in her intestine after a stomach ulcer burst, following a period of prolonged hunger and stress.

Grandad Sylvain Quoirin, 67, has claimed that “someone tampered with her body” believing she was dumped at the waterfall by sinister forces in an attempt to “get rid of her” and called for a fresh criminal investigation.

Retired businessman Sylvain told The Irish Times: "She wasn’t there yet [during previous searches]. Someone put her there.

“Can you imagine her walking 2.5km, naked and barefoot, over rocks, in the middle of the night? For me, that’s absurd."

He added: “Do you think she would go walking around at night? For me, it is obviously a criminal case, by default. She could not have wandered.”

Mr Quoirin insisted there were “dark areas that need to be cleared up for the family to be able to grieve in peace”.

Police in Malaysia have also arrested a 29-year-old man after he posted on social media alleging Nora had been raped by a local tribesman.

 

[cholas]

Hi Folks. The Missing 411 scenario has recently hit very close to home. At the moment anyway.

As of the 15th, a young hiker has been missing from the wilderness area. There has been round-the-clock Search&Rescue for the last couple of days. His car was found at the trailhead, 5 miles up the road from us.

Hallmarks all pretty familiar:

Hiking alone
very experienced
last seen by a group prior to disappearance
National Forest/Wilderness
cell not working(no surprise)
gps tracker not functioning

Tomorrow will be a week since last seen. Here's a ad-heavy yet informative link:

News Archives

Today’s top breaking news, delivered without bias or snark.

heavy.com

Strangely, a 73 year-old man was also reported missing at about the same time from a place only a few miles away. He is still missing also.

 

[hlat]

Plenty of hunters who carried firearms have disappeared. He chronicles that in his Missing 411: Hunters book. Searchers typically find the hunting rifle or shotgun without it ever being discharged.

Yes, definitely true.

As far as I remember, he said that no person disappeared who carried personal locator beacon (and not simply GPS) though personally I think it's rather due to small number of people carrying them.

I didn't remember the words and only remembered the concept of a GPS showing where the person is. So I looked around for his exact words. Paulides says this quote at 1:45:40.

I've never taken a case where somebody's disappeared that was armed and had a locator beacon. There's been people who have disappeared under the criteria that have been armed, and there's been one person that disappeared under the criteria that had a locator beacon. Never with both.

That was 6 years ago though. Maybe in the future, he will find a case where the person had both.

 

[Meg]

Hi Folks. The Missing 411 scenario has recently hit very close to home. At the moment anyway.

As of the 15th, a young hiker has been missing from the wilderness area. There has been round-the-clock Search&Rescue for the last couple of days. His car was found at the trailhead, 5 miles up the road from us.

They found him.

Daniel Komins, a 34-year-old hiker who had gone missing in the Trinity Alps in Northern California, was found dead Sunday morning, the Trinity County Sheriff's Office said.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter found a backpack off the trail between L Lake and Mirror Lake. Search and rescue teams then found Komins' remains near the backpack, which they determined to be his.

"A preliminary investigation appears to indicate that Komins may have fallen in the steep and rocky terrain," the Sheriff's office said in a statement.

Hiker on solo trip who disappeared in Northern California mountains is found dead

Daniel Komins, a 34-year-old hiker who had gone missing in the Trinity Alps in Northern...

www.sfgate.com

 

[cholas]

Yes, very sad. Not many details yet. Him being separated from his backpack might point towards a fall that was not initially fatal.

Many such cases seem to be "may have fallen". I suppose even very experienced hikers occasionally slip(or are dropped).

 

[Palinurus]

Today marks the one year anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Dutch cyber expert and Assange collaborator Arjen Kamphuis.
I searched the forum for his name and this thread specifically as well to no avail.

SOTT carried three articles about him:
Dutch cyber security expert linked to WikiLeak's Julian Assange mysteriously disappears in Norway -- Sott.net
Belongings of missing Wikileaks security expert Kamphuis found by fisherman in Norway -- Sott.net
WikiLeaks associate's mysterious disappearance takes a new turn -- Sott.net

Today's source: One year anniversary of Dutch cyber security expert's disappearance in Norway

One year anniversary of Dutch cyber security expert's disappearance in Norway

By Janene Pieters on August 20, 2019 - 10:20

Arjen Kamphuis. (Photo: Police Department)


One year ago today was the last confirmed sighting of Dutch cyber security expert Arjen Kamphuis. The Dutch man disappeared during a kayaking vacation in Norway. A year later, what became of him is still a mystery.

Kamphuis is something of a celebrity in the cyber security world. He is considered an authority on cyber security and espionage. His book Information Security for Journalists is one of the most comprehensive manuals for journalists on how to protect themselves online, according to RTL Nieuws. He also gave a TEDx talk on defending yourself online, which has been watched thousands of times on YouTube.

