Hello there all. I just watched this segment. Heartbreaking just like many of the other abductions. Does anyone know if there have been any updates on the case? All I know is that the mother has a myspace page devoted to her daughter. Unfortunatly, I think the chances of finding the girl are slim.

Hi
Yes,I would like to know if there are any updates on her too.

suzanne

Yeah, they think she was victim to a guy possibly responsible for the disappearance of a number of young girls, including another profiled on Unsolved Mysteries. This was a seven-year-old girl who stepped outside her home for a few minutes. The man in question came to her mother and offered in a very emotional way to bring her home. Then his demeanor changed completely and he said, "Of course, by now you know we're looking for a dead body." The girl had at that time been missing only a short time.

Authorities started tracking his scent to the grave believed to be of his first victim, a five-year-old girl, which this man visited over 90 times in a short period. Dogs tracked the scent of ANOTHER missing girl, to this girl's grave! They couldn't prove anything against the man, who is very clever, but it was serious enough that they named him on TV as a public warning.

She is still missing. Here's her profile:

http://www.forthelost.org/mgarecht.html

Timothy Bindner is his name I believe....there is a wealth of information on him
to be found online about his 'efforts' with several dissapearances

Thanks for the name. This is way creepy. The guy even proposes locations for the bodies. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1997/08/30/MN10685.DTL

Is there enough evidence, to research the dates of when girls went missing, to funerals held at cemeteries where Bindner was a worker? Could the graves be examined by some ground-scanning method which might indicate reason for excavation? Strange to say, the girl whose grave he visited often, and where the scent of at least two other missing girls was tracked, was proven by DNA to have been murdered by someone else.

Ya know, as I'm thinking of this, I'm wondering if Bindner is a false lead. A very disturbing false lead, but false. The fact that he wasn't involved in the murder of the girl with whose grave he was so obsessed brings to mind the artist Henry Darger http://www.bloomsbury.com/ezine/Articles/Articles.asp?ezine_article_id=700&Quiz_id=0 who was also obsessed with the murder of a young girl he probably didn't commit. He seemed to have some of the same ideas, of delivering innocent children from a sinful world and so on. Look at how many sickos have been obsessed with JonBenét Ramsey. Even on the impossibly remote chance that the killer may have been someone not in her family, they can't ALL have been involved. Also, look at the pervert who called Amy Billig's mother and tortured her for 22 years! He had absolutely no knowledge of Amy's fate, just got off on inflicting additional pain on people in crisis. Since they haven't found the bodies, they can't necessarily link the disappearances of all these girls to one person, unless the scent evidence is to be believed. Then, he was connected.

Very true, but there was/is an unusually high number of dissappearances around the area that Mr. Bindner offers his services. Cases where he is or was a suspect have not only been on UM but Forensic Files and A&E as well.
His name has turned up time and time again-could it be he knows who is responsible and is deeply conflicted about turning him in? Maybe. That would explain the over the top manner of getting involved.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has read this book :

http://www.amazon.com/Stalemate-Shocking-Story-Abduction-Murder/dp/0553569996

If so, is there anything to be learned?

I don't believe that Bindner had anything to do with Michaela's abduction, the description of her kidnapper doesn't fit with him. That said, he certainly is incredibly creepy and I wouldn't be surprised if he has harmed children.

I had the pleasure of exchanging some emails with Michaela's mother about a year ago. Very sweet woman, I admire her courage to carry on all these years.

I first heard about her abduction right after it happened. I grew up in Bay Area California and was four years old in 1988 when she was abducted. At four, I really didn't have much of an understanding about such horrible things, but I do remember my mom telling me how a little girl had been stolen, and how I needed to be cautious of strangers. If I could pick one cold case to be resolved, it would certainly be this one.

According to CNN, police are investigating whether Phillip Garrido, who kidnapped Jaycee Dugard, might have some connection to the abduction of Michaela Garecht.

"Rod Garecht told ABC News that police have contacted him looking for any connection between Jaycee's 1991 abduction when she was 11 and the 1988 kidnapping of his 9-year-old daughter Michaela.

"Anything to keep her in the news and keep people talking about her is good," Garecht said today. "

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=8451296

Not sure if this is related..

http://www.bnonews.com/news/703.html
From the BNO Newsroom.

ANTIOCH, California (BNO NEWS) -- No evidence has been found that Phillip Garrido and/or his wife has a connection to a series of unsolved murders in the early 1990s, the Pittsbrug Police Department said on Tuesday. Phillip Garrido is the man who abducted then 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard in 1991 and held her as a sex slave for more than 18 years.

"We have completed an extensive search of the Garrido residence. The search lasted four days and covered the entire house and backyard, including all of the structures and tents," said Lt. Brian Addington of the Pittsburg Police Department. Garrido's adjacent neighbor's backyard was also checked for evidence.

A number of items have been found at Garrido's property, which require further forensic examination before they can be completely excluded, but no evidence has been found to connect Phillip and Nancy Garrido to the unsolved murder cases in Pittsburg. The bodies of more than a dozen women were found near Garrido's workplace at the time, raising suspicion he may have played a role in the unsolved cases.

Addington explained that law enforcement regularly conducts extensive follow-up on unsolved sexual assault and murder cases, which was the reason for the search at the Garrido residence. "However, this search received particular attention due to its relationship to the high-profile return of Jaycee Dugard," he said.

Addington said that the extensive media coverage provided a renewed interest in the unsolved cases and he hopes that people will come forward with any information they may have. "The victims' families, friends, and the community need closure."

Anyone who has any information about the unsolved murders is urged to call the tip line at (925) 427-7369.

I was watching Nancy Grace's coverage of this case last night. She's doing 50 days on 50 different missing cases.

Seems there wasn't any evidence of Michaela found at Garrido's house.

The investigators for Michaela's case cannot speak to Garrido or his wife while the Dugard case is going on, partly since Prosecutor's probably would not want to cut a deal with them for information about Michaela (which I understand) and partly because Garrido's lawyers will not let him speak with anyone.

The investigator for Michaela's case said that the FBI had done a history of the vehicles owned by Garrido, but that he hadn't seen it (and he hasn't bothered to do his own research....). So he doesn't know if a car Garrido had back when Michaela was taken is a match or similar to the vehicle described.

So while I thought they had ruled Garrido out in the Michaela case, they HAVEN'T.

Well, i havent heard any news on it, BUT i wish we did. it's been so long now already and the family needs answers.

Yeah, Timothy Binder is a real nutbag. There is a book on these N. California cases titled 'Stalemate: A Shocking True Story of Child Abduction and Murder', by John Philpin. The author goes into great detail about all these cases and even talks to Binder himself. He is objective about who he thinks is involved but gives some insight into the cases that makes it a very good read. Of course, there is no conclusion to the case so it leaves the reader to make their own assumption on Binder and what may have happened to these young girls. The book is out of print but can be found on most online marketplaces used.

My personal take on Binder is that he is one sick person who needs some serious help. If he is involved with these cases he is not the brightest tool in the shed because he interjected himself into every case mentioned in the book in some manner or another.

Apologies if this has already been posted somewhere, but the Friend that gave the girls the money has always really bugged me. In the segment, it is as blithe as that - a Friend gave them money and the next thing they went to the mall to spend it and one of them was abducted.

The guy in the coffee shop seemed to be waiting for someone... I have no idea of the size of the town, nor the size of the gift, nor the desperation to spend their money - but was the 'Friend' ever adequately investigated?

I know this was over 20 years ago, but perhaps they could have the friend who witnessed the abduction and show her mugshots of Garrido + others from the time period and see if there is any connection or if she is able to recognize anyone?