Another possible case of a long-missing child being found safe... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Chocoholic · 04-29-2003, 05:31 PM

It's not official yet, but it sure sounds like this is another child kidnapping case with a happy ending.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Authorities conducted DNA tests on a boy to determine whether he is a youngster who disappeared from his family's North Carolina home more than two years ago.

The boy shares the same facial features, scars and speech impediment as Tristen "Buddy" Myers, Sampson County (N.C.) Sheriff's Sgt. Darold Cox said. DNA samples were taken from him Monday. The boy had been taken into state custody in Illinois after the man caring for him raised suspicions with workers at a hospital.

Buddy hasn't been seen since he wandered away from his aunt's home on Oct. 5, 2000, with his two dogs. He was 4 at the time. The two dogs eventually returned home, but searchers didn't find the boy.

Investigators took a DNA sample from Buddy's mother, Raven, last week and performed a match test Monday, Illinois Department of Child and Family Services spokeswoman Jill Manuel said. It will take four to six weeks to receive the results.

Buddy's aunt, Donna Myers, said local investigators asked her to come to the sheriff's office in Clinton, N.C., on April 1 to look at a picture of the boy. She and her husband had been caring for the boy, who had been living with various relatives since he was born to a teenage mother, at the time he disappeared.

Donna Myers, whose house is decorated with yellow ribbons, told the Fayetteville Observer that she was told the man called the boy Eli Quick.

"There are so many things that point to it being him that we are just praying that it is," she said. "If it's not him, he's got a twin."

The boy's cousins in Sampson County, N.C., said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that they hoped that DNA testing could be hurried.

"It looks like it could be him," said Jamie Richmond, adding that he was told that X-rays showed the boy had the same breaks in his leg as Tristen, who was injured in a car accident less than a year before he disappeared.

The boy had been with a man who was taken into custody after he brought the child to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston and asked doctors to do something about his "aggressive behavior," Manuel said.

The hospital staff became suspicious and called police, who discovered the man was wanted for shoplifting. The man was taken into custody at the time on the shoplifting warrant but Evanston police wouldn't comment Monday on the status of his case.

Manuel said she called the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after the boy could not explain some "holes" in his background. The center compared the boy's profile to its database and contacted police in North Carolina.

The boy has been turned over to social workers in Chicago, Manuel said.

Sampson County Sheriff's Office Lt. Ricky Mattocks said local investigators hesitated before releasing information about the case.

"We get a bunch of leads every day," he said. "Stuff comes in all the time and we waited until we were sure." (AP)

*PinkLady* · 04-30-2003, 01:45 PM

I heard about that case a while back...that's really cool. I hope it's him.

Jem · 04-30-2003, 05:51 PM

I heard about that case, too. I really hope he's the one they've been searching for.

Janice · 04-30-2003, 05:56 PM

Hopefully a happy ending for a change. I hope it's him.

F*O*L 1988 · 04-30-2003, 07:06 PM

I hope there really IS a happy ending to this story.

Mijada · 04-30-2003, 07:23 PM

I heard about that too. It certainly gives other families of missing children hope that their kids will be found too. I also just heard on the news that President Bush passed the Amber Alert bill into a law today. Hopefully that will help find more kids in the future.

Kay Scarpetta · 04-30-2003, 07:30 PM

I heard both about Buddy and the fact that Bush made a law out of the Amber Alert. Good job, Bush. And let's just hope that this is the right child.

Janice · 05-02-2003, 04:51 PM

CHICAGO (May 2) - DNA tests show a boy abandoned at a suburban hospital is not the same boy who vanished in North Carolina 2 1/2 years ago, the FBI said Friday.

Thomas Kneir, FBI special agent in charge, said the results were conclusive that the boy is not Tristen ``Buddy'' Myers. Authorities said the boy's DNA had been compared with Buddy's mother, Raven Myers.

``I wish I were here to give you and more importantly, the family of Tristen ... Myers some good news. Unfortunately, that is not the case,'' Kneir said.

