I spoke with the funeral home yesterday, and after a 29 day absence, Grandpa is finally back in his home town of Winfield, KS. Over the past few days I've also learned some things about Grandpa's death that have given me some measure of comfort.
When he was found, he was lying on his back, with his arms folded calmly in front. His cane was beside him, and there was no disturbance in the soil to indicate a struggle to get back on his feet. It looks like he had deliberately laid down in the shade of the corn to rest and take a break from the heat of the day.
Last Friday, I spoke with a friend of mine who is a physician. I wanted to understand what it might have been like for Grandpa as he endured the oppressive August heat and humidity in the mid-west. My friend told me that dehydration and heat are an extremely gentle way to pass away, especially for someone of Grandpa's age. There is no pain. He would have felt thirsty and tired and perhaps a bit disoriented, but he mostly likely wouldn't realize how sick he was. This is in keeping with the scene where he was found. He looks like he laid down for a nap and while he painlessly slept, he small body was overcome by the heat and he slipped away.
On the day Grandpa was found, my dear friend wrote a poem titled "Reunion." (Here is the link to the poem on her blog.) It is about Grandpa, and it has been a salve for my soul. Perhaps it can soothe a bit of your sadness as well.
I am still coming to terms with the news about Grandpa. I am sure I will be okay, but right now keeping busy seems to help a lot. I couldn't think of a better distraction than spending a little time with some good friends and grabbing a few photos of them with their beautiful new baby while I was at it.
In anticipation of their new arrival, this friend and I have been talking about having me do a newborn portrait session. Every time I have an important life event like this that I am asked to photograph, I get a little nervous. Part of that is because these moments are so fleeting. It seems like it took all of about 5 minutes for my babies to start growing up. It will be the same for them. I think that a good photo can help to freeze time if only by keeping our memory of the event alive. It is a great honor and responsibility to be asked to be the documenter the most cherished moments of someone's life.
Another part of the nerves come as I try to always push my abilities as a photographer. I'm still pretty new at this portrait photography thing, but I don't ever want my work to get boring. I think everyone deserves an image that is unique to them and provides a tiny glimpse into their heart and soul. While there are certain tried and true "recipes" for a good portrait, I try to add a little new spice each time I shoot. I guess I get a little worried that when it's time for the camera to start clicking, I'm going to run out of ideas for new stuff to try.
So far every session I have done has ended with me feeling absolutely silly that I worried about this. It's not that I am so overwhelming creative, because I am not. It is because everyone I photograph brings along their own ideas and personality. Sometimes I need to give things a nudge in the right direction, but after that, the sessions seem to take on a life of their own and I end up feeling revitalized from the experience.
Here are some of my favorites from yesterday. I love the pure joy that radiates from their faces. Pentax K100D with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/4, 1/180 sec, ISO 200
Strobist Info: Vivitar 285HV at 1/4 power with 40" shoot-through umbrella from 2 o'clock and slightly above subjects. Natural light from window behind camera. Strobe controled with Cactus V2s wireless triggers.
Pentax K100D with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/1.4, 1/30 sec, ISO 200
Pentax K100D with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/1.4, 1/30 sec, ISO 200
Pentax K100D with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/1.4, 1/45 sec, ISO 400
To view a slide show of some of my best newborn portraits, click here.
With a heavy heart, I announce that Grandpa has passed away. We received word today from a regretful Detective Barclay Wilt of the Cowley County Sheriff Department that Grandpa was found in a corn field a mile or so west of where his truck was found. Grandpa was found by a farmer that was harvesting the corn. I don't have any more information at this time.
Detective Wilt was extremely apologetic to my family that he wasn't able to bring Grandpa home to us sooner, but I want to publicly express our overflowing gratitude to Detective Wilt for his kindness and diligence during the 25 difficult days we have been looking for Grandpa. That gratitude also extends to the many other people; law enforcement officers, trackers, good Samaritans, friends and neighbors, that have tirelessly labored to bring Grandpa home.
I also want to thank everyone for the countless emails, comments and messages we have received from all over the world. We have all felt the sustaining force of those cumulative thoughts and prayers on our behalf.
I was going back through the news links I posted after Grandpa disappeared and noticed a video linked to the online story from Eyewitness News. It isn't a new video, but I hadn't run across it before today. I can't seem to find the date it was aired, but it looks like it was made fairly early into our search for Grandpa, maybe around Aug 7, 2008.
Click here to link to the online story from KWCH Eyewitness News 12, the CBS affiliate out of Wichita, KS.
