|
|
Post by artemis on Apr 21, 2012 15:16:12 GMT -5
"Vatican: No Secrets In Emanuela Orlandi Disappearance
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican insisted Saturday it has done everything possible to try to resolve the 1983 disappearance of an employee's teenage daughter and has no objections to allowing inspection of the basilica tomb of a reputed mobster from a gang purportedly linked to her presumed kidnapping.
Its chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, made the assertion following media speculation that the Vatican knows something it has not revealed about the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi in Rome. Sparking the speculation was a Good Friday homily on April 6 in St. Peter's Basilica by the papal preacher, who decried that many "atrocious" crimes go unsolved.
With Pope Benedict XVI among those listening, the preacher, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, included this ringing appeal in his homily: "Don't carry your secret to the grave with you!"
The priest didn't name any names or specify any crimes, but his unusual choice for Good Friday reflection immediately sparked speculation that the appeal must have been meant for some Vatican official with knowledge about the Orlandi case, which the Vatican has viewed as a kidnapping.
Emanuela Orlandi was 15 when she disappeared after leaving her family's Vatican City apartment to go to a music lesson in Rome. Her father was a lay employee of the Holy See.
Because she vanished two years after the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square, some, Vatican officials among them, "shared the prevailing opinion that the kidnapping might have been used by some obscure criminal organization to send messages or enact pressure in the context of the jailing and interrogation of the pope's attacker," Lombardi said, referring to the Turkish gunmen, Mehmet Ali Agca.
Referring to the recent speculation, Lombardi said in a written statement that "doubt has been raised as to whether Vatican institutions or personalities truly did everything possible to contribute to the search for the truth about what happened."
Lombardi gave details of what he said were Vatican efforts to help during the early days of the case.
"Just to give one example, the investigators, and above all, SISDE (intelligence) agents had access to the Vatican switchboard to hear possible calls from the kidnappers," he said. He added that the Vatican authorized Italian investigators to tap the Orlandi family's phone and to come and go to speak with the family without having to first ask Vatican permission.
"All the Vatican authorities collaborated, with commitment and transparency, with the Italian authorities to deal with the kidnapping in the first phase, and, then, later in the successive investigations," Lombardi maintained.
"As far as we know, there is nothing hidden, nor are there 'secrets' n the Vatican to reveal on the subject," Lombardi said. "To continue to assert it is completely unjustified; also, we reiterate, yet again, all the material from the Vatican was handed over, in its time, to the investigating magistrates and to police authorities."
Apparently in hopes of putting to rest speculation, the Vatican is willing to allow a reputed mobster's tomb in the Vatican Basilica dell'Apollinare, a Rome church, to be inspected, and the remains moved elsewhere, Lombardi added.
Four years ago, Italian news reports quoted the dead man's former lover as telling Rome prosecutors that mobsters from the city's crime syndicate, known as the Magliana gang, had kidnapped the girl and had her body dumped in a cement mixer near a beach outside the capital.
Italian prosecutors cannot publicly discuss a case while it is under investigation, so it is unclear if these claims have shed any light on Orlandi's disappearance.
The Vatican at the time described the woman's claims as having "extremely doubtful value." The woman's lover, Enrico De Pedis, was gunned down in 1990 as he rode his motorscooter in Rome.
The 2008 media reports also claimed the woman told prosecutors that the girl had been kidnapped on orders from Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the late U.S. prelate who had headed the Vatican bank and was linked to a huge Italian banking scandal in the 1980s. Marcinkus had always asserted his innocence in the scandal.
Lombardi noted in his statement that the De Pedis tomb in the basilica "has continued and continues to be the motive of questions and discussions," but he offered no explanation as why a reputed mobster would be buried in a Vatican church.
He recalled John Paul's "intense personal involvement" in the suffering of the girl's family, and said "suffering unfortunately is revived with every new path of explanation, so far without result."
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on Apr 23, 2012 4:31:35 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on Apr 27, 2012 2:44:00 GMT -5
Ha, ha, ha, ha!
"Cuban actor who went missing in real life while coming to New York for Tribeca Film Festival wins top acting award
Javier Nunez Florian did not show up to accept his award for work in 'Una Noche'
A Cuban actor starring in a film about defecting to the United States - who went missing in real life while coming to New York for the Tribeca Film Festival - won the top acting award Thursday.
Javier Nunez Florian, who vanished at the Miami airport with his costar, Anailin de la Rua de la Torre, did not show up to accept his award for their work in “Una Noche.”