Kamphuis suddenly disappeared on August 20th, 2018. He was last seen checking out of his hotel in Bodo in the north of Norway. Ten days after his disappearance, his cell phone unexpectedly made contact with radio towers in southern Norway, near the town of Vikesa. His phone was active for 20 minutes, after which the SIM card was removed and a German SIM was placed in the device. Three weeks after his disappearance, his kayak, his identity card, and other personal items were found in a fjord near Mount Kvænflåget, north of Rognan. Witnesses reported seeing Kamphuis in Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Norway, but none of these sightings could be confirmed.

In December last year, four months after his disappearance, friends told newspaper AD that they think Kamphuis is still alive and may have gone into hiding on his own accord. He had done that before. "We take into account that Arjen might have been in a mental emergency", Ancilla van de Leest said to the newspaper, speaking on behalf of the missing man's friends and family. "His stressful life, combined with high intelligence and sitting on your own for weeks, could lead to that." Kirk Wiebe, NSA whistleblower and a colleague of Kamphuis, believes the same. "There are indications for the scenario that Arjen wanted to disappear from the radar himself."

The police think that one of three things happened to Kamphuis - he was involved in an accident, he fell victim to a crime, or he went into hiding himself. A year later, there is still no sign of the man. Good friend Van de Leest can add little. "In consultation with friends and family, we really only want to say that we still miss Arjen immensely", she said to RTL Nieuws.

The cyber security expert's disappearance gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories shared online. Some speculated that he was abducted by a secret service, others wondered whether he was on the brink of unveiling a major scandal, according to the broadcaster. There were also reports that he stowed away on a cargo ship in an attempt to disappear.

In an interview with RTL Nieuws last year, Van de Leest called it "not weird" that Kamphuis' disappearance prompted conspiracy theories. "Arjen is an outspoken person and never afraid to offend people with his work." She described Kamphuis as "one of the good guys". "He is always willing to help people."

Overview of previous reports:
Arjen Kamphuis
You searched for Arjen Kamphuis - DutchNews.nl

 

[Palinurus]

Source: Missing Dutch cyber expert died in kayaking accident, Norwegian police believe

Missing Dutch cyber expert died in kayaking accident, Norwegian police believe

By Janene Pieters on August 23, 2019 - 15:00

Just over a year after the disappearance of Arjen Kamphuis in Norway, the Norwegian police closed the file. The investigators believe that the Dutch cyber security expert likely died in a kayaking accident and that his body ended up in the sea, NU.nl reports [in Dutch].

A fatal accident was always one of the top three scenarios the Norwegian police took into account. The other two were that he was killed in a crime, or that he went into hiding on his own accord. The latter was triggered by the fact that Kamphuis' cellphone made contact with radio masts in southern Norway, near the town of Vikesa, 10 days after his disappearance. His SIM card was then removed and a German SIM card was placed in the device.

The police now discovered that two truck drivers found the phone while they were fishing in the fjords. They thought the phone had been thrown away and took it with them. They later drove to Stavanger, in southwestern Norway. According to the Norwegian police, there are no indications that the truckers had anything to do with Kamphuis' disappearance.

Kamphuis disappeared while on a kayaking vacation in Norway. He was scheduled to return to the Netherlands on August 22nd, but never made it home. He was last seen checking out of his hotel in Bodo on August 20th.

Tuesday marked the one year anniversary of his disappearance. "In consultation with friends and family, we really only want to say that we still miss Arjen immensely", his friend Ancilla van de Leest said to RTL Nieuws.

Similar coverage:
Norwegian police say missing Dutch IT expert died in kayak accident - DutchNews.nl

Other reports in Dutch:
Noorse politie gaat ervan uit dat ict-deskundige Arjen Kamphuis omgekomen is
Zoektocht Kamphuis gestaakt: 'Kajakongeluk'

 

[Gwenllian]

Nora Quoirin cops slammed by Madeleine McCann investigator who fears five key blunders let Brit schoolgirl starve to death in Malaysian jungle

Is this another dig at the Portuguese police for knowing Madeleine McCann was not abducted? They never found her body, and in her case sniffer dogs and cadaver dogs DID pick up a scent in the apartment where the little girl was staying. To me it sounds as if this individual is just muddying the waters, but I could be wrong. IMO, anything that comes out of the McCanns' camp is suspect, even the fact that this investigator.was asked for his opinion. The shamans' claim is very interesting, though.

 

[Palinurus]

The Arjen Kamphuis missing case is now covered on SOTT in the RT version:

Mysteriously vanished Dutch WikiLeaks partner 'likely lost at sea' in kayaking accident says Norwegian police -- Sott.net

 

[lilies]

Predator in the woods in Missing 411: The Hunted (2019)!

The effect in question appears at YT videotime 00:48 seconds. I didn't believe what I was watching! Almost the exact same encounter happens with Jan MacCabee, the wife of Bruce MacCabee in Paulides' latest documentary at videotime 01(hour):25(minutes).
Made me wonder, where exactly did the Schwarzenegger-movie director and effect artist get that Predator invisibility effect??! Simply creative channeling or somebody in the staff knew somebody in the black CIA military, who told them?