Actually, it wasn't MY wedding. I was just the photographer. And actually it wasn't my first gig as a wedding photographer. I've done it a few times before. However, the last time I planned to photograph a wedding (for my sister-in-law a year ago) it ended in disaster. Well, it wasn't a disaster because the photos actually turned out pretty good, but the disaster part was that I wasn't the one that got to take them...but I digress...
This WAS the first time I've been a wedding photographer for someone that I wasn't related to. However I feel like an auntie to the bride because her mother is my dear friend. So now that I think about it, the experience wasn't all that different from the other weddings I've shot.
The bride and groom were as gorgeous and happy as they come. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.
Pentax K100D, 28-80mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens at 45mm, f/11, 1/125 sec, ISO 200 Pentax K100D, 28-80mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens at 80mm, f/11, 1/45 sec, ISO 200 Pentax K100D, 28-80mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens at 33mm, f/11, 1/90 sec, ISO 200 Pentax K100D, 28-80 f/3.5-f/5.6 lens at f/22, 1/45 sec, ISO 200
Watch Ammon and Christa's Wedding Set on Flickr for more wedding photo postings.
Me: What are you watching?
My 3 year old: Diego.
(In case you aren't well versed in preschool television programing, "Go, Diego, Go!" is a show that tries to get kids to interact with the TV by asking questions and waiting for them to answer so they can "help" solve problems. ) My 2 year old: (Pointing at the TV screen. Jumping up and down.) Baby! Ann-ee-ma! Bay-beeee! Hay-ewp!
Me: Is there a baby animal that needs help?
2: (Eyes wide, leaning forward, pointing at TV.) Yeah! Hay-ewp!! Bay-beee!
3: It's a chinchilla. I want one for a pet. Can we get one today?
Me: No. Are you two going to help Diego rescue that baby chinchilla?
3: (Rolling her eyes.) No, Mom. I'm OUTSIDE the TV.
On Thursday and Friday, trackers returned to Oklahoma to look for Grandpa's footprints. This time there were more than the three original trackers and some of them took ATVs so they could cover more ground. Dogs were also used in the search.
Unfortunately, after all of that, no additional trail or sign of Grandpa was found past the Caldwell Golf Club clubhouse. The Tuesday search turned up marks showing where he went up onto the porch and back down again.
We can't be 100% positive that the footprints they found belong to Grandpa, but based on their expertise, the trackers believe that there is a high probability that they do. If they are Grandpa's footprints, he was probably there sometime on the morning of Saturday, Aug 2. We don't know if it would have been before or after dawn.
(Photo sent to me by GS.)
You can see from the photo of the clubhouse, that there is a large light in the yard. Next to the clubhouse there is also a tall flagpole flying a US flag that is well lit at night. Because of the lights, the clubhouse and flag are easily visible, day or night night, from where Grandpa's truck was found by the railroad tracks.
Using a LOT of screen shots from this web site ( http://oklahoma.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,2,fid,1101994,n,Caldwell%20Golf%20Course.cfm ), I pieced together this fairly high resolution satellite view of the area. To see or download the full size version, click here.
I want to express a huge debt of gratitude to the many trackers that volunteered their time and talents to look for Grandpa.
GS, that definitely includes you.
Today is Grandpa's 88th birthday. It has been my prayer for a few weeks that we would find him, or something of him by today. Today I can tell you that prayers are answered.
Please understand that this is information is very preliminary, and I will be filling in a lot more detail in subsequent posts, but I want to quickly share a significant break in Grandpa's case.
Yesterday three expert trackers and the detective from Cowley County, KS went back to Grant County Oklahoma to look around the area where Grandpa's truck was found. To be honest I didn't think they stood a chance of finding any trace of him since 19 days have gone by since he disappeared and the area has been so thoroughly covered by previous search parties. Thankfully, I severely underestimated their abilities.
The three volunteer trackers were able to pick up the trail of someone walking with a cane, presumably Grandpa, heading due east from where his truck was found. They followed the foot/cane trail about 1/4 mile across a pasture, across a dirt road ("N3030 Road" on Monday's map) and to the clubhouse of the Caldwell Golf Club. He went up onto the porch of the clubhouse, back down and after that the trail was lost. He may have headed north along the dirt road after leaving the clubhouse, but that is purely speculative.
The volunteer trackers worked for 10 grueling hours to track him. After a well deserved rest, they intend to begin looking again.
GS from Oklahoma is helping me today by driving the area roads and jotting down the exact location of the golf course buildings, nearby farm houses, locations of lights that might be visible at night, etc. As details become available, I will keep this blog up to date.
