Family hopes for news after disappearance of 17-year-old Pennsylvania boy
Published March 14, 2013
FoxNews.com
A Pennsylvania family is pleading for any information on the disappearance of 17-year-old Jacob Samusenko, who was last seen nearly two months ago after returning home from a high school basketball game.
Lyubov Rafferty, the teen's cousin, told FoxNews.com that Samusenko was last seen the night of Jan. 29, after his mother asked him to put the household trash outside their Erie, Pa., home.
"Nobody actually saw him leave the house, but the trash was found outside, so we assume that's what he did," Rafferty said.
Samusenko's mother discovered he was missing from the home later, after he failed to gather for nightly prayer with his parents and five siblings. Rafferty said it's possible that Samusenko, a senior at Bethel Christian Academy, may have decided to go for a run around a part of Lake Erie.
"It was uncharacteristically warm that night," Rafferty recalled. "And we know it was one of his New Year's resolutions to go running on a daily basis."
She said the boy's mother drove around the route Samusenko would have run that night, but found no trace of her son. He was officially reported missing to police around 7 a.m. the following morning.
Rafferty claims police never searched the lake because it froze over by the next morning, when rain and snow began to cover the area. The teen's disappearance is currently classified as a "missing persons case" because "there's no evidence pointing in any specific direction," Rafferty said.
"The family thinks he either went for a run and slipped into the lake, or somebody grabbed him," she said, adding that the teen's identification, wallet, money and coat were all left at the home. She also noted that Samusenko, a good student, was not depressed and had planned on attending Gannon University in Erie for a degree in physical therapy.
A detective with the Erie Police Department was not immediately available when contacted Thursday.
Samusenko is described as 5 foot, 5 inches tall and weighing approximately 130 lbs. He was last seen wearing black track pants. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on Samusenko's whereabouts is being urged to call the Erie Police Department at 814-870-1115.
61 comments:
Six kids are hard to keep up with. It is a shame they didn't notice he went missing before it went from uncharacteristically warm to frozen over.
Thanks,
Suzie
off topic
I came across this in facebook, it made me giggle til i cried.
High Way I think it is just terrible and disgusting how everyone has treated lance armstrong, especially after what he achieved winning seven tour de franc races while competing on drugs.
When i was on drugs i couldn't even find my bike. - tricky
Have LE been able to search the lake yet or is it still frozen over?
What makes the cousin say 'Nobody actually saw him leave the house, but the trash was found outside, so we assume that's what he did'?
Because it is fact from the investigative work or because she is doubtful or maybe because she was asked this specifically by the interviewer?
He mustn't have told anyone in the house he was planning to go for a run I assume.
Two months is a long time......has there been many appeals to trace him? The PD were not 'immediatley available to comment'....but have they commented yet? What are they saying?
OT.
New lead in hunt for Madeleine McCann: Police look for team of British cleaners in white van who were working in resort
Apartment owners have been asked about six to eight cleaners with van
Cleaners advertised on cards in Portuguese supermarkets nearby
New line of enquiry comes as UK detectives review missing girl's case.
Read More.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2293759/Madeleine-McCann-hunt-Operation-Grange-officers-look-cleaners-white-van.html#ixzz2NbtkQMrv
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
So possibly something happened to him in the house or he was grabbed? Is it difficult to grab a 17 year old without anyone hearing a disturbance? Could one person do this or would it need to be more than one person?
Why wait til 7am next day to report him missing? I understand that you sometimes have to wait 24 hours before it is classed as a missing person case but surely if the mother was concerned and couldn't find him, the earlier the search starts the better - especially if he had an injury or something and needed help.
It seems strange to me. Did the family organise a search with people within that time (apart from going along his running route to see if he was there)?
Suzie, do you know something I don't or did I miss something, as that is not the way I understood the story of Jacobs' disappearance.
As I understand it, seventeen year old Jacob went outside to take the trash and never returned. By the time the family got together for prayers he still had not returned, WAS missed, and it was discovered that he had dashed outside without his jacket, wallet or anything else, but it had been assumed that he must have gone for a quick run around the lake as he sometimes did since it was a warm evening.
When Jacob still didn't return after a reasonable time, his mother drove around the lake looking for him.
I have not read a timeline as to what time it was when he went to take the trash out or how much time passed between then and when the family met for prayers, or how late it was when she drove off looking for him or how long she looked before calling 911 early the following morning, only that by morning he still had not returned and the lake had frozen over during the night.
My point is, we don't know if perhaps the mother looked for her son all night, even if perhaps none of the family even slept, so how can you say that he wasn't missed just because there were six kids; when he clearly was missed earlier in the evening and was searched for by his mother.
John,
What do you think of the story about the cleaners? Is it spin or a leak? I so wish they would just open this case again in Portugal and bust the McCanns once and for all!! It gets so frustrating. Although getting excited awaiting the McCann /Amaral libel trial :). They can't be looking forward to it, shame.
