Captain Jason Berry
Government and Media Relations
(360) 596-4010 – office
(360) 596-4015 – fax
http://www.wsp.wa.gov
*** For Immediate Release***
Date:
January 21, 2011
Contact:
Luci Stewart
Phone:
(360) 704-2404
E-mail:
Luci.Stewart@wsp.wa.gov
WSP's Homeward Bound Program Expands to Neighboring States
Homeward Bound Program contributes to the recent recovery of three children
Olympia – Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit has partnered with Oregon’s Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to include Kyron Horman in the WSP Homeward Bound Program. Photos of Kyron Horman will be placed on trailers with Gordon Trucking Inc. (GTI), whose trucks travel on routes nationwide.
Kyron Horman was last seen on the morning of June 4, 2010, when he disappeared from Skyline Elementary School in Portland. He had been attending a science fair with his step mother and was last seen on his way to class that morning.
The Homeward Bound Program has also recently contributed to the recovery of three children abducted in 2006.
In December 2006, three victims, Mayra (12), Exell (10) and Edward (5) were abducted by their non-custodial father, Rangel Ramirez-Manzano, in Everett, WA. Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office was the lead agency and the Washington State Patrol Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit assisted in the investigation. Investigators believed that Mr. Ramirez-Manzano had fled with the victims to Mexico.
In an effort to generate more leads and tips and increase the exposure for the victims, all three children were featured in the Homeward Bound program in September of 2007. Their trailers were used in several community outreach events and circulated nationwide focusing on states that share a border with Mexico.
On January 14, 2011, all three children were recovered and reunited with their mother back in the U.S. While the children were not recovered as a direct result of a tip from the Homeward Bound Program, the exposure they received contributed to this case being kept in the forefront and their ultimate recovery from Mexico.
The Homeward Bound Program works on two premises: first, that increased exposure of missing children cases increases the chance of recovery. Second, because people spend a significant amount of time in their vehicles, placing the photos of the missing children on vehicles is an ideal way to increase public awareness of specific missing children cases.
The Homeward Bound Program is excited about this partnership with Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and hopes that it will lead to additional partnerships within other states and most importantly the safe recovery of abducted children.
Photos of three recently recovered children.