Something scary happening in our town

[Mattsmom277]

Unreal and gosh I hope this is just a case of someone not going home as expected and hearing today people are concerned and reaching out to say they are okay. Anyhow, woke up this morning to a media article of police asking for public assistance re: another local woman missing.

All that has been released is that last night a 37 year old local woman went to a corner store in town and has not been heard from since.

On our newspaper comments section, their FB page and on local residents FB walls there is a lot of worried sounding comments and for the first time some locals using the term serial killer as a concern that is now in their minds.

Again, I hope that this is just a case of rushing to concern and this woman turns up safe and sound and just failed to check in with someone or something. On the other hand, new precautions being taken from here on out because it is all too odd. Even given this last missing woman was found deceased in her car with no foul play, it's all starting to alarm locals. For this family, new routines are now going into effect.

 

[HaoZi]

Do you have a coroner system or an ME? That can make a huge difference, and in an area where they don't see a lot of crime, more is likely to missed looked that "looks natural." Star's advice is good, and I'm going to add some to it.
Not just vans (especially ones with no windows, regardless of how "official" they look), but also think cargo trucks (like small U-Hauls). A town your size? A stranger might stand out, but might not.
Rule #1 with serial victims = you might not know them, but they know you. (As Star said, they observe, sometimes for lengthy periods like years).
Change your patterns but always make sure someone knows where you are and what time to start worrying. (I know she said that, too, but it's worth repeating)
If you feel in the least uneasy about someone, get out of that situation. If you feel "too comfortable" with someone you just met, get out. They know how to play people or he wouldn't still be running around.
Do NOT under ANY circumstances get in the vehicle when threatened. Your best chance (should an abduction be attempted) is to STAY OUT OF THE VEHICLE. Once you are in that vehicle it's assumed (for good reason) that you are no longer a "missing person" - you are now a "missing body".
If you are still forced into the vehicle, do everything possible to halt that vehicle. Break a key or button off in the ignition, yank the wires from the lights (if in the trunk) and see if you can make them flash or not work at all.
Being a woman, remember that your strength is in your legs (as opposed to upper body like men). Use that.

Escape School (not just for kids) is also offered in Canada, you can find them here: http://www.dignitymemorial.com/dm20/en_US/main/dm/community/escape-school-finder.page?

 

[HaoZi]

Question: What is the time frame on the disappearances of these young men?

 

[Mattsmom277]

The young man who left his family cottage and headed back to town here has been missing since Oct. 2009. Remains were found and remain unidentified during yet another ground search for this particular young man. The remains are believed to be of someone deceased since before this young man disappeared, by a few months I believe.
The young man missing since leaving a bar to head to his friends house, has been missing since March 2011.
The young man missing from the psychiatric hospital has been missing since Sept. 2010
In searching online for date of this man, I stumbled on information that a woman from out of town was in our town at the same psychiatric hospital and has now been missing since 2001. Related? Who knows.

We do have coroner/ME, and I think? (unsure) that we have someone brought in for some cases if needed. I'm not quite certain.

I definitely have made a choice this morning to change things for our family. easy child will be walking with me to and from school until it ends next week. Other than that, she never is out alone except recently has gained permission to walk to corner store alone but that is now not happening. She'll prefer to go together anyhow. I will be waiting for S/O to be available if I am walking out, otherwise stick to my normal taxi thing for the time being. I've asked S/O to go a step further with his bike rides and stick to the major main arteries and our populated and busy waterfront. His destination is always the waterfront but I've asked him to not alter routes, and to let me know the route he is taking from now on and to let me know how long he expects to be. Normally he just heads home when he feels done with his ride. I'm also putting minutes on our pay as you go cell phone for him to carry with him. We never use it so don't keep it with minutes on it but that is changing. We'll walk to the corner store this evening and pick up some air time cards. S/O and I tend to, other than his bike rides, do things together anyhow, kind of glued at the hip, we just enjoy ourselves more being together, we get teased a lot .
As for strangers sticking out, we consider ourselves small town since we're not as big as major cities. Population 56 thousand. But definitely big enough that strangers aren't noticed at all. Also we are a main hub, highways going north south east and west to head across Canada lead most to travel through here if doing long distance drives to other provinces etc. Also despite calling ourselves small town, there are truly small towns within a 2 hour radius of us that use our town to stock up on supplies, better shopping access etc. Even our health center is the hub for a very large region.