John, have you applied SA to any of their interviews? I would love to see what you have come up with.
"Nobody actually saw him leave the house, but the trash was found outside, so we assume that's what he did," Rafferty said.
Why didn't someone just ask who put the trash out?there is one mystery solved instead of assuming.Why the focus on the lake the weather.I cant put my finger on this one.
What was he wearing during the day?.
Were is his cell phone?
Does he have a partner?
Questions,Questions Questions.
It would have been very easy for someone to grab this young man, even cleverly right off his own driveway, on the path around the lake or on his way to the lake. He wouldn't have been able to put up much of a fight.
He is of slight build and weight and isn't very tall. Many young women his age who get snatched are bigger than he is. He would have been easy pickings for a merciless perp.
I have a bad feeling for young Jacob. No one just disappears into the night. He has either been snatched by a low life or slipped and fell into the lake, since there is no indication that he ran away, nor has there been any indication that a family member such as an estranged bio father or stepfather retaliated by taking him.
Perhaps there is more to the story that we don't know?
Hi,S + K Mum,
I have done bits and bobs.
This is Hobnobs field,if you need and analysis and or information Hobs is your girl.
And was the garbage that no one seems to know who brought to the road, picked up before the call to 911?
Yeah thanks John, I know about Hobnob :) There are some articles on this site aswell but I would like to see more if I am honest. I have tried by myself to do some SA on them, but don't think I am doing very well. I have read hours and hours and hours worth of stuff about the case, sad!
I have been keeping an eye on the controversy page on FB (not a member though) and I know the issue with the sports type bag; in a picture of DPayne with a kid on his knee, there is something that looks like that very bag on the other side of the glass. It bothers me because the McCanns always denied owning it, so maybe they are telling the truth maybe another group member actually owned it. SA could maybe suss out their statements with regards to that haha!
Just to set the record straight, sometimes Hobnob is wrong and when she is she deletes her posts.
Which posts have been deleted Anon 9.38AM?
I grew up in Erie. I do not live their now but do have several friends and family members there. On the night Jacob went missing his picture was all over facebook. I don't know what happened to him, but I do know the family was actively looking for him and using social media to get his face and information out there
Can anyone post quotes from Jacobs parents giving press conferences/ interviews?
A couple of my questions answered here.He does Not have a cell phone?????and he was wearing track pants.
Volunteers spread out to search for missing Erie teen
A table holding coffee, cookies, packets of instant hot chocolate and stacks of Styrofoam cups sat in the front room of Alex and Nadia Samusenko's East Second Street house Tuesday morning, near a large family photo of the couple and their six smiling children that hangs above an upright piano.
Cont..
The refreshments were there to nourish friends, neighbors and strangers who would spend hours in the cold and snow, looking for clues to the whereabouts of the Samusenkos' second-oldest child, Jacob.
Small posters taped to the large front window that lets light into the room reminded visitors who ate and drank the offerings that Jacob, 17, hasn't been seen since Jan. 29.
About 150 people gathered in the Samusenkos' neighborhood Tuesday morning and fanned out across Erie's lower east side to spread the word about Jacob's disappearance and to hunt for any bit of evidence to help explain what might have happened to the boy, and where he might be.
Searchers gathered some information and found some things that they passed along to the Erie Bureau of Police to check out. But they weren't able to find Jacob on Tuesday. His mother puts her son's return in God's hands.
Cont.."We believe God will make a miracle," Nadia Samusenko said as she sat on a piano stool below the family portrait, shortly before the search began at 10 a.m. Tuesday. "People support us, pray for us. We believe he will come back safely."
Jacob was last seen at about 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 29. He was supposed to be taking the garbage from the back of the family's two-story, white house to the front curb, but he never came back inside, Nadia Samusenko, 45, said.
Jacob didn't return when the family gathered for prayer at 10 p.m., she said. She thought he might be in the basement lifting weights, but she checked it and the rest of the house and couldn't find him.
Nadia Samusenko then thought her son might be taking a walk, as it was a nice evening and Jacob likes to walk to Dobbins Landing. So she got in the car and drove down Holland Street to the foot of State Street, but did not see him.
Jacob's mother said she stayed up all night, thinking that maybe he went to a friend's house to watch TV but was told to stay there because it was so late. Such a possibility was unusual, she admitted, because Jacob had never done that before, and her quiet son does not have an easy time making new friends.
She said her son likes to run, "jump and roll," and her concern is that he might have fallen and hurt himself, or possibly might have fallen into the lake.
Jacob doesn't have a cell phone, but when he went outside on the night of Jan. 29 he was wearing headphones to listen to music, his mother said.
Those who gathered to search for Jacob on Tuesday included relatives and neighbors, retired couples and young siblings. They spoke English and the Samusenkos' native Russian. They brought dogs, maps, candy and hand-warmers.
"When something is wrong in the community, the more people involved the better," said Gary McEnery, who passed out hand-warmers he brought from his home on the city's west side.