``The two children are not identical,'' he said.

Buddy's relatives were devastated by the news, but they are sure he is alive, Myers family spokeswoman Jackie Jacobs said. She asked anyone with information about him to contact authorities.

``It has been determined that Buddy is not in Chicago and is not coming home. But someone out there has him,'' she said.

Buddy hasn't been seen since he and his great aunt, Donna Myers, nodded off while watching a videotape on Oct. 5, 2000, at the rural home they shared in Roseboro, about 60 miles south of Raleigh.

When she awoke, Donna Myers discovered Buddy and two of the family dogs were gone. The dogs returned home day later, but Buddy, then 4, was never found.

The investigation into the Illinois boy's identity - and possible connections to Buddy - began after Ricky Quick took a boy he said was his son Eli to a hospital in Evanston in February to be evaluated for aggressive behavior.

Officials said Eli hadn't bathed or changed clothes in days, so juvenile officials were called and the child was placed in foster care.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also circulated the youngster's picture to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and found the reports of Buddy's disappearance.

Eli's face, lisp and scars strongly resembled a description and photo of Buddy. Investigators retrieved DNA samples from the child and from Raven Myers, who gave birth to Buddy when she was 15 years old.

Quick has repeatedly said he fathered the child with a prostitute named Laura who gave him the infant and asked him to raise the boy.

On Friday, he said he would fight for custody of Eli and said, ``I'm looking forward to getting him back.''

But Illinois authorities said that might not happen soon.

Mary Sue Morsch, executive deputy director of the state Department of Children and Family Services, said the agency does not know if Quick is truly related to the boy, ``and if he is related, we don't know if he is the best person with whom the child should be placed.''

Authorities said Eli remained in foster care Friday, was attending school and was doing well.

On Thursday, a woman who lives in southern Illinois came forward saying that the boy known as Eli was born to her sister, Laura. Cheri Trandel said her sister had handed the baby over to Quick years ago.

Cook County records also show that a woman named Laura Trandel gave birth to Timothy Robert Trandel at a Chicago hospital in 1996. Criminal records also show Laura Trandel was arrested for prostitution at least a dozen times.

``My sister had a little boy. That's him,'' Cheri Trandel told the Chicago Sun-Times for Friday editions.

Cheri Trandel said she is raising three of her sister's children and has contacted the state about the boy. ``If I could step in, I would want him,'' she said.

05/02/03 15:44 EDT

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Kay Scarpetta · 05-02-2003, 05:02 PM

Aw, no...

I was hoping the child would be Buddy. My heart goes out to his family.

Mijada · 05-02-2003, 05:20 PM

I just heard about that. It's too bad that it's not him.
I didn't catch the whole story but another missing child case they brought up was that of Sabrina Aisenberg who was reported missing from her Florida home a few years ago when she was 5 or 6 months old. There is a little girl in Illinois that they think might be her and they want to do DNA tests to see if it is.

GrapeJelly · 05-02-2003, 05:33 PM

Oh goodness, their hearts must feel broken after being filled with so much hope

I pray they eventually find their little boy safe and sound. Kidnappers have no freakin' cares about the torment they inflict and the lives they devastate. Rat bastards

*PinkLady* · 05-02-2003, 05:42 PM

Awwww, that's not fair.

I really wanted it to be him. It's good that Eli is safe, though.

