Update on my missing brother

[bby31288]

We have hope...I'm trying to not be selfish. But if it is not his, thankfully this other family will have some closure.

From Deleware Newspaper..................................

An unlucky fisherman hooked what appeared to be a human leg bone while fishing off the Indian River Inlet, authorities said Friday.

Police said it is too early to speculate whether the bone might belong to either of the two fishermen known to have gone missing in the area.
Hal Brown, deputy director of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Forensic Sciences Laboratory, said the bone is "more than likely human." Because of its size, he said, the bone appears to be the femur of an adult.
Two days of searching the area failed to discover any more bones, according to Wayne Kline, chief of Division of Parks and Recreation Enforcement for the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The fisherman hooked the bone after casting off the south side of the inlet in the Delaware Seashore State Park on Wednesday, Kline said in a statement.
The grisly discovery was not announced until after the second search day ended on Friday. Authorities didn't say why information wasn't released after the bone was found Wednesday.
Members of the Delaware State Police Scuba Team searched the inlet following the discovery on Wednesday and again on Friday, spokesman Sgt. Walter Newton said.
Divers searched the inlet extensively in the area where the bone was found, he said.
Earlier searches failed to find any sign of the missing fishermen, he said.
Joel Thompson, 48, of Lewes, was last seen about 11 p.m. April 26, when he left to go fishing off the bulkheads at the base of the Indian River Inlet Bridge. His family notified police when he failed to return home the next morning. Thompson's pickup truck was found in the parking lot at the base of the bridge.
In November 2009, Myungtiki Kim, a 54-year-old fisherman from Vienna, Va., fell off a jetty into the Indian River Inlet and was not seen again.
If the bone found this week is determined to be human, Newton said, police would contact relatives of the missing fishermen to obtain DNA samples for comparison.
In this week's search, divers found no evidence of any type that might contribute to identification, Newton said.
No information was released about the fisherman who found the bone, what he was trying to catch Wednesday or details of how he alerted authorities to the bone his hook and line brought to the surface.
"It's definitely been in the water for some time," Brown said. No flesh remained on the bone, he said, and there were no signs of trauma.
"Beyond that, we're not exactly sure," he added.
Authorities will know more after completion of the bone's study by a forensic anthropologist and DNA analysis, a process expected to take eight to 10 weeks, Brown said.
Between once a week and once a month, the medical examiner's office receives bones found on land all over the state, he said.
"We get a lot of bones that are uncovered that, the first question is, 'Is it human or non-human?'" Brown said, adding that the discovery of bones from aquatic settings is "a fairly rare occurrence."




http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...-human&h=dec10

[Mattsmom277]

Never feel selfish for wanting to have hope!!!

I'm so sorry your family is going through all of this, I've often thought of you since you first posted about him missing. My thoughts remain with you all, and I'll hope along with you. (((hugs)))

[TerryJ2]

bby31, I am so glad you gave us this update. It's amazing that it has all gone on this long.
I know that the report said that the discovery was grisly, but I know exactly what you mean by hope. To the average reader, it's a body part, a disconnect. For you, it's a direct connection.
{{hugs}}

[bby31288]

Mattsmom, Terry...yes it is hope. It is the only sliver of something we have. For the first time since April, my mom is actually coming to grips. She said she has wished for more, but if a femur is all there is. It gives closure. My sister in law and nephew will be able to collect some social security. Without a body there is no death certificate. So they are in limbo. So much has gone on since April. Everyday he is in my mind. We feel like this is truly a miracle. The chance of casting a hook and finding a bone are pretty slim. We are trying to stay positive. Like I said to my mom, if its not our time for closure, the other man has been missing since Nov 09. He is someone's son. Someone's husband and father. At least they will have some closure.

We have already had our DNA tests done. They are on file, hopefully it will save some notification time when they find out....

As long as I breathe......I hope

[TerryJ2]

I am so glad your mom is finally processing the information. What a relief. But her journey has only begun.
You are way ahead of her in that category.
I didn't realize that w/o a body, there is no death certif, and hence, no payments. ARg. I can't blame the system, but still, what do people do when it goes on for 10 yrs? There's got to be another way.
Fingers crossed for a quick analysis and answered hopes.

[tiredmommy]

Thank you for updating... I truly hope this leads to closure for your family.

[DDD]

Sending caring thoughts your way. DDD

[nvts]

Bby! I'm so glad you posted this...I have to say I'm so impressed that while you hope for closure you're thoughts are also with the other gentleman's family. It truly proves what an outstanding individual you are.

Has Social Security advised you as to when he is considered to have passed? Not trying to be creepy but a lot of social security cases carry on for years and the "retro pay" only goes back to the date of application. Please don't be offended, but it might be worth a trip for your sister in law to social security to find out how they determine the retro payments. I hate to see the gov't tell her that he can't have a death certificate for 7 years, have her wait the 7 years and then find out that she's out the retro because she didn't file earlier.

I hope I'm not offending - I'm just worried that his wife and daughter won't be cared for in this one.

Keeping you and yours in my prayers...

Beth

[bby31288]

NVTS. No offense taken. Social security follows the court. A person needs to be missing 7 years before the court will issue a death certificate. Sometimes you can fight it and get a judge to issue a death certificate without a body, called in death certificate with body absentiee or something like that. But my sister in law doesn't have the money to go that route.

[klmno]

((HUGS)) I am sorry you and the rest of the family are having to go thru this whole ordeal. I hope you can find closure soon.