There were members of the Erie County Sheriff's Mounted Posse, members of the Leader of Men motorcycle riding club and 20 employees of Erie Restoration Inc.
"We have six partners in the company and all have children. We know if it was one of our children, we would want the community out in full support in finding our child," said Melissa Hart, a partner in Erie Restoration.
Search teams also included about half the student body of Bethel Christian School, where Jacob is a senior. The students were given an excused absence to help search for a fellow student who is "a really good kid," school administrator David Miles said.
"Our kids are torn up and they're not sure what to do," Miles said.
The gathering for the search was larger than expected, and it led organizers to expand the search area from East 12th Street to the lake, from State Street to Hess Avenue, said Adrian Ewing, who coordinated the search.
They were split into eight "zones," with six canvassing neighborhoods to knock on doors and pass out fliers; and the other two charged with searching areas, including woods, from Front Street north to the lake, Ewing said.
Nadia Samusenko opened the search by having a friend read from a Bible passage she selected. She said she had read a passage earlier that morning about a person being saved, and it gave her hope that Jacob will return safely.
"Growing up in a Christian family, I have faith in God. Now it's time to be showing my faith," she said.
Jacob Samusenko is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds. He has dark hair and was last seen wearing track pants.
http://www.goerie.com/article/20130213/NEWS02/302129923/Volunteers-spread-out-to-search-for-missing-Erie-teen&template=mobile
My first thought when I heard about Jacob, as it is all young men 16 to mid 20's or so who disappear like this/near water is Smiley face killing. I don't even know if it is a legitimate theory but there it is:(
"WE believe God will make a miracle," Nadia Samusenko said as she sat on a piano stool below the family portrait, shortly before the search began at 10 a.m. Tuesday. "People support us, pray for US. WE BELIEVE he will come back safely."
She does not say "I" believe which is the expected from a parent.
She also says ""People support us, pray for US.
I would expect also for her to say,people are praying for HIM.
She only Believes he will come back safely and not come home safely.
Mothers cling to any hope and refuse to engage in any negative talk when one of their own is missing and or dying.And in today's world of technology it is very extroadinary for a 17 year old Not to have a cell phone.
Does anyone know if the parents have been ruled out? Polygraphed etc?
Why do I find it odd that they organised refreshments for searchers in their home? I think if it was me I would be busy having a nervous breakdown- would someone else not organise and tend to that? Would you be calm and collected enough to do all that?
I hope people don't see 'Christian Family,' 'prayers,' and assume they're innocent. There is a lot of attention being given to them being such a 'wholesome' group, even to their hospitality.
Thanks for posting the article, John. One inconsistency I noticed is, no one saw Jacob leave, they don't seem to know what he did that evening or what may have happened to him, but then this statement:
"Jacob doesn't have a cell phone, but when he went outside on the night of Jan. 29 he was wearing headphones to listen to music, his mother said."
?
I also find it strange that the mother would wait all night to report him missing, unless it was customary for him to just take off without telling anyone and stay out all night. At 17, this is a possibility with some kids, but they are presenting the picture of a model student, so it seems out of character. This is a case where, if there were issues, it would be better to just say so.
I also find this statement strange:
"Jacob's mother said she stayed up all night, thinking that maybe he went to a friend's house to watch TV but was told to stay there because it was so late. Such a possibility was unusual, she admitted, because Jacob had never done that before, and her quiet son does not have an easy time making new friends."
-If he'd never done this before and was shy and had trouble making new friends, why would you wait all night on such an off-chance? And why "new friends," what about his old friends? Were they new to this area?
Maybe this is just a poorly written news article.
Family holds out hope for missing Erie teen.
More than a month has passed since Jacob Samusenko was last seen.
But family members are holding out hope that the 17-year-old is still alive and are praising the work of detectives on the missing-person case.
"They've been doing everything they can with the information that's been provided to them and with what they've been able to find," said Lyubov Rafferty, 25, who said she is the second cousin of Samusenko's mother.
"They've researched everything. Even just a rumor, they looked into it," said Rafferty, who administers the "Help Find Jacob Samusenko" Facebook page. "And still nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything and nobody knows anything. I can't make sense of that part."
Samusenko, of the 300 block of East Second Street, was last seen the night of Jan. 29 and was reported missing on Jan. 30. He is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds and has brown eyes. He was last seen wearing track pants.
Erie Bureau of Police Detective Sgt. Dominick DiLullo, who is investigating the case, could not be reached for comment Friday. Lt. Kirk Werner said Friday that the case remains open and "very active."
Rafferty described Samusenko as a "quiet boy, always willing to help."
"If you ask him to do something, he's going to do it. You didn't have to ask him over and over like most kids," she said.
He was a good student who wanted to enroll in Gannon University and become a physical therapist, she said.