Thank you, Google, for letting me "borrow" a few maps to create this graphic illustrating where Grandpa's truck was found.What we know:
--A neighbor visited Grandpa at his home in rural Winfield, KS (top right corner of map) at around noon on Friday, Aug 1, 2008 and dropped off some groceries for him. Nothing appeared unusual about his physical or mental state.
--Grandpa can be seen on footage from a surveillance camera at the Winfield, KS Dillons Grocery Store at 9:20 pm on Friday, Aug 1, 2008. It was dark when he left the store.
--At that time he was wearing a long-sleeved, blue shirt, light blue jeans, red suspenders, a baseball cap and prescription glasses.
--While in the grocery store, he was walking steadily. He purchased a few groceries and used a Dillons discount card for the transaction. The discount card was found in his truck after it was recovered.
--His truck can be seen on the Dillons surveillance footage. It appears that he arrived alone, no one was around the truck while he was in the store, and he appears to have left alone.
--Surveillance footage from Walmart, next door to Dillons, shows Grandpa turning left (south) out of the Dillons parking lot onto US Highway 77 (Winfield's Main Street). This is the direction he should go if he were headed home.
--Nothing was missing from Grandpa's house except his wallet, checkbook, and walking cane.
--Grandpa has two dogs. One was in a kennel outside, the other was in a crate inside. On Sunday afternoon, after we discovered Grandpa was missing, the indoor dog was found without water with him in his crate and the crate had been soiled.
--Aug 1 was a new moon, so the night sky would have been very dark.
--The Cowley County Fair was in Winfield, KS on the night of Aug 1, 2008, so there were more people and more cars in town than usual.
--No unexpected transactions have gone through Grandpa's bank accounts.
--Grandpa's pick-up truck, a dark blue 1999 Ford Ranger was found 1/4 mile south of the Kansas/Oklahoma border on US Highway 81. It had gone off the road, at a perpendicular angle to the highway and stopped on a railroad right-of-way.
--There were no skid marks or acceleration marks noted from the truck.
--The abandoned truck was reported by a passing train on Saturday morning.
--There was no other train traveling on those tracks between 9:20pm Friday night when Grandpa was accounted for, and time the morning train went by and called in the sighting of the truck.
--Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to the abandoned vehicle call and towed/impounded the truck on Saturday.
--We discovered Grandpa was missing on Sunday. An All Points Bulletin was issued, leading us to discover Grandpa's truck had been impounded in Oklahoma the day before.
--The license tags were on the truck. Other than scratches in the paint from driving through the weeds, the only body damage on the truck was a small dent in a bumper. We do NOT know how long the dent in the bumper had been there, it may have been dented long before Aug 1.
--There was no broken glass or blood in or around the truck.
--There was a working flashlight in the truck.
--The small bag of groceries he had purchased at Dillons were on the seat of the truck.
--The keys were locked in the ignition of the truck.
--There was gas in the truck.
--The truck battery held a charge and was functioning.
--No mechanical problem was found with the truck.
--The pillow he likes to sit on was on was on the seat of the truck.
--After the truck came to rest near the railroad tracks, the 7 foot tall weeds along the highway prevented it from being visible from US Highway 81.
--That stretch of US Highway 81 is fairly heavily trafficked. Day or night, it is unusual for more than a minute to go by without seeing a passing car.
--Lights from the nearby bar would have been easily visible from the point on US Highway 81 where Grandpa's truck went off the road.
--An extensive land search was conducted around the truck. It included an inch by inch search for a 100 yard radius from the truck. A shoulder to shoulder grid search for a one mile radius from the truck, and an air search for a 5 mile radius from the truck. No trace of Grandpa was found.
--Multiple searches with cadaver dogs have yielded several animal carcasses, but no sign of Grandpa.
--He is almost 88 years old.
--He is a World War II Veteran.
What we think. I stress that this is entirely speculative:
--When he left his home on Friday, he only intended to be gone a short time to run some errands.
--He might have become disoriented or lost on his way home.
--After seeing the "Oklahoma" sign, he realized he was very off course to get home and tried to turn around, but something went wrong.
--He may have turned into the driveway of the now defunct drive-in movie theater and turned around. It is possible that as he was about to turn left to head north on US Highway 81, he somehow missed the highway and went straight across instead. Missing the turn could have caused him to go through the weeds and come to a stop on the railroad right-of-way.
--We don't know for sure that he was still behind the wheel of the truck at this point, but evidence seems to indicate that he was still driving and still alone.
--He might have spent the night, or part of the night, in the truck.
