A daylong event last week brought together a record 360 law enforcement officials and families of missing persons to raise awareness and recognize Arkansas’s missing children and adults.Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge hosted the eighth annual Never Forgotten-Arkansas Takes Action event.Thirteen people with ties to the Twin Lakes Area are among 487 missing Arkansans on the Never Forgotten – Arkansas Takes Action Never Forgotten list.
Four people last seen in Mountain Home are included on the list. The four are 74-year-old Kay Ilene Collins, missing since December 1978; 17-year-old James Juber, missing since October 2018; 17-year-old Wayne Kindstrom, missing since July 3; and Aleam Page, missing since March. Family members have told KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot News Kindstrom has returned home.
Photo: James Juber
Photo: Aleam R. Page
Photo unavailable: Kay Ilene Collins
One person is on the list from Marion, Fulton, Stone and Newton counties. The four include 77-year-old Clarence Eaton of Yellville, missing since January 2015; 21-year-old Thomas Michael Rettew of Salem, missing since September 2002; Linda D. Brewer of Mountain View, missing since February 2016; and 16-year-old Shianne West-McCarthy of Jasper.
Photo: Clarence Eaton
Photo: Linda D. Brewer
Photos unavailable: Thomas Michael Rettew and Shianne West-McCarthy
Five people were last seen in Boone County, all in Harrison, are on the Never Forgotten-Arkansas Takes Action list. The five are 13-year-old Hallie Ann Dabbs, missing since June; 35-year-old Randy Alexander Johnson, missing since August 2017; 78-year-old Janice K. Potts, missing since August 1981; 18-year-old Kaitlyn Taylor, last seen October 2017; and 16-year-old Eric Walker, last seen September 2018.
Photo: Hallie Ann Dabbs
Photo: Randy Alexander Johnson
Photo: Kaitlyn Taylor
Photos unavailable: Janice K. Potts and Eric Walker
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt was the luncheon keynote speaker. Attorney General Schmidt has been an advocate in Kansas for missing persons cases, strengthening state laws against human trafficking and launched Kelsey’s Law. Kelsey’s Law is a bill named for Kansas native, Kelsey Smith, who was abducted and killed in 2007.
The law requires wireless companies to disclose cellphone locations to law enforcement officials in life-threatening cases. In 2015, Arkansas passed Act 405, known as the “Kelsey Smith Act.”
Law enforcement officers heard from Washington County Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Metcalf, who discussed cyber response in missing persons cases.
Officers also heard from the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office Special Investigations Department who discussed what the department can do to assist law enforcement officers searching for missing persons when cases involve internet crimes.
In the afternoon, law enforcement received training from Arkansas Public Safety Secretary Jami Cook and Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy personnel on best practices for investigating missing and unidentified persons cases. The material covered fulfilled the training requirement for the newly enacted Act 920.
At the same time as the law enforcement session, a panel discussion was held for the families of missing persons on available resources to assist them with locating their loved ones. Participating agencies included Arkansas Crime Information Center, Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy, Arkansas State Crime Lab, Arkansas State Police, FBI, the Morgan Nick Foundation, National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) and others.
A luncheon was hosted by Rutledge to honor the families of the missing and thank law enforcement for assisting in missing persons cases. The event also provided support and networking opportunities for families still searching and for those who have tragically lost loved ones.
During the luncheon, the Morgan’s Choice Award, named after Morgan Nick, who went missing in 1995, was presented to two individuals this year; Washington County Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Metcalf and retired Alma Police Chief Russell White for their continued efforts in missing cases.
The Star of Excellence Award was presented to Representative Rebecca Petty for her leadership in the passage of Act 920 which provided better training and resources to law enforcement in missing persons investigations.
In 2018, Rutledge launched #MissingPersonMondays, a social media campaign to highlight one individual listed on the NeverForgotten.ar.gov site every Monday throughout the year. Rutledge also published a resource guide that is available for families of missing persons to provide a list of best practices to help families work through this difficult process.
In 2016, Rutledge was part of a collaborative effort to launch NeverForgotten.ar.gov, a website that enables the public to access information on missing persons cases with an easy-to-use searchable database.
The Attorney General’s office serves as an information clearinghouse for reports on Arkansas’s missing children and acts as the main point of contact for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
To reach the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline, call (800) THE-LOST (843-5678).
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