Around 9:15 pm on June 26, 2009 Lindsey J. Baum, an 11-year old from the tiny town of McCleary, Washington, disappeared while walking from a friend's house to her home, only four short blocks away.
She's now 13. Her birthday is coming up on July 7.
The physical changes a young girl experiences in that particular span of ages are sure to have greatly altered her appearance.
It feels foolish to continue noting that, on June 26, 2009, Lindsey was 4-foot 9-inches tall, weighed 80 pounds, her brown hair and brown eyes offset by a hooded pullover.
Still, there are things about the face that never change. Those eyes, that mouth, the smile. Face shape, feature spacing and scale. Age-invariant characteristics. Forensic artists (and the software they use) factor in the ways a person has changed in the past, even as short a past as Lindsey's, and how relatives have aged, as well as extrapolations based on large amounts of data from the wider population.
It is reported that Lindsey has a scar over her left eye, a dark brown birthmark on her right wrist and colored fillings in some of her teeth.
But she's doubtless no longer 4'9" and not likely to still weigh 80 pounds. Twelve to thirteen year old girls average 60-63 inches in height and 95-105 pounds in weight. Of course, her numbers at age 10 were already higher in each category than the average.
That summer evening two years ago, Lindsey had just argued with her brother, but most everyone notes that she wasn't storming off mad. She didn't have the accoutrements you think required of a modern runaway -- no money, no cell phone, no change of clothes.
Some friends set out with her, so she was accompanied for a while before they peeled off to go to their own homes for dinner, or homework, a bath or shower, whatever.
Two of those four blocks are reported to be somewhat industrial -- though we are talking *rural* small town. One block away is access to a major highway.
As any child would be, Lindsey was troubled by her parents' recent divorce. Her father lived in Tennessee. He was deployed to Iraq not long after she went missing. Her mother and brother no longer live in McCleary. Life for them has been hard and cruel.
The last time I checked, a reward of $30,000 is being offered by Crimestoppers and the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
There have been many searches, search warrants, several people of interest -- but no signs of Lindsey, and no real clues or advances in the case. Still, we all still shake our heads and mutter that someone, somewhere, knows something. What will it take for that someone to tell that something, and will it bring the child home?
If you have any information regarding Lindsey Baum,
please call the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office
at 866-915-8299 [Tip Hotline].
NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
McCleary Police Department (Washington) 1-360-533-8765
Or simply call 911.
No comments:
Post a Comment
The Haddock Corporation's newest dictate: Anonymous comments are no longer allowed. It is easy enough to register and just takes a moment. We look forward to hearing from you non-bots and non-spammers!