--If he was still in the same physical condition we saw on the Dillons surveillance video, he could have walked from the position his truck was found, through the weeds smashed down by his truck, and back to US Highway 81. He also could have walked along the railroad tracks.
--He may have been picked up by a passing motorist. Most traffic through that stretch of highway is local traffic. Interstate motorists usually prefer to travel by way of Interstate-35 located 10-20 miles east of US Highway 81.
--It is very possible that Grandpa Jack Lee Howe is alive and well. We need your help to find him.
GS (my much mentioned, much appreciated Good Samaritan) found and sent me the news link for the Ponca City News: http://www.poncacitynews.com/templates/311073120090084.bsp
I also want to mention that the North Central Reporter picked up one of the Newscow stories and has posted a nice red flashy banner on their top page linking to it. To get to The Norch Central Reporter home page, click here: http://www.ncreporter.com/
I have posted the link for the Newscow story in previous blogs, but here it is again: http://www.newscow.net/story.php?StoryID=2174
My cousins and some good Samaritans have been working on getting more exposure for Grandpa's story in the Oklahoma media. I had contacted several Oklahoma media outlets when we first started searching for Grandpa, but I received little response. Thankfully, their efforts have proven much more effective than mine and the story is starting to pop up here and there.
This story ran on the front page of the Enid, OK newspaper. The print article included his photo, but this online article does not: http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_229005058.html
I've also heard from family that lives in Ponca City that a story and photo ran in the Friday, Aug 15th edition of the Ponca City News, but I can't find an article online. Here is the link to Ponca City News: http://www.poncacitynews.com/
There is also a possibility that KFOR Channel 4 in Oklahoma City will run a story about Grandpa, but I haven't seen anything about him show up on their web site yet. Here is the link to their main page: http://www.kfor.com/
Here are some other online stories and references I've found about Grandpa:
http://www.newscow.net/story.php?StoryID=2198http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=3649.0http://www.kansascw.com/Global/story.asp?S=8785823&nav=menu676_1
Lastly, but definitely not least, Prairie Chicken has kindly added a permanent link on the sidebar of her blog. Thank you, my friend: http://prairiechicken.blogspot.com/
I have posted a big stack of photos of the area in Oklahoma where Grandpa's truck, a 1999 dark blue Ford Ranger was found on the morning of Aug 2. Some of the shots were sent to me by a good Samaritan, others were sent by my cousins who live in Oklahoma. You can click on any of the photos to link back to my flickr posts of these shots and view larger versions of them.
Here are a few of the most descriptive shots.
Standing just east of US Highway 81, looking east at the tracks left when Grandpa's truck went off the road. Standing west of US Highway 81, looking west at the gravel driveway that once was the entrance to a drive-in movie theater. Grandpa's truck went off the road directly behind this camera view. This is the "Oklahoma" sign located just south of the Kansas/Oklahoma border on US Highway 81, and less than 1/4 mile north of where Grandpa's truck was found. This sign is brightly lit at night.Standing in the spot where grandpa's truck went off the road, looking north up US Highway 81. The building in the distance is a small bar.This was taken from where the truck was found, looking north. The bridge is on the Kansas/Oklahoma state line.Click here to view my Flickr set with all the the shots of the area, as well as photos of Grandpa and "Missing" posters.
The Cowley County Kansas Sheriff Department has updated Grandpa's official "Missing" poster. Since the truck has been found (on Aug 2), they removed the photo of the truck to help stress the point that we are only now only looking for him, not his truck. Here is the new poster: There have been calls coming in from good citizens all over the country that believe they may have seen Grandpa. Some of them are as close to where he went missing as Winfield and Caldwell, KS. Some of the calls have been from as far away as Hawaii. Every call is taken seriously and investigated, but unfortunately none of them have yielded information to help us discover his whereabouts, or help us piece together what might have happened to him after he left the Dillon's Grocery store in Winfield, KS at 9:20pm on Aug 1, 2008. Many thanks to all the good people that are keeping an eye out for him and calling in with possible information. I am extremely hopeful that one of those calls will be the key to finding him and bringing him home.
I also want to note that I have changed the top banner graphic on my blog to highlight our search for Grandpa. If you are seeing this in a RSS reader, click on over to my blog page to see the update.
Remember that trip I took out to Washington last March? ( Click here to refresh your memory. )
Remember all the photos I took while was out there? ( Click here to see some of my flickr photos from the trip. ) Well, one of them has met with some success.