Representatives for the film said they have had no contact with the missing Cubans.
The jury split the best actor prize to Florian and another co-star, Dariel Arrechada, who play Cuban friends risking everything for a new life in Miami.
"Una Noche” also won prizes for Best New Narrative Director and Best Cinematography."
|
|
|
|
Post by sherlok on Apr 28, 2012 14:58:07 GMT -5
Now they need to make a movie about making a movie about an actor defecting to the US who goes missing in real life using another actor who also goes missing in real life.
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on Apr 28, 2012 16:42:48 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on May 1, 2012 6:37:11 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by treegenus on May 1, 2012 9:42:18 GMT -5
Wow, I would love to have read the 'edited' part of Dan Rather's report that didn't see the light. Not so sugar coated, I assume. Good find. |
|
|
|
Post by artemis on May 8, 2012 9:22:40 GMT -5
"Son of missing Hollywood executive says few clues so far
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The son of a Hollywood studio executive who has been missing for a week said Monday that his father had not used his cellphone or credit cards, leaving no clues to his disappearance.
Gavin Smith, a 57-year-old film distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, was last seen on Tuesday night driving away from a friend's house in the community of Oak Park, north of Los Angeles, in his black Mercedes.
Police have issued a missing person bulletin for Smith - also known for playing on UCLA's 1975 national championship basketball team under legendary coach John Wooden - and asked for the public's help in finding him.
"We're just doing our best to get as many people looking as possible," Evan Smith, a forward for the University of Southern California basketball team, said in an interview. "We're trying to find my dad. We need our father."
The younger Smith has also taken to Twitter to get the word out, tweeting such messages as: "I will not stop until I find my father" and "A son never gives up on his father."
Smith said that family members first became concerned when his dad failed to turn up at the film studio, a job he loves.
"My dad's a good guy, a very responsible man, and it all really took hold for us when he didn't show up for work," he said. He added that his father, who stands 6 foot, 6 inches tall, with an athletic build and "looks like a movie star" should be easy to spot.
He said family members have since been unable to "ping" the missing man's cellphone, which appears to be off, and that his credit cards have not been used since Tuesday night.
"We are extremely worried about our friend and colleague Gavin Smith and are actively doing what we can to assist the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department in their search for him," Chris Aronson, vice president of domestic distribution for Fox, said in a statement.
Police have said that Gavin Smith was last seen wearing purple pants and black and gray shoes and has gray hair and wears a goatee."
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on May 16, 2012 14:48:57 GMT -5
Im afraid either he wont be found alive or he will never be found. And I also believe his wife is involved in this sh*t:
"Nick Stahl 'Terminator 3' Star Reported Missing
Nick Stahl -- the actor who played John Connor in "Terminator 3" -- is missing ... this according to his wife.
Law enforcement officials confirm ... Stahl's wife filed a missing person's report with the L.A.P.D. on Monday ... saying she last saw the 32-year-old actor on May 9.
Sources tell TMZ ... it is believed Stahl had been frequenting the Skid Row area of Downtown Los Angeles recently ... and there are concerns he may have gotten himself involved in some bad stuff.
Back in February, Nick's wife had filed court papers, expressing serious concerns that Nick may be using drugs ... and sources say she fears drugs may have something to do with his disappearance.
Stahl's rep declined to comment on the situation."
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on May 22, 2012 5:10:47 GMT -5
"Sierra LaMar: Arrest Made in Case of Missing California Teen
A man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Northern California teenager Sierra LaMar, who vanished over two months ago.
Antolin Garcia-Torres was arrested Monday and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of murder and kidnapping, according to the sheriff's department.
Garcia-Torres, 21, was responsible for the disappearance of the 15-year-old, police say, but declined to offer any additional details on the arrest, according to The Associated Press. More information will be provided at a news conference Tuesday morning, according to police.
Garcia-Torres is from Morgan Hill -- the same area where LaMar lived with her family and where the teen disappeared – and is the owner of the red Volkswagen Jetta that is believed to be connected to the girl's disappearance, KGO reported.
Garcia-Torres was arrested around 6 p.m. at the Safeway store where he works, KGO reported.
"It was about 5:30, I was at work and we just saw a bunch of cops and guns drawn and I couldn't see anyone if they took him away. I just saw the cops, it was just cops and cop cars, it was all really fast," said Bobby Fox, a witness at Safeway, told KGO.