 

[Cosmos]

Found this interesting and a little spooky. This report is from North Carolina.

Jan. 27, 2019 - Boy, 3, lost in freezing forest for two days says a bear kept him safe (Video)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/boy-3-lost-freezing-forest-two-days-says-bear-kept-safe-230715952.html

Yes a very curious case with a lot of strange details. Including that he was tangled in thorny bushes when he was found. Having been found in a place where a lot of people went through previously. The very cold and wet weather in which he supposedly survived 3 days (including two nights). The story of the boy about the bear that kept him safe that he told numerous people including the rescue team and his family. The statement by Sheriff Chip Hughes, the head of the search effort, who said that the boy "did say he had a friend in the woods that was a bear, that was with him for two years". Maybe the Sheriff misspoke and meant two days? If not, was the boy in contact with "his friend in the woods" for two years, before he went missing last week? A report by the same Sheriff says that they had a lot of reports from people about a baby crying in the woods. Suggesting that the child was carried around or moved around a lot in the woods? The Sheriff also said that the "boy was being cared for" since he saw no other explanation for the case. Sheriff also said that the kid didn't stay at one place but "moved around".

Maybe it was bigfoot and the boy mistook it for a bear? Or it was a combination of this and other factors? Or maybe the boys "bear" is a screen-memory for something else?

Added: It would be curios to know how exactly his clothes looked like including his shoes when he was found. According to the Sheriff, he was undercooled and dehydrated when he was found with small frost bites. He also said that the idea that "he was in a building or a vehicle during that time" is out of question, do to the facts of the case.

ThinkerThunker discussing another recent case of a boy that went missing and was found on "a 50-foot, steep incline, 1,755 feet away from his home [...] clinging to a cliffside " about 3 days later.

Bigfoot Snatching Children? Kentucky Toddler Found Alive

Something out there is abducting people. Call it a Bigfoot, call it a man in a monkey suit, call it an angelic bear, call it anything you want. But it's big, furry, has thumbs and a keen interest in humans. Specifically cute, little human kids. Then after about three days gets tired of them and let's them "be rescued." Often dropping the abductees off in a previously searched area. Something out there.

A story on it can be found here.

See above two quotes; In Russia, a pretty similar case seems to have happened recently. This time a 5 year old girl, that apparently vanished when she went out with her grandmother to pick up mushrooms in the woods. Apparently the grandmother looked away and when she looked back the girl was gone. The girl couldn't be found for almost 4 days and nights. Apparently, during that time it was stormy and rather unpleasant outside. One article says over 800 people searched for her intensively. They used drones, search dogs, thermal imaging cameras and even recordings of her mother's voice. While divers searched lakes in the area. After almost 4 days of searching, she appears again only around 1 mile away from where she went missing. Also in this case, a rather strange "the girl was stalked by a bear" is involved. Also, one article says, a thunderstorm prevented the search efforts in the first night. Videos and pictures are included from the rescue of the girl. She looks pretty well after such a long time in such harsh conditions outside, including her clothes. The only thing that was diagnosed was severe dehydration. If she had her shoes on and details of that nature, I couldn't find out.

Russland: Freiwillige finden vermisstes fünfjähriges Mädchen nach fast vier Tagen allein im Wald

Über 900 Freiwillige haben nach fast vier Suchtagen die fünfjährige Sarina Awgonowa gefunden. Das Mädchen soll am 18. August ihren Verwandten, die Pilze suchen gegangen waren, in den Wald gefolgt sein und sich anschließend verlaufen haben.

deutsch.rt.com

Как спасли Зарину Авгонову: NN.RU публикует первые фото с места обнаружения потерявшейся девочки

Наш корреспондент был на месте событий и первым запечатлел момент чудесного спасения ребёнка

www.nn.ru

Lost girl, 5, rescued after three nights being stalked by a bear in forest

THIS is the miraculous moment a five-year-old girl is plucked to safety after going missing for three nights in a Russian forest while being stalked by a bear. Terrified Zarina Avgonina disappeared…

www.thesun.co.uk

Russian five year old is saved from the woods after stalked by a bear

A Russian five year old has escaped the clutches of a ravenous brown bear after being rescued by emergency services. Zarina Avgonina, had gotten lost after trying to follow her grandmother.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Girl, 5, missing for 3 nights in forest with bear after her rescued

Zarina Avgonina became separated from her grandmother when they were in the forest foraging for wild mushrooms in Russia

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[mrtn]

translated from the german article

Then a glimmer of hope: On Tuesday volunteers found Sarina's footprints near a blueberry bush.

(berries where mentioned in Session 14 March 2015)

 

[Cosmos]

translated from the german article
(berries where mentioned in Session 14 March 2015)

Good catch! In addition, in at least one of the cases quoted in my last post above, the boy was also found in bushes and even covered in them, as far as I remember. I think it was the case with the boy who reported about a "friendly bear" afterwards.