The first print of it was a huge 55x55inch version that ended up as a living room decoration for a good friend of mine. ( Click here to see it on display. )
I made up another 40x60 inch print that is now hanging in my father-in-law's auto repair shop. A third print ( this one on canvas and quite a bit smaller ) is hanging in my aunt and uncle's auto repair shop in Washington. A fourth, also on canvas, is on the wall in my dad's office. I printed a fifth and gave it to my husband for his birthday. It hangs in his cubicle. Finally, at the urging of my aunt, I made one last print and sent it to her to enter it in the Southwest Washington Fair. She called me today and told me that I can now call myself and "award winning photographer" because my photo won first place in it's category. It completely made my day. : ) Because I know you are just dying to see it, here is the blue ribbon shot.Pentax K100D, 18-55 kit lens at 35mm, f/4.5, 1/45sec, ISO 200In fact, I was so flattered and surprised that I forgot to ask her if there were any other entries in that category. Maybe it's better to not ask. ; )
It has been 12 days since Grandpa disappeared. Unfortunately, I don't really have any new evidence to share with you today. However, if Grandpa's disappearance is a cloud, then the silver lining has got to be all the amazing people, most of them complete strangers with no obligation to act, that have gone to great lengths to help us search for him.
One kind stranger, who requested to remain anonymous, went out of her way to write a wonderfully detailed letter to me describing the terrain in the area where Grandpa's truck was found. When she found out I hadn't seen photos of the area yet, she went back and took some fantastic photos and sent them to me. (Some will be posted here soon.)
A lot of people I have met online have helped me by grabbing Grandpa's photo and/or story and passing it forward on blogs, twitter, digg, or anything else they can think of to spread the word. Today my mom spoke with the detective investigating Grandpa's case. He said leads and possible Grandpa sightings are coming in from all over the country, so whatever we are doing to get Grandpa's story out there is working. My hat goes off to all these good people that have taken some time to help me scatter Grandpa's story all over the internet. (The traffic on this site has increased by 200-300% since I started posting info about Grandpa.) Unfortunately none of the tips have yet panned out, but I have a lot of faith that sooner or later, one of those calls will be the key we need to find Grandpa and bring him home.
Not all of the good Samaritans are strangers. This blog has become something of a gathering place for my extended family that is scattered all across the country. They have been watching here for updates as we search for Grandpa. A quick google search for "Jack Lee Howe" will lead you to this blog. Consequently some long lost cousins and other family members that we lost touch with years ago have found me and started correspondence. They have also sent photos (I will posting some of those, too) of the stretch of US Highway 81 where the Oklahoma Highway Patrol found Grandpa's truck, and recommended local newspapers that might print the story. Their kind support and actions have been overwhelmingly appreciated and helpful.
Finally, the media is playing a crucial role in helping us find him. Newspapers are printing his story and photo and KAKE TV in Wichita, KS has aired a couple of stories about Grandpa. We captured this footage from the KAKE TV web site. It aired on Monday, August 11 at 6pm.
I feel confident that the Good Samaritan Factor, along with the diligent efforts of law enforcement will be what brings Grandpa home. I would give every one of them a hug and a kiss of thanks if I could, but for today a huge "Thank You!" on this blog will have to do. We aren't giving up, and obviously neither are you.
It has now been 10 days since he went missing, and we are still looking for Grandpa. We are all feeling the intense burden of it. After this long, we know it would be a miracle, but we are all still praying that he is found safe and sound.
It doesn't make it any easier that I am so far away from where he went missing and where the investigation is going on. My mind won't stop playing out possible scenarios of what could have happened to him. I did learn that there is a bar and at least one house located right on the Oklahoma/Kansas border, meaning they sit less than a 1/4 mile from where his truck was found. He would have been able to see the lights from those buildings at night and I think he easily could have walked there from his truck.
Also, I've been told that the Oklahoma authorities have been watching the stretch of Highway 81 where Grandpa's truck was found, and that even at night it is rare for a full minute to go by without at least one vehicle driving past. Up until now I had pictured Grandpa stranded on a lonely stretch of road, far from any structures or traffic, but I was mistaken. It is a comfort to know that a lot of people may have been around to offer him help, but it still doesn't explain what happened to him and where he is now.
We will keep looking for as long as it takes to find him. I feel sure that someone has seen him and may know where he is.
This is been a rough week. I have been spending a lot of time doing everything I can think of to get Grandpa's photo and story as visible as possible. The stress is taking its toll on me and I feel physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.