The California cheerleader was last seen on March 16 as she left to catch the school bus. The girl's parents contacted authorities later that day after receiving an email from her high school informing them the teen did not show up for class.
Days later, Sierra's cell phone and her Juicy brand bag containing a pair of folded jeans and a t-shirt were recovered on the side of the road in the opposite direction of her bus stop. Investigators searched her phone and computer, but did not find clues to her disappearance.
Divers began searching reservoirs near her home last month, but have yet to come up with a trace of the teen. Earlier this month the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department impounded the red Volkswagen Jetta believed to be connected to LaMar's disappearance.
Authorities found the mid-90s four-door red sedan with a black hood after releasing pictures of a similar vehicle on Monday, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza. However, investigators did not disclose specifics of how they identified the car and its connection to the case.
The vehicle came to the attention of authorities after it was captured on multiple surveillance videos in the area of the missing cheerleader's Morgan Hill home and the area where authorities recovered the teen's belongings.
Last week's episode of the TV program "America's Most Wanted" featured LaMar 's case, and since investigators have been sorting through a series of tips and possible leads.
"He was arrested today because this is how we thought that the arrest should be done and public safety is our number one concern. We don't want anyone else hurt. We don't want any more little girls taken," Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said Monday."
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on May 22, 2012 9:32:37 GMT -5
"Harvard Business School Student Goes Missing in Maine
Police in Portland, Maine, are searching for a Harvard Business School student who has been missing since early Sunday morning after spending Saturday night in the Old Port area of town, ABC affiliate WMTW-TV in Portland reported.
Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, had traveled to Portland from Cambridge, Mass., with two friends to celebrate his upcoming graduation from Harvard Business School, which is scheduled for Thursday. After separating from his friends at the RiRa Irish Pub around closing time at 1 a.m. Sunday, Bihlmaier was not seen again, according to The Portland Press Herald.
Police said in a news conference Monday that dive teams had found an article of clothing while searching the water in the area near RiRa, but did not confirm what the item was or whether it belonged to Bihlmaier, Harvard Business School spokesman Brian Kenny said.
Kenny drove from Cambridge to Portland to help investigators with their search, along with more than a dozen of Bihlmaier's classmates and Bihlmaier's wife of one and a half years, Nancy Ho Bihlmaier, who is pregnant with the couple's first child.
Kenny said Bihlmaier's parents flew to Portland from their home in Kansas, and the entire group posted flyers around town with the hopes that local residents might have seen Bihlmaier.
"We are trying to be optimistic and hope for the best possible outcome, and that would be that Nate and Nancy are at commencement on Thursday," Kenny said.
Bihlmaier had been asked to leave the bar because he was intoxicated, but his friends didn't see him leave and tried to reach him on his cell phone, police said, according to WMTW. Based on their phone conversations with him, Bihlmaier's friends believed he was lost.
"He was saying, 'I am in front of this building right now,' which is not uncommon for somebody that may be in fact lost to give a landmark in hopes somebody else can pin-point that," Portland police chief Michael Sauschuck told MWTW.
His friends returned to their hotel room, assuming Bihlmaier would eventually appear, but called the police hours later when he hadn't returned, according to the Press Herald.
On Sunday, police tracked Bihlmaier's cell phone transmissions and found that he had remained within the Old Port area, but his phone battery died about 40 minutes after he left the bar, the newspaper reported.
Police, dive teams and the Coast Guard will continue to search the area where the clothing was found, Kenny said.
Bihlmaier is originally from Kansas, and had recently started a new job as a director at healthcare company Optum Insight, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Bihlmaier's friends said he's extremely passionate about the field of health care, and described him as "thrilled about the prospect of being a dad," according to Kenny. He had even started writing a blog about his impending fatherhood.
"He has a lot going for him, and was in a really great place both personally and professionally," Kenny said."
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on May 23, 2012 6:38:03 GMT -5
"Body of Nathan Bihlmaier, Missing Harvard Student, Found in Portland Harbor
The body of a missing Harvard Business School student who was last seen outside a waterfront bar in Portland, Maine, days before his graduation, was recovered Tuesday from the city's harbor, police said.
Around noon today police found the body of Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, who on Thursday would have received his MBA and in June would have become a father for the first time. Bihlmaier was last seen early Sunday morning after drinking with friends at an Irish Pub near the harbor.