"There's nothing that says, 'This is what happened to him.' That's the frustrating part," Rafferty said. "I am not frustrated by any means with what police have been doing. They're looking for him no matter what the result is going to be.
"From a Biblical perspective, hope is the last thing to go," she said. "Everything else will go, but hope is the last thing to go. That's what we have to hold on to. That's what gets us through ... knowing no matter where he's at, God's with him, and he's going to protect him, wherever that may be or however that may be."
Maria Samusenko, 19, said her brother is mature and very responsible. He recently was voted Mr. Family Man by their youth group at the Russian-Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church, where they attend, she said.
"The hardest part is not knowing exactly what happened to him," Maria Samusenko said. "Is he alive? Has he been hurt? Has he been kidnapped?
"What's getting us through the day is God's word, knowing he knows what's going on and he's in control."
http://www.goerie.com/article/20130303/NEWS02/303029913/Family-holds-out-hope-for-missing-Erie-teen
Hobnob, re: Lance Armstrong post, LOL!
A few more statements
"The family really appreciates the community support. It's tough, very tough, because it's almost like we could make peace with the fact that he might be gone, as difficult as that would be, but we just don't know and that's what makes this so difficult," Lyubov Rafferty, a relative of, and spokesperson for, the Samusenko family told The Huffington Post.
Adrian Ewing, a local resident who was touched by Samusenko's disappearance, helped organize and manage Tuesday's search efforts.
"We covered basically the entire Eastern portion of the City of Erie," Ewing told HuffPost. "The next step is to try to get some dog teams out here."
According to Ewing, approximately 150 area residents registered to help look for Samusenko and provide administrative support for the effort.
"He was really tired and said he was taking trash out," Rafferty said. "The trash was taken out, so we know that was done, but nobody has seen him since. We originally thought he might have gone for a run -- he was a runner and would run along the lake -- but we have not found any camera or security footage of him running along the docks."
Rafferty said it would be completely out of character for Samusenko to run away.
"He attends church, he is an honor roll student and he's never been in trouble in his life," she said. "There is no evidence of, or reason for, him to run away."
Peter Samusenko, the missing teen's brother, said he is certain his brother did not run away but does not have any idea what might have happened to him.
"He just disappeared. I don't know and no one in our family knows. Anything at this point right now is possible," he told HuffPost.
Jacob Samusenko's disappearance is being investigated by the Erie Police Department, and is considered a missing-person case since there is no evidence Samusenko either ran away or was abducted, investigators have said. The police department could not be immediately reached for comment.
Ewing said himself -- as did many of the volunteers who participated in Tuesday's search efforts -- that he is upset police did not participate in the search.
"There was no involvement by our local police department," Ewing said. "People are very frustrated that the City of Erie has no one out here. There is no official presence, no fire department, no search and rescue team, nothing."
Ewing added, "What really burns me up is Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott could not even show up. What is he doing today that's more important? He doesn't give two shits about this case and that's what you should write. We are upset."
While Ewing and other volunteers expressed frustration with police, Rafferty said Samusenko's family is appreciative of everything law enforcement is doing to help find their missing love one.
"Personally, I know the police have done multiple casings of the neighborhood and everything. I know the detectives themselves on their days off go looking personally. They don't have to do that -- it's their day off -- but they still go and do that and the family really appreciates it," Rafferty said.
Jacob Samusenko is 5 foot 5 inches tall and 130 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. He was last seen wearing track pants and a red zip-up sweater. The "Help Find Jacob Samusenko" Facebook page was created to help share information in the case. A $10,000 reward is being offered for direct leads. Anyone with information is asked to contact Erie police at 814-870-1156 or 814-870-1125.
"If anybody knows anything or thinks they might know something -- any information is better than no information and their little piece might help put together a bigger picture -- they should contact police," Rafferty said.http://victimsheartland.forumotion.com/t6118-17-yr-old-jacob-samusenko-missing-family-volunteers-search-for-erie-pennsylvania-teen#171957
"Jacob's mother said she stayed up all night, thinking that maybe he went to a friend's house to watch TV but was told to stay there because it was so late. Such a possibility was unusual, she admitted, because Jacob had never done that before, and her quiet son does not have an easy time making new friends."
I'm confused with this statement. Why would she assume he might have done this if he had NEVER done it before? And, to add in that he thinking he might have been told to stay at the friends because it was so late is bizarre. Wouldn't the mother assume the son would call her if this had been the case?
I also agree with Suzie's statement above. The 17 yr old may have gone out for a run because it was a warm evening but the next morning the lake was frozen and they couldn't look for him?
Hopefully it is a poorly written article because that statement doesn't add up at all.
John,
there is more to this story than meets the eye.
I hope to do some analysis this weekend.
Peter
That would be great Peter,i keep going back over the statements i have found,looking for the magical extra 40%.Something is not sitting right with these events.
Sorry so long but something is hinky about this story..