04-29-2003, 05:31 PM	#1
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	Another possible case of a long-missing child being found safe... It's not official yet, but it sure sounds like this is another child kidnapping case with a happy ending. EVANSTON, Ill. -- Authorities conducted DNA tests on a boy to determine whether he is a youngster who disappeared from his family's North Carolina home more than two years ago. The boy shares the same facial features, scars and speech impediment as Tristen "Buddy" Myers, Sampson County (N.C.) Sheriff's Sgt. Darold Cox said. DNA samples were taken from him Monday. The boy had been taken into state custody in Illinois after the man caring for him raised suspicions with workers at a hospital. Buddy hasn't been seen since he wandered away from his aunt's home on Oct. 5, 2000, with his two dogs. He was 4 at the time. The two dogs eventually returned home, but searchers didn't find the boy. Investigators took a DNA sample from Buddy's mother, Raven, last week and performed a match test Monday, Illinois Department of Child and Family Services spokeswoman Jill Manuel said. It will take four to six weeks to receive the results. Buddy's aunt, Donna Myers, said local investigators asked her to come to the sheriff's office in Clinton, N.C., on April 1 to look at a picture of the boy. She and her husband had been caring for the boy, who had been living with various relatives since he was born to a teenage mother, at the time he disappeared. Donna Myers, whose house is decorated with yellow ribbons, told the Fayetteville Observer that she was told the man called the boy Eli Quick. "There are so many things that point to it being him that we are just praying that it is," she said. "If it's not him, he's got a twin." The boy's cousins in Sampson County, N.C., said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that they hoped that DNA testing could be hurried. "It looks like it could be him," said Jamie Richmond, adding that he was told that X-rays showed the boy had the same breaks in his leg as Tristen, who was injured in a car accident less than a year before he disappeared. The boy had been with a man who was taken into custody after he brought the child to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston and asked doctors to do something about his "aggressive behavior," Manuel said. The hospital staff became suspicious and called police, who discovered the man was wanted for shoplifting. The man was taken into custody at the time on the shoplifting warrant but Evanston police wouldn't comment Monday on the status of his case. Manuel said she called the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after the boy could not explain some "holes" in his background. The center compared the boy's profile to its database and contacted police in North Carolina. The boy has been turned over to social workers in Chicago, Manuel said. Sampson County Sheriff's Office Lt. Ricky Mattocks said local investigators hesitated before releasing information about the case. "We get a bunch of leads every day," he said. "Stuff comes in all the time and we waited until we were sure." (AP)

04-30-2003, 05:51 PM	#3
Jem Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 25, 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 625	I heard about that case, too. I really hope he's the one they've been searching for.
	__________________ There is no such thing as revenge You will not give as good as you got There is no such thing as an eye for an eye If you think you're the giver, you're not There is no such thing as regret There is no point in placing the blame Hate destroys the one who hates And everyone suffers the same There is only love and respect To thine own self be true When you point the finger There are three fingers pointing back at you

04-30-2003, 07:06 PM	#5
FOL 1988 Pat the Bat Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 20, 2002 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 434	I hope there really IS a happy ending to this story.
	__________________ I Love Pat Burrell!

04-30-2003, 07:30 PM	#7
Kay Scarpetta Defy Gravity 8.26.05 Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 04, 2001 Location: La Vie Boheme Posts: 28,013	I heard both about Buddy and the fact that Bush made a law out of the Amber Alert. Good job, Bush. And let's just hope that this is the right child.
	__________________ The people who think they know everything about Broadway make me laugh. They've never seen a Broadway play in their life. "oh mi godddd RENT's a mooovie! lyke 525600 minuuuuuuutes!" No. To be a Broadway Freak, you must live, eat, sleep, study, devout, think, obsess, dream, believe Broadway. You must know original & revival casts, soundtracks, performance runs, dates, theatres, numbers, how many Tony Awards A Chorus Line won. You must be Broadway. That's right bitches. I AM Broadway.