Bihlmaier, police said, was asked to leave the Ri Ra pub around 12:20 a.m. Sunday after becoming intoxicated and rowdy. He soon became separated from his friends and didn't return to his hotel.
The two friends with whom he was celebrating their graduation reported him missing Sunday.
Cell phone records indicated he had not traveled far from the bar, police said.
The discovery of the body ends a three-day search, much of which was conducted underwater by local, state and federal authorities. Authorities employed skilled divers and cadaver-sniffing dogs on inflatable rafts.
On Monday police found an article of clothing in an outlet of the harbor, which they confirmed belonged to Bihlmaier.
Bihlmaier, a native of Osborne, Kan., is survived by his wife, who is pregnant with the couple's first child.
Bihlmaier had recently accepted a job at a health care company and was "thrilled about the prospect of being a dad," said Brian Kenny, Harvard Business School spokesman.
Police told the Boston Herald that there was no indication of foul play and the body would be autopsied to determine the cause of death."
|
|
|
|
Post by lucy on May 23, 2012 16:06:59 GMT -5
Harvard....My brain isn't functioning in the numerology dept today...but is there some numbers that may reveal that perhaps some strange offering or sacrifice to the ivy league secret society?
Just sounds suspicious in that area of crappy things that happen to people.....Maybe not something he did, but who knows if a parent did something to be punished by the system...like their firstborn, or only son...
IMO I think it's something fishy along that line of suspicion...
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on May 25, 2012 16:32:09 GMT -5
"Mickey Shunick Disappearance: Video of Cyclist Discovered
Investigators who've expanded their search after combing the area where Michaela "Mickey" Shunick disappeared found surveillance video showing a glimpse of someone riding a bicycle who they believe could be the Louisiana student.
The footage is too blurry to tell whether the person is Shunick, a senior anthropology major at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, police said. The 22-year-old left friend Brettly Wilson's house on her bike last week after a night out, and hasn't been heard from since.
As investigators and the woman's family expand the search, even sending out a recorded plea for help mentioning a $25,000 reward for information, some people in the area where she vanished have begun to wonder whether Shunick was abducted at all.
"What concerns us is, where is her bicycle?" Det. Stephen Bajat of the Lafayette police department said. "If it is some kind of abduction, most people would snatch and go on and not concern themselves with the bicycle."
Investigators searching for any clues have found no cellphone, purse or virtually any trace of Shunick since she left Wilson's house on her bicycle at 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
"The only way to solve this is if someone comes forward with a tip -- and [investigators] need the public," former FBI profiler and ABC News consultant Brad Garrett said.
Hundreds of people from the community and beyond have come to aid in the search for Shunick. So many are coming to help that the volunteer headquarters had to be moved to the nearby university to accommodate them all.
Now Equusearch, the well-known search and recovery group, has turned out in force.
"We're hoping for the best," Tim Miller of Equusearch said. "We don't sugarcoat anything. It does not look good, doesn't look good at all, but we believe in miracles."
Wilson, the last person to see her the night she vanished, has turned to the Web with his plea for assistance in the search. He has posted a YouTube clip seeking help via social media.
"This is the power of social media ... To bring back somebody, and end a family's heartbreak … You have the chance to extend the information about this young woman to everyone you know," Wilson says in the clip.
Friends and family held a candle light vigil Tuesday night, and announced a reward for tips leading to her whereabouts. Searches by K-9 units, police and volunteers have turned up no hints of what happened, but her family remains hopeful.
A benefit concert is scheduled for the weekend to increase the $25,000 reward for information on what happened to Shunick.
Shunick is 5-foot-1 and 115 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pastel multi-colored striped shirt, light-wash skinny jeans and gray shoes."
|
|
|
|
Post by artemis on May 27, 2012 16:00:14 GMT -5
"Human remains found at camp linked to missing man
MINTURN, Colo. (AP) — Authorities have discovered human remains near a campsite believed to have been used by a hiker from Chicago who has been missing since October 2010.
James Nelson was reported missing when he failed to return from a five day, 25-mile hike in the Holy Cross Wilderness area near Minturn.
The Eagle County Sheriff's office says a hiker on Friday located the campsite near Holy Cross City, and the remains were discovered during a search of the area on Saturday.
The remains were turned over to the coroner for identification, and there was no immediate word on a cause of death.
The Sheriff's office says a notebook located at the campsite indicated that Nelson may have been suffering from altitude sickness. The office says it appears that some of the 31-year-old man's gear is missing, including a camera and GPS unit."
|
|