Quote from brother, Peter Samusenko:
"He just disappeared. I don't know and no one in our family knows. Anything at this point right now is possible"
The uncles/cousin (can't tell by the way article is written) quote:
"It's tough, very tough, because it's almost like we could make peace with the fact that he might be gone, as difficult as that would be, but we just don't know and that's what makes this so difficult," Lyubov Rafferty
I don't know what to make of this one, the brothers quote bothers me. Its a bit evasive..as in, he's gone, I don't know anything, we don't know anything and anything is possible. While it's true the possibilities are endless, MOST are not likely. His siblings and parents should, (after more than a month) have a definite opinion of what possibilities are likely. If he hasn't run away, then he is either abducted, victimized (within the home or outside), or he has fallen victim to an accidental death.
The other quote is VERY strange to me...it contains NO HOPE, (although they say hope is the only thing left, and 'getting them through'). They are basically saying, it would be better for us to know he's gone, because 'not knowing' is too hard for us. This quote is bizarre and implies the difficulties THEY are experiencing by 'not knowing', are actually worse than dealing with his death. This shows they are more focused on their difficulties than what Jacob is experiencing. (Why are they not hopeful to bring Jacob home, and appealing to his captors for mercy? They reference prayer and God being with Jacob as their hope and comfort {which points to him being gone & no earthly action can help him} and the quote seems like they awaiting confirmation of his death)
SOMETHING IS MISSING HERE! Was there an argument between the parents and Jacob? Maybe about taking out the trash? They say they ASSUME he took the trash out, because it was out there...they are non-committal. You would think they would have asked the other kids to confirm this, given the importance of knowing the timeframe. Also they say he was tired, but then theorize that he went for a run!? How did they know he was tired? Did he protest when asked to take out the trash...saying he was too tired? Did they think he walked/ran away that night to calm down after an argument? If nobody saw him go outside to take out the trash, then why does mom say he was wearing headphones when he went out?
Mom's quote:
"Jacob doesn't have a cell phone, but when he went outside on the night of Jan. 29 he was wearing headphones to listen to music, his mother said."
Also I'm am disturbed by the family 'calling out' the Mayor for not participating in the search. It seems like an effort to switch the focus from their efforts, onto the Mayor. Besides, since when is the Mayor expected to search for missing people? I can understand being annoyed that the police didn't participate in the search...but the Mayor? They should be focused on the people helping them, rather than the people who are not. They should also be discussing JACOB more than themselves and their faith. (I have no problem with them leaning on their faith, but the majority of their quotes are dominated by prayer, religion, etc..when they should be talking about Jacob and details that could bring him home. I also think the fact that LE did not participate in the search is telling).
It adds up perfectly. Jacob's mother was attempting to find and was looking for any possibility, not saying that's what he did.
What I don't understand is how some of you take everything anyone says out of context, refusing to understand. Wonder how some of you would act if your own son or daughter was missing?
Question:
If no one saw Jacob actually LEAVE the house...
HOW does his mother know whether or not he had on his headphones when he left?
:/
From above: [i] "Searchers gathered some information and found some things that they passed along to the Erie Bureau of Police to check out. But they weren't able to find Jacob on Tuesday. His mother puts her son's return in God's hands."[/i]
Police didn't help search. There must be a reason for that.... and, they found some things.
**********************************
From the article: [i]"The family really appreciates the community support. It's tough, very tough, because it's almost like we could make peace with the fact that he might be gone, as difficult as that would be, but we just don't know and that's what makes this so difficult," Lyubov Rafferty, a relative of, and spokesperson for, the Samusenko family said."[/i]
It's kind of strange how a family member/friend said they might almost be ready to make peace with it. Yikes.
***********************************
From the article: [i]"It was uncharacteristically warm that night," Rafferty recalled. "And we know it was one of his New Year's resolutions to go running on a daily basis."
She said the boy's mother drove around the route Samusenko would have run that night, but found no trace of her son. He was officially reported missing to police around 7 a.m. the following morning.
Rafferty claims police never searched the lake because it froze over by the next morning, when rain and snow began to cover the area. [/i]
Warm evening to run yet the lake was FROZEN by the next day? That must have been some doozy of a temperature change.
**********************************
From above: [i]"There's nothing that says, 'This is what happened to him.' That's the frustrating part," Rafferty said. "I am not frustrated by any means with what police have been doing. They're looking for him no matter what the result is going to be.[i/]
They are NOT frustrated with police, but then they are later when they don't help search with the volunteers. Also, I would not say I was not frustrated with the police because my son would still be out there and missing. Frustration should still be present, right?
To Anon 6:08
I pity anyone who's son is missing, but I'm not yet sure if that's what's going on here. There seems to be inconstancies in the families story, and I'm interested to see more quotes and analysis. Since you asked I will tell you 'how I would act if my own son went missing'.