05-02-2003, 04:51 PM	#8
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Too bad CHICAGO (May 2) - DNA tests show a boy abandoned at a suburban hospital is not the same boy who vanished in North Carolina 2 1/2 years ago, the FBI said Friday. Thomas Kneir, FBI special agent in charge, said the results were conclusive that the boy is not Tristen ``Buddy'' Myers. Authorities said the boy's DNA had been compared with Buddy's mother, Raven Myers. ``I wish I were here to give you and more importantly, the family of Tristen ... Myers some good news. Unfortunately, that is not the case,'' Kneir said. ``The two children are not identical,'' he said. Buddy's relatives were devastated by the news, but they are sure he is alive, Myers family spokeswoman Jackie Jacobs said. She asked anyone with information about him to contact authorities. ``It has been determined that Buddy is not in Chicago and is not coming home. But someone out there has him,'' she said. Buddy hasn't been seen since he and his great aunt, Donna Myers, nodded off while watching a videotape on Oct. 5, 2000, at the rural home they shared in Roseboro, about 60 miles south of Raleigh. When she awoke, Donna Myers discovered Buddy and two of the family dogs were gone. The dogs returned home day later, but Buddy, then 4, was never found. The investigation into the Illinois boy's identity - and possible connections to Buddy - began after Ricky Quick took a boy he said was his son Eli to a hospital in Evanston in February to be evaluated for aggressive behavior. Officials said Eli hadn't bathed or changed clothes in days, so juvenile officials were called and the child was placed in foster care. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also circulated the youngster's picture to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and found the reports of Buddy's disappearance. Eli's face, lisp and scars strongly resembled a description and photo of Buddy. Investigators retrieved DNA samples from the child and from Raven Myers, who gave birth to Buddy when she was 15 years old. Quick has repeatedly said he fathered the child with a prostitute named Laura who gave him the infant and asked him to raise the boy. On Friday, he said he would fight for custody of Eli and said, ``I'm looking forward to getting him back.'' But Illinois authorities said that might not happen soon. Mary Sue Morsch, executive deputy director of the state Department of Children and Family Services, said the agency does not know if Quick is truly related to the boy, ``and if he is related, we don't know if he is the best person with whom the child should be placed.'' Authorities said Eli remained in foster care Friday, was attending school and was doing well. On Thursday, a woman who lives in southern Illinois came forward saying that the boy known as Eli was born to her sister, Laura. Cheri Trandel said her sister had handed the baby over to Quick years ago. Cook County records also show that a woman named Laura Trandel gave birth to Timothy Robert Trandel at a Chicago hospital in 1996. Criminal records also show Laura Trandel was arrested for prostitution at least a dozen times. ``My sister had a little boy. That's him,'' Cheri Trandel told the Chicago Sun-Times for Friday editions. Cheri Trandel said she is raising three of her sister's children and has contacted the state about the boy. ``If I could step in, I would want him,'' she said. 05/02/03 15:44 EDT Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

04-30-2003, 01:45 PM	#2
PinkLady Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 04, 2002 Posts: 7,457	I heard about that case a while back...that's really cool. I hope it's him.

04-30-2003, 05:56 PM	#4
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Hopefully a happy ending for a change. I hope it's him.

04-30-2003, 07:23 PM	#6
Mijada Spencers mom Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 02, 2001 Location: eastern US Posts: 4,093	I heard about that too. It certainly gives other families of missing children hope that their kids will be found too. I also just heard on the news that President Bush passed the Amber Alert bill into a law today. Hopefully that will help find more kids in the future.

05-02-2003, 05:02 PM	#9
Kay Scarpetta Defy Gravity 8.26.05 Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 04, 2001 Location: La Vie Boheme Posts: 28,013	Aw, no... I was hoping the child would be Buddy. My heart goes out to his family.

05-02-2003, 05:20 PM	#10
Mijada Spencers mom Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 02, 2001 Location: eastern US Posts: 4,093	I just heard about that. It's too bad that it's not him. I didn't catch the whole story but another missing child case they brought up was that of Sabrina Aisenberg who was reported missing from her Florida home a few years ago when she was 5 or 6 months old. There is a little girl in Illinois that they think might be her and they want to do DNA tests to see if it is.

05-02-2003, 05:33 PM	#11
GrapeJelly Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 18, 2003 Posts: 3,542	Oh goodness, their hearts must feel broken after being filled with so much hope I pray they eventually find their little boy safe and sound. Kidnappers have no freakin' cares about the torment they inflict and the lives they devastate. Rat bastards

05-02-2003, 05:42 PM	#12
PinkLady Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 04, 2002 Posts: 7,457	Awwww, that's not fair. I really wanted it to be him. It's good that Eli is safe, though.