48 Hours and Counting
I have tried to write this part a multitude of times and I either get sidetracked, looking for some detail I missed in the early weeks — or try to put things in a logical order, which is difficult because so much happened at the same time.
Within hours of the first media coverage of all 3 missing, it seemed like efforts to help exploded. The family arranged for a vigil which helped spread the word. There were daily searches by Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) as they searched areas around my home on all sides, in Germantown, where they disappeared, and locations the family indicated might be relevant, covering areas via helicopters, using search dogs, and utilizing trained grid searchers. There were community businesses that made donations of food, water, and money for printing flyers the family made.
My memory of the first few days is blurry and is somehow mixed in with the great amount of help we received later after Catherine was found. Most of the time was used in handing out flyers, helping provide details on where to search and contacting people who could have been in touch with her. The most troubling part of locating people who may have been in contact with her was that she had spent the past 9 months, transitioning from in-patient hospitalization to a residential treatment facility to the Day Program she was participating up until she disappeared. She kept many details from me private, especially her medical care. We did not know who might have been in her close circle because we did not know those in her treatment programs.
From that Tuesday night when I returned home at 11 PM, for many days, it is safe to say that my house seemed constantly filled with my other 3 children, their friends, community friends, volunteers, and experts in missing persons, (who came by to both gather and provide information.) A group of volunteers decided Catherine might move around at night, so they started their searches at 11 PM and searched throughout the night. Law enforcement requested that I stay at my home, thinking that Catherine might return there. It became obvious early on that there was too much activity at my house even if she did consider coming there. I finally realized that at some point, I had to sleep, so in the weeks to come, I often went to bed with people still in my home.
We immediately looked at everyone we had ever had contact with or that Catherine could have had contact with and reached out to make them aware of the situation and inquire if they had heard from her. We combed through all of our belongings at their apartment in Clarksburg and at my home. In one case, she had records of Agencies and non-profits who helped single mothers and children. One of my children called all of the places listed; some recalled speaking with Catherine but none claimed being in a position to help her.
We pursued every possible avenue to find them and make others aware of the situation. Troy had a flyer embedded in the back window of the van he drove to keep a constant reminder of the situation.
During the first day or so, I found a call that had come to my home at about 2 PM on Monday that they disappeared. It was “CCHR” — my first Google result was “Citizens Commission on Human Rights” — an spinoff organization of Scientology. We discussed this with law enforcement, private detectives and even the media but never could gather any relationship to the situation.
It seemed like no friend or neighbor was left out of being interviewed. Karen, who had been here the weekend they disappeared, was interviewed by our PI and transcribed her version of what happened that Sunday. The friend’s house where she had called from the restaurant after she left Chick-Fil-A that Monday was searched by police late at night, but no proof that she had been there was gathered.
I began downloading phone records for my family, Catherine and Troy, including actual text messages of mine. Reading through the text messages, I realized how much effort was being expended to try to integrate Catherine back into her life with the family. Making changes in schedules to help babysit, her dad trying to participate in her care so she could be transferred and then leave the progression from Sheppard Pratt Hospital amongst a host of other efforts. In the weeks leading up to this incident, I was disappointed to read the back and forth between family members as we became frustrated with her need to be with an adult due to the medications.
During the first week, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were involved — in more ways than I can list. I will never forget an agent from NY who approached me at the Search Site and said he had interviewed my neighbors (there were 55 homes in my subdivision) and had surveilled my home for the first few days-and nights. I said, “You must be the car my son called the police about at 2 AM on the side street next to my house.”
Based on knowledge of locations Catherine may have been recently, the family dropped off flyers and contact information at local businesses, asking business owners to contact MCPD if they found video footage that resembled the three. Only police could gather the footage, and unfortunately there were no instances where police picked up any footage. The time block that video was kept before rewriting over the video was very short — usually 24 hours to a few days. Other than footage that MCPD had, no other videos surfaced.
As tips or search findings evolved, Troy would receive text details to see if there was relevance. While there were many tips the first few days, none surfaced that provided usable information as to their location. As time passed, we learned the nuances of how tips were made and usable information gathered.
There are multiple instances of tips that prompted urgent attention. The land behind my house connected via a common area to Great Seneca State Park. There was communication that they had been spotted along the perimeter to the park, after we saw helicopters fly over. One of my daughters ran through the back door, down the porch steps and to the park as fast as I have ever seen her run — without shoes. Like many other false alarms, this one also ended in disappointment.
We learned a great deal the first few days about how tips were provided and handled.
Delayed Tip: In some cases, the public would contact MCPD or others with a possible sighting the day before at a specific location, unsure of any other details. In most cases, it was impossible to gather information that occurred after the fact.
Immediate Tip: Other times tips would surface on a specific location but by the time law enforcement got there, there was little to go on. When possible, video could be requested, but it was an elongated, time-consuming process.
Tips in Public Buildings: In most cases, the tips in public buildings provided possible access to video cameras from that location.
Calling 911: While MCPD directed the public to call 911 if they spotted the three, we were told most often the public generally did not want to get involved or were hesitant to cause so much activity.
Tips after Media Events: We learned from law enforcement, that after any widespread media event or coverage, it was widely known that they would receive bazaar tips from all over the world. It was a consequence of the search that could not be avoided, as we strove to keep their faces in public.
As the search went from Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 into the next day, there were evolving changes within MCPD’s handling of the case which would forever alter the dynamics of the case.