I would be devastated, but I would know I had to be a strong advocate for my son. I would beg anyone and everyone for help (not make multiple statements about my faith and how ITS going to bring my son home). I would pray to God constantly in private to bring my baby home...but when speaking to the police or the public who need ACTUAL INFORMATION in order to help, I would offer facts (not imagined scenarios that have never happened before). I would talk about his likes and dislikes, his intelligence, his humor, his favorite foods, how he pronounces certain words, and that he has a scar on his tummy from surgery as an infant. I would say anything I could think of to identify and humanize him. I would literally beg, on my knees, for his return and if the police asked me to wear a big red nose and a rainbow wig while taking a polygraph, I would do it.
While I would pray for his protection, I wouldn't tell the public, "no matter where he's at, God's with him, and he's going to protect him, wherever that may be or however that may be"...which, implies no urgency or need for him to be rescued. It basically tells the public..don't worry about Jacob, and what he's possibly going through, God is with him. This is the opposite of what the family should want to convey, which is Jacob needs your help, and we need your help to bring Jacob home.
I would not accept the idea that he was 'gone', and certainly wouldn't see that as the preferred alternative to the uncertainty of him being missing, as the family stated in one quote. My only focus would be getting my son back and his well-being...is he hungry, cold, or hurting? Is he crying for me & his daddy? The thought brings tears to my eyes, so how does a mother who's LIVING such a nightmare remain so passive and dispassionate about her missing son?
This is one of the mothers quotes from the vigil for Jacob:
"I love you very much. And I would like to see you back here," says Nadiya Samusenko.
"I would like to see you back here"!? I'm more passionate and assertive when stating what I would like to eat for dinner! Sorry to disagree, but I don't think this makes sense and I feel like something is missing from the story.
From above: "I would like to see you back here." !?!?!?!
WOW-za!!!! What a statement!!
I would "like" fries with that. I would "like" syrup on my pancakes.
I would "like" a flat stomach. I would "like" the Fourth of July off.
If my child was missing, I would be out of my mind frantically searching, questioning, demanding, needing him home, crying out to him, begging whomever took him to let him go, and praying as I went about all of the above!!
Anon "I"
The mother's statement "I love you very much. And I would like to see you back here" sounds to me like there might have been a family fued, harsh words were exchanged, Jacob felt unwanted/unloved and took off, now she's trying to get him to come back home by saying I'd like to see you back here and reassuring him that she loves him.
Not saying that's what caused his disappearance, just that's what her comment sounds like that could have caused him to take off running (or walking) initially, perhaps in an attempt to collect his thoughts.
I think those who critisize and question this mother's faith and trust that Jacob will be alright in God's hands regardless as to where he might be or regardless as to the outcome, are WAY off base. She has a right to trust and believe God for her son's well being, even if deceased, and who are YOU to critisize her for it.
Just who do you think you would call on and trust if you had a child missing? Yourself???!
feud = fued =(dispute)?
To anon at 11:00 and others who failed to comprehend the article they read, apparently in such a frenzy to chastise the family:
It was NOT the family who critisized the police or the mayor for not helping in the search or making an appearance. The family had nothing but praise for the police and genuine appreciation for their many efforts.
It was a spokesperson member of the search crew who made those critical remarks against the police and the mayor, NOT a family member.
To Anon-
I'm not sure I understand, you say that you think the mother's statement sounds like there might have been a family feud. If you think this, then clearly there's more to the story than the family has represented, which is exactly what I said...yet you seem to be defensive about criticism toward the family.
If you read my entire comment, you would notice that I said multiple times that I would pray to GOD, for the safety and return of my son. However, the entire point of talking to the police and the media is to provide INFORMATION, which will assist in finding your son. Repeatedly referencing your prayers, faith, and belief in God's protection, does not provide the INFORMATION needed for others to assist.
In my opinion, something more is going on with this story. I don't know what...but I do know that just repeating...I have faith, I'm a christian, I know God is with him, is not getting anyone closer to understanding what happened the night Jacob went missing. I'm glad their faith is a comfort to them. My criticism is wasting the opportunity of media coverage with these repeated references, rather than providing solid information about what time Jacob's practice ended, what time he was asked to bring out the trash, if HE was actually the one who placed the trash at the curb, what time was dinner, who noticed him gone, what time did she go looking for him, etc. I was only pointing out that their references don't make efficient use of limited media time and don't provide information pertinent to finding her missing son. I was not questioning her right to trust or believe in God.
I went to Weather Underground and it says on Jan 29 the high was 62 and the low was 36, and on Jan 30 the high was 65 and the low was 38. Jan 31 the high was 38, low 21 and they received 2.5" of snow.
If they reported him missing at 7am on Jan 30, they had at least 24 hrs to search that lake before it froze over and the snow fell.
What the heck does it mean that he likes to "jump and roll?"
You would think that if the police suspected he was in the lake, they would find a way to search it somehow, even if it's frozen.
Very puzzling.
Jen, ref your post above in response to mine; we have no way of knowing what the family has told the police that we haven't been made privy too. Sure, there could be something else going on; that's just it, we don't know.