I am shooting a wedding in Manti, UT in two weeks. I had never been there before, so before Grandpa went missing I had made plans to take a day trip with my dear friend and take a photowalk around the temple grounds at about the same time of day I will be shooting wedding photos. I wanted to get a feel for the temple grounds, lighting, and some ideas for how to set up some shots for the bride and groom. I was ready to cancel my plans and stay home to keep working on Grandpa's publicity and be around in case any new information became available, but my Dad really encouraged me to go ahead with my plans. He told me I needed a few hours away from the stress and obsessive googling I've been doing on Grandpa's behalf. I took his advice and went ahead with my plans for the day. Dad was right. It was just what I needed. Not only did I get a much needed break, but I also got some great shots of the temple grounds and some fun ideas for how to photograph the happy couple on their wedding day. Here are some of my favorite shots from yesterday's outing.
The first shot is a view from south of the temple. The hill in the foreground is where the popular "Mormon Miracle Pageant" is performed every year.
Pentax K100D, 28-80mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens at 40mm, f.5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200
There were several weddings there when as we explored the grounds. This little girl escaped from her parents and all the wedding festivities for just long enough to run as fast as she could down the cool grassy hill. I'm sure her pretty little dress suffered a few grass stains, but I'm also sure it was worth it. I love the minimalism of this shot. Yesterday I felt just like this little girl, letting the momentum of the day help me run away, just for a short time, from the burdens of my life.
Pentax K100D, 28-80mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens at 28mm, f/3.5, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200
A lot of the grounds to the east of the temple are much less groomed, but it gave me some great subjects for fun macro shots of the dry August grass. *sigh* I am so in love with the bokeh on my "Nifty Fifty" 50 mm lens.
Pentax K100D, 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/1.4, 1/3000 sec, ISO 200
Standing at the northwest corner of the temple, the angles in the architecture are really stunning. In this shot I was experimenting with capturing some lens flare from the sunlight. I recently read that the smaller the aperture (the bigger the f/stop number) you use, the more distinct the flare. Looks like it worked. I love the little rainbow splash of color that was thrown across the side of the building.
Pentax K100D, 28-80mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens at 28mm, f/22, 1/90 sec, ISO 200
Finally, I have a dear place in my heart for any Bishops' Storehouse. The LDS Church Welfare system is an inspiring organization of volunteers, and the shelves inside this building are stocked with the fruits of so much of that compassionate service. They provide a lot of food for a lot of good people that desperately need it.
I also love old buildings, so I had to have a shot of this very old Bishop's Storehouse in Manti, UT. I wish I had been about 2 inches further to the right to get this exactly symmetrical. (I'm not obscessive, am I?)
Pentax K100D, 28-80mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens at 28mm, f/4.5, 1/350 sec, ISO 200
This poster is an update from yesterday's poster. I added that he was wearing a blue ball cap, and at the suggestion of the sheriff's office, added the Cowley County Sheriff's Office phone number.
We are asking any willing volunteers to print and distribute this poster anywhere and everywhere. He has now been missing a full week. It is our prayer that a kind motorist or trucker has picked him up and is driving unaware of the search for him. Please help us keep his story and photo alive and seen across the country.
I also prepared this black and white version for cheap/easy printing and copying.
Also, yesterday's updated information on what he was last seen wearing has generated some new media attention. Here are some new links I have have found recently.
Based on a review of the footage taken at 9pm Friday, August 1 by a surveillance camera at the Dillon's Grocery Store in Winfield, KS, we have an updated description of the clothes he was last seen wearing.
Wednesday was a pretty good day for gathering information. The Kansas detective working Grandpa's case spent a good chunk of his day in Oklahoma going over Grandpa's truck. This is what we found out.
One of the most vital finds in the truck was a discount card for Dillon's grocery store. A scan of the discount card revealed that Grandpa bought some Fig Newtons, hot dogs and candy bars at around 9pm Friday night. A review of the surveillance camera in the Winfield Dillon's shows him pulling into the parking lot in his truck, walking into the store carrying what look like a handful of letters to mail, walking to the part of the store where the mail drop would be, gathering his items to purchase, going through the checkout line and pulling out of the parking lot. He was steady on his feet and did not appear to be suffering any physical problems. Unfortunately, the angle of the grocery store surveillance cameras did not reveal which direction he went as the pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the road. However, we are hoping a review of the surveillance footage from the Walmart, next door to the grocery store, will show us which direction, north or south, he was going when he pulled back out onto Highway 77 (Winfield's Main Street).