 

[HaoZi]

It sounds like the timeline is getting shorter, if it is indeed a serial offender, this will speed up in frequency. A coroner is elected - they don't have to have any training, be a doctor, anything. In many areas they're often funeral directors. A medical examiner MUST be a medical doctor at the very least. Needless to say there is a lot of difference in the experience between the two. This is how it works in the U.S. anyway.

At places like the mall and all, don't feel embarrassed to ask security to walk you to your vehicle.

With two major highways I'd also be looking for a similar pattern in other places on those highways. Maybe this is someone like a trucker or traveling salesman, even (yes, it happens) a cop or other often on the road authority figure. If this is happening in none of those other towns, maybe it's someone local or they just like the area. Multi-jurisdictional investigations are still problematic no matter how much they try to show cooperation to the public. Behind the scenes it's almost always a p*ssing contest, so they may not even compare notes or be willing to ask (or give info to) other districts. You should be able to keyword search the papers in those other towns, though.

 

[Mattsmom277]

Since I take taxi's, I get door to door service but I'd never feel embarassed for a escort if I was driving. When my van is finally on the road I'll be vigilant in those ways for sure.
We must have a medical examiner of some sort, as we have autopsies performed and in previous homicides (which have all been solved, none really unsolved in our town) they must have had someone trained forensically.
I knwo that there are people missing in what we here consider "nearby", meaning "northern" communities. By this I mean 2+ hours drive away in various directions. I don't know of any particularly just that if doing a search online for missing persons, other cases are visible on google etc I've not heard of any links or supsicions but I suppose that would be looked into if there was any evidence a single person was at work here. for now its public speculation but that could change.

 

[shellyd67]

Wow that is scary. Please be careful.

It also should remind all of us to be on guard in our own towns as well.

 

[Mattsmom277]

I think we do live in a world where it is always wise to be cautious and aware of our surroundings and if we leave ourselves vulnerable etc. At the same time we hear more horror stories with the internet and instant news and whatnot. I know studies have showed we aren't really that more vulnerable or at risk from major crime (homicide etc) as we ever were, but hearing about it so much in media does make us much more aware.
I've always been a cautious one. Perhaps because in my life I have been prey to someone with ill intentions but for whatever reason, I've always been the super cautious person. I've always tended to not go out alone at night walking. I've never been comfortable in isolating settings alone so stick to being with someone for the most part. Because the neighborhood I'm in is in the middle of the city, my kids have always been well supervised etc. Yet I am betting I'm not the only one getting more stringent and cautious in our town right now though. This might been needless concern, time may show no connection etc for any of these things. Yet there is good reason people are worried for now.
I was happy to hear from easy child when she came in from school (with her walking group) that her father who she was with last night, had talked to her when driving her to school this morning and is obviously of the same mind as me. She is aware but not alarmed (glad he was careful about that) of the missing persons and the need to be more vigilant. She knows we will have to wake a bit earlier to allow me to be ready to walk her in the a.m.'s to school until the last day. Normally I don't shower and dress etc until after she's on her way. She also knows I will meet her in the indoor parent pick up area at school in the afternoons. She is attending basketball camp a few blocks away at the high school, for 2 weeks starting the week school ends. She had been excited to either walk herself or ride her bike now that she's turned 12 and is being allowed small freedoms to do things alone. She was understanding when I told her that I will bring her and pick her up instead of her going by herself.
I really don't feel any of me and mine put ourselves in really any vulnerable position, largely in part because we live such simple quiet lives and tend to always do things together. It is so rare to be out and about without each other. I do have growing concern for the community as a whole though. I have come to dread the titles in the newspaper about another missing person. I was born and raised here and I know a lot of the population. For instance the woman who was found the other day (no foul play thankfully) was sister to a woman I was in grade school with, and the woman was in my brothers classes in grade school. In towns like ours, it's often a case of knowing someone who knows someone, and it feels often close to home.
I just hope it all stops. No more missing people.

 

[Mattsmom277]

Local media is reporting police just wrapping up a ground search of an area that is about 10 minute walk from my house, behind the grocery store and shopping area that my family utilizes as it is the only walking distance shopping area for me without a taxi. It is also a major off site student residence area. Well over a thousand students rent the homes there. It is also a hop skip jump through the trees to the highway.

 

[HaoZi]

The serial killers in the U.S. that used highways would leave trails up to all the way across the country. Investigators will always leave stuff out of press reports for various reasons. Just because they say it isn't (or won't speculate) doesn't mean that's true. They also wouldn't want to start a panic or spook him back into the woodwork.