AT this point there are many unaswered questions, but just like we didn't know every little detail when Sierra Lamar went missing yet nearly everyone here pointed the guilty finger at her mother just because many were 'looking' for her guilt in every word she said and didn't say, when she wasn't guilty at all.
Sure there might have been an altercation that evening between Jacob and his mother or other family members; same as in the Lamar home that morning or the night before but that doesn't make a person guilty of murdering or covering up the murder of their own child, just because we think they "look" or "act" guilty when so far we haven't seen one piece of evidence. Until such a time they should be given the benefit of the doubt. Wouldn't you want that same benefit if your child disappeared?
I think we need a little more info before we go making these ineundos and assumptions of suspicion.
The part about him being missed when he didn't gather for family prayer jumped out at me.
He is too old to want to do that.
It sounds like the family is fanatically religious. Jacob I am assuming is the oldest and was probably rebelling. Is it possible they retaliated against him for breaking out of their control? Something is off about the family's story.
Hi Anon
I know very little about the Sierra Lamar case, I only vaguely remember her refusing to discuss her boyfriend with Nancy Grace...and a lot of people having issues with that.
In regard to this case, guilt is not assumed (actually when I read the initial article it didn't think much about the family, only after I read more quotes from the mother and family did I find the tone strange). This is a site for Statement Analysis, we are to look at the words used by the subject, and see where we are led. So far, I believe there is more to the story (an argument=??) My concern is the family seems (in their language) to be resigned to the idea that Jacob is gone. The urgency and desperation expected for a missing family member isn't present in their words. The inconstancies and holes in the story should have definite answers by now. Also, if I remember correctly, invoking of God and religion is flagged in SA, for more exploration. With this family it is found in nearly every quote. Is it deflection, or do they always speak that often of their faith in normal conversation?
Mr. Hyatt, would you consider analyzing the police statement of Cameron Todd Willingham, if you haven't before? He was executed in Texas in 2004 for killing his children by arson. I saw the story on Frontline on PBS, and his statement was available for viewing on the PBS website. Apparently many people think he was really innocent. He gives a long-winded statement to the police that appears (to my amateur eye) to have red flags all over it. Here's the link to the transcript. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/death-by-fire/documents/willingham-police-interview.html
I was confused by the mother's statement about the headphones but as I've been thinking about it, possibly he was wearing the headphones, listening to music, when he was told to take the trash out, and so his mother knew he would have still been wearing them. Or perhaps he always wears them when he runs, so she knew he would have been wearing them if he had gone for a run. I don't know, it just confused me at first why, if they didn't even know he had taken out the trash until they looked, she would be sure he was wearing headphones.
Here is my thoughts on the following statement:
"The family really appreciates the community support. It's tough, very tough, because it's almost like we could make peace with the fact that he might be gone, as difficult as that would be, but we just don't know and that's what makes this so difficult"
"it's almost like we could make peace with the fact that he might be gone"
-He does not say "we can make peace," not "we could make peace," not "we almost could make peace," but "it's like we almost could make peace." That's a lot of qualifiers.
-Secondly, not "it's almost like we could make peace with the fact that he is gone" but "with the fact that he *might* be gone."
I don't think they can accept that he is gone or make peace with it.
"as difficult as that would be"
-not "as difficult as that is" but "as difficult as that would be". They have not accepted that he is gone, it is still referred to as a "would be."
"but we just don't know and that's what makes this so difficult"
-The word "but" compares the first part of the statement with the fact that they don't know and that is what makes this so difficult.
"It's almost like we could make peace with the fact that he might be gone" is in *comparison* to how difficult it is to not know.
The not knowing is what is tearing them apart. Not knowing is so bad that they could almost imagine accepting that he is gone, if only they could just *know* what happened.
I have no idea if it is like this in Erie, PA, but the warm night and the lake being frozen over is something familiar to me from when I lived near the Canada border. You can have one unseasonably warmish night where you can go outdoors without totally bundling up, and you call it a "warm" night, in comparison. Particularly in January, which is known for "the January thaw," it's common to have a few weeks of warming temps where things begin to thaw before it turns bitter cold again. The lakes don't completely thaw out, but the surface may thaw for a few inches (and become extremely slippery and dangerous) and it would not be unusual that it freeze solid again during the night. I've seen that happen many times. But, again, I don't know if PA would be similar to where I lived. If so, it would not be surprising if he slipped while running.
I feel very badly for this family. I can't imagine having your son just disappear and not knowing what happened.
Replying to:
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Anonymous said...
feud = fued =(dispute)?
To anon at 11:00 and others who failed to comprehend the article they read, apparently in such a frenzy to chastise the family:
It was NOT the family who critisized the police or the mayor for not helping in the search or making an appearance. The family had nothing but praise for the police and genuine appreciation for their many efforts.
It was a spokesperson member of the search crew who made those critical remarks against the police and the mayor, NOT a family member.