We know from this information that he was alive and well and going about his business as usual as late as 9pm on Friday. We also know that it was dark by the time he left the grocery store, so it was more than likely still dark when he found himself 1/4 mile south of the Kansas/Oklahoma state line on Highway 81. The darkness may have made it easier for him to get confused and head off in the wrong direction if he was trying to make his way home. The upside to the fact that was dark is that the cooler evening temperatures reduce the chance that he suffered a debilitating physical reaction to the high temperature and humidity that day if set out on foot after abandoning his dark blue 1999 Ford Ranger.
Today's investigation of the car also revealed that the truck still had a half of tank of gas in it and that the truck battery was still working. These facts would seem to indicate that after he drove the car through the weeds and stopped by the railroad tracks, he was well enough to turn off the car. Otherwise the car would have idled until it ran out of gas, and the dead car with the ignition on would have killed any charge in the truck battery. Also, there were working flashlights in the truck, meaning he had access to light if he set off on foot during the dark night. The day he disappeared, Aug 1, was a new moon, so it would have been very dark without a flashlight.
All of this seems to indicate that we was still physically well after abandoning his truck. We are hoping that a kind motorist or trucker has picked him up and is traveling with him unaware of the intense search that is underway for him. Tomorrow I plan to contact the major truck stop chains and ask them to distribute his photo nationwide.
To clean up a point of old news, today I contacted the reporter for the Wellington Daily News that reported the finding of a navy blue sweater that belonged to my grandfather. After double checking her source information, she realized she had made and error and there was never any mention from investigators of a navy blue sweater. She apologized and promised me that she would correct the errors in her article.
I'll finish this up by sending out another plea for anyone that has seen him or remembers anything about him or his truck since he disappeared on Aug 1 to please call 911 immediately and report what you know.
The story that most caught my eye is the last one on the list. It mentions that a navy blue sweater belonging to Grandpa was found somewhere in the area of the truck. I found this puzzling because this is the first mention we as a family have heard of a navy blue sweater. After reading the article, my father contacted the Sumner County Sheriff's office to ask about the sweater. They informed us that no sweater was found. Other than his truck and it's contents, no trace of him has been found.
I mentioned yesterday about foggy information regarding some kind of mix-up with Grandpa's license plate number. We've gained some insight into what happened there. Apparently when his 1999 dark blue Ford Ranger was impounded on Saturday, the tag number was mistyped in the computer system. When the APB went out on Sunday for Grandpa and his truck, one of the officers that had seen the truck sometime after it was found realized that it matched the vehicle description in the APB and double checked the tag number to see if it matched. It did, so the error was corrected and the Kansas authorities were notified that his truck had been found, towed and impounded in Oklahoma on Saturday. The photo above shows the truck after it was found in Oklahoma, but the photo was NOT taken in the location where the truck was first found.
As a family, we are anxiously awaiting more information about the contents of the truck and if any of those contents might give us an idea of his state of mind or physical condition when he left the truck. We do know that a small bag of groceries was found in the car, and we hope that the investigators can successfully track down when and where those groceries were purchased so they can begin to retrace his steps and find someone that may have seen him. The detective on the case has been extremely diligent and we have great confidence in him to give Grandpa's investigation all due attention.
We are also hoping that as Oklahoma and Kansas authorities continue to work with each other and compare notes, more clues can be found can be found and it will help point us in the right direction to find him.
Please, anyone that has seen him since noon Friday, August 1, call 911 immediately. Help us bring Grandpa home.
My 87 year old Grandpa, Jack Lee Howe, is missing. I have spent all day hammering every news outlet I can think of in the Kansas/Oklahoma area with info and photos in an effort to get as much publicity as possible for him. These are the news links where I have found his story so far:
KAKE-TV News also aired a story about him tonight. A reporter from MedfordOklahoma.com has kindly contacted me and has promised to post a web page with photos and info about the search for grandpa. That post should go up in the next day or so.
Some of the stories have yet to post his photo, but I'm trying to get them to do that for us. Ironically, my grandpa's hometown paper, The Courier has turned out to be the least accurate of all the reports and is one of the online stories sans photo. To fill in some facts and dispel some inaccuracies in some of the news reports, here is what we know so far.
Grandpa loves his independence and lives alone. As a family, we have tried to do what we can to help him remain independent despite his age and physical limitations. We have tried to set up a system of watch care that he will accept as not too intrusive and still help to insure his safety. His good neighbor, Lela Bright, is what we all consider his tireless guardian angel. She checks in on him with extreme frequency, brings him his mail, drops off groceries, etc. Last Friday, around noon, she dropped off some groceries at his house. She left the groceries with him and went on her way, knowing he would pay her for the groceries later.
Saturday evening around 5:30, she grabbed his mail out of the mailbox with the intent of taking it up to the house for him, but noticed that his truck was not there. She remembered that he had mentioned something about driving to Ark City to pick up something, a metal bucket, I think, so she assumed he was out running that errand. She put his mail back in the box, knowing he would grab it out of the box as he pulled back into his driveway. The next time she stopped by to check on him was Sunday around noon, at which time she noticed that his truck (a dark blue 1999 Ford Ranger pickup) was still not home and the same mail was still in the box, indicating that he had not been home all night. She immediately called my mother and father in Wisconsin to tell them of her concern for Grandpa. My dad immediately got the sheriff's office involved. After searching the house, they found no signs of foul play in the house or anywhere on the property. His checkbook, wallet, and walking cane seemed to be the only things he took with him. A check for the groceries was written out to Lela and left lying on the kitchen table, presumable to be given to her the next time she stopped by. One of his dogs was in a pen behind the house and the other dog was in a kennel inside the house. All signs indicate that he left the house with the intention of only being gone a short time.
Shortly after Grandpa was reported missing to the Cowley County Sheriff's department, an APB for him and his vehicle was put out over a wide area. It was sent out to multiple states in the off chance that he had decided to drive up to visit his son in Minnesota or his wife and daughter (my mom) in Wisconsin. His wife, is no longer physically strong enough to live at home and resides in a care home near where my parents live in Wisconsin. After a few hours, an APB turned up the fact that his truck had been found just south of the Kansas/Oklahoma border on Highway 81 between Caldwell, KS and Medford, OK.
The abandoned blue Ford Ranger Pickup was spotted by a passing train on Saturday morning and reported to the Oklahoma authorities (Highway Patrol, I presume). A train had been by there at around 9 pm on Friday night, but did not report the truck. We don't know if the 9pm Friday train didn't see the truck or if the truck wound up there sometime after that train had already passed. We were told that officers came out and investigated the scene assuming that the truck had been abandoned by a drunk driver, so the scene was investigated to gather evidence, then the truck was sent to the impound in Tonkawa, OK. We have heard foggy reports that there was some sort of confusion about the tag number on the truck, which slowed down the process of identifying Grandpa as the owner, but so far we as a family haven't been able to gain a clear understanding of what that confusion was about. Once the APB went out, the Oklahoma authorities realized that the impounded truck belonged to our missing Jack Lee Howe, and we finally had a place to start concentrating the search.
The car had gone off of the east side of the road at a right angle to the highway. He went through the tall grass in the ditch, over a berm, and onto the edge of the railroad right-of-way. There were no skid or acceleration marks noted anywhere. After conversation with several officials, it is inconclusive if he was traveling north or south or if he had headed straight across the highway from a driveway. At that point the truck would no longer have been visible to a passing car on the highway. A detective on the scene today indicated that he believes the most likely direction for a man on foot to go after leaving the truck would have been right back to the road by the same path that the truck had just plowed through the tall grass. Foot travel along the tracks looks to have been difficult enough that is unlikely he would have attempted it and the grass all around in other directions would have been difficult to walk through as well. The paint on the truck was scratched from being driven through the weeds and brush, but showed no other signs of damage. There was no broken glass or blood to indicate that he suffered any injury when he went off the road.
Aircraft began searching the area for him yesterday and continued until dark. Today's search began at 6 am (Monday, Aug 4) and included an extremely detailed search for a 100 yard radius around the car, a shoulder to shoulder grid search for a one mile radius from the car, and an additional search by air, horse, and ATV up to a 5 mile radius out from the car. The ground search turned up absolutely no sign of him and was called off around 2 pm this afternoon.
His youngest son arrived in Winfield today and is staying at Grandpa's house while the search continues. Given the limited information we have, there are so many possible scenarios, that it kind of boggles the mind. At this point some investigators are assuming that he took a wrong turn and wound up lost and on the wrong highway. Once he saw the "Welcome to Oklahoma" sign, he realized his mistake and may have been attempting to turn around and head back north when he went off the road.
We are hoping that someone picked up Grandpa and may be transporting him somewhere without knowing about the extensive search that is going on.
Anyone anywhere that can help pass this story and info along, please do so. If he were picked up by a passing car or truck, he could have driven anywhere by now. I am convinced that someone, somewhere knows where he is and we just need to get this story spread far enough and loud enough for the right person to hear it.
I have posted his photo on Flickr. Here is the link (click here). I also started a discussion thread in the strobist.com flickr group hoping that the wide audience and abundant photojournalists that frequent that group may be able to offer some help. Here is the link to the discussion thread (click here).
I'm pretty sure my family will relate to this.