March 16, 2013 at 5:47 PM
**********************************
Please forgive me for my lack of the comprehension that you yourself possess. I made a mistake in haste and am grateful that you could point it out. Can you please educate me on why trying to analyze words to find the truth constitutes a frenzy against the mother in my case? I came here to learn. Also, would you be so kind as to explain how insulting me (and others) is helpful in the statement analysis process?
Anon "I"
OMG Hobnob, Thank you! I'm going to go have a good hysterical laugh/cry over that Lance Armstrong perspective. Whoever wrote that is an ironic genius. HAHAHAHA!!!! (tears) :)
Who wrote this? Why don't they stop with the sickening editorialization and get facts? That is harsh, I know, but ugh...food was out 'to nourish' those who helped and a picture stood above the nourishing offerings yo remind people he hadn't been seen since January? I can't stand pretentious reporting that adds nothing to the story except dramatic flourishes. So, writer, we get it, the family gave out wholesome snacks and then guilted them for taking them by putting a picture next to it. Yah, like get off yer asses you thirsty bastards! Im certain they didn't need to be reminded of why they were there. The sad thing about this piece is that it is the most thorough article out there, in that it is long, even if the writer wants to make a painting or Pulitzer out of some cocoa.
This writer showed up, asked some random people for tidbits and then paraphrased other articles. That is clear by the quotes which ate not actually directly quoted. Whoever wrote this wants us to believe they have a deeper journalistic involvement with the family and the case than they actually do, while contributing nothing much at all.
Yes! Yes it is! I did not get the impression these quotes were direct or reliable. There's too much focus on setting the scene, as if there's a need to add meat to a skimpy story. It seems like hearsay, and, actually, in creative writing classes this type of article is considered literary journalism rather than reporting. You don't rely on these for information or facts. They are more about perspective of the author's experience.
Wow they are resigned and ready to accept his fate and seem to think it won't be a good one for the temporal world. I, too, am a Christian, and these statements are so odd to me. My atavistic reaction to this is that the parents know what happened, are maybe involved in some way and are interested in seeming pious and giving over the glory to God in advance. Why would they be so ready to give that glory over for a death? I do not its been 2 months, but odd.
Night unseasonably warm, lake frozen by morning. Were they waiting? Also, what was he doing before he came home? Why have they not retraced his steps prior to going missing? Is it standard for police to label a case not a runaway and not abducted? If so, what's left: suicide or homicide by family? Accident with no body? What is the wall around the lake like? Could perhaps no one have been paying attention to him when he said where he was going? What were they doing while he was missing? What is wrong with these shoddy article writers! It reminds me of the Naomi Oni articles in which getting obvious questions answered is like trying to make a stone bleed.
And is the dad dead? We have not heard from the Dad at all!
Good points, and someone else made a good point about hospitality. Earlier I noted the literary quality of the article John gave, and while I still don't like the style, all these comments have me looking at it in a different light...the family wants to be liked. They want to be seen as extra pious, trusting God completely, more worried about other people's comfort, self sacrificial...the ugly quote about the mayor was Not made by a relative. It was made by a neighbor. The family praises the police. Yet, are the police doing anything? Impossible to tell. The mayor says that he'd driven down by the dicjs one day with some folks ' you know, just looking at some things.' Are the parents afraid of the police or afraid the police will find something? I think we are seeing a lot of stage dressing.
docks, not dijks! Sausage fingers on smart phone but I can't stand auto correct.
Where is the father???? Am I off base or was it way too warm for a lake to freeze over? Very confused by this.
Anon "I", right on the nose. SA for lordly folks with rulers ready to rap on people's knuckles indicates a need to feel superior and get self esteem needs met by trying to make others feel inferior. We all may be wrong but at least we don't mind being wrong in the process. I think we've all gone to school with bombastic pricks like the one above.
Thank you Anon 12:38-for putting my thoughts into words. I enjoy this site and I'm here to learn about SA. Conversation and correction are helpful to the analysis process, but some just can't resist turning everything into a pissing contest.
There are too many psychopaths around, take care of your kids. Have an emergency plan in hand, tell your kids what to do, if you can not afford to buy a cell phone for them, go to Wal-Mart and purchase a Trackphone, they only cost $10 dollars, every kid should have one. I am a parent too, and wish the best for this family. God bless them.
I'm not sure .....
part of me thinks the mother is hiding her involvment. she waited until morning to call cops -- noting it was an especially warm night when she drove down to the lake the night he went missing but that it had frozen over by morning - -when she called. and the way she accepts the news readily -- "I loved him BUT god took him" is shocking to me.
& part of me thinks her behavior may stem from being an immigrant and being afraid to speak out or get aggressive with cops, etc.
but the latter does not preclude the former. I'm just not sure.
I'm not sure why but this blog is loading incredibly slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a problem on my end? I'll check back later and see
if the problem still exists.
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