If you disappeared, just dropped off the face of the earth, would anybody care?
Derrick Morris, 19, did just that on November 21. He was last seen at his Charlotte home on Ringed Teal Road and hasn’t been heard from since. His family is very worried. So they reported him missing to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The police did what they often do in these cases and sent out a press release. Usually the TV news stations pick up these releases, briefly flashing the missing person’s picture and name across the screen.
Then these cases are largely forgotten by the public and often filed away by the police, who make inquiries but deal with thousands of these cases each year.
If, at some point in the future, you were abducted and dragged away, you would probably assume that someone would be looking for you and that someone would make the situation a priority. If you’ve lived here for a few years, you’ve paid thousands of dollars in taxes to the city and probably expect the police to make a full-scale effort to find you before the maniac who locked you in his basement dispatches you.
But that’s not what would happen. That is, unless you had a public-relations-savvy family and dozens of friends who could search for you and get your case hundreds of thousands of hits on popular Web sites.
In other words, getting the authorities to give a damn would rapidly degenerate into a high-tech, macabre popularity contest in which those who care about you force the police and the public to notice and care that you are gone.
Kyle Fleischmann, 24, disappeared after walking out of an Uptown bar after midnight on Nov. 9. Most of the free world knows this for one simple reason — those who love him ran a first-rate media campaign.
Contrary to public perception, being good-looking and gone may generate a news story or two about your disappearance, but not weeks of around-the-clock news coverage. For that, the media needs “hooks” to keep the story going, and Fleischmann’s family and friends provided them in the form of press releases with new activities to cover. There were searches that grew in size, search dogs that were unleashed and a massive Internet outreach effort. All these were covered as individual stories that kept the Fleischmann case alive.
Meanwhile, cases like Morris’ die a quick death because there is nothing to cover.
Kyle’s mom, Barbara Fleischmann, says it wasn’t until the local and the national news coverage of the case became large-scale that local authorities began helping the family in a substantial way.
In the beginning, almost all of the releases to the media in the Fleischmann case came from his family and friends. It wasn’t until a week after Fleischmann’s disappearance, when his story began appearing on America’s Most Wanted and CNN and 40,000 people joined his Facebook page, that the press releases started coming from the police and fire departments. Was the departments’ leadership embarrassed by what might appear to be a lack of involvement on their part? It sure looked that way.
A Nov. 15 press release from the police department, the first substantial release from them in the Fleischmann case, was more about the police than about Fleischmann.
The city has never hosted a Bobcats game or arena event it can’t staff with dozens of police officers to handle parking at no cost to those profiting from the events — and more than one million dollars a year in costs to taxpayers. But the police department played oh-so-broke in the Fleischmann case, pointing out that it had only five detectives in its missing persons unit to deal with more than 3,500 missing person reports annually.
Ten days after Fleischmann’s disappearance, on Nov. 19, police surprised Fleischmann’s roommates with a search of their apartment and questioned them for hours — even though they’d already been questioned before. Officers also hauled off bags of stuff. (Who keeps the bloody sheets, if there were any, for 10 days after a crime?) The department capped that off with a press release to let the media know about its belated efforts.
I’ve been getting the police department’s press releases for years, and it was the most attention I’ve ever seen them give to a missing person’s case. An actual search of an apartment with press releases to follow? Unprecedented. But then, so was the CNN coverage.
By November 17, press releases announcing the Fleischmann family press conferences were coming from the fire department, rather than from the family.
None of this is really a commentary on our police officers and firemen, but on the priorities of those who lead this city. The chilling lesson here is that while you must always be there for the government with your tax bill paid on time, you can’t assume that the government will be there for you — or that the basic services you pay for will actually be provided. You’ve got to be prepared to go it alone.
If a family like Fleischmann’s finds itself in a situation too horrible to comprehend, even in our modern, have-it-all world, they may be utterly alone.
This article appears in Dec 5-11, 2007.
Hopefully , people who are missing will get more focus from our expierence. TYhis may end up being a cold case which is very sad for mor family. Candle virgil this sunday @ 5 @ Buckhead salon
Derrick Morris was found alive and well in Atlanta, GA on Monday. Might want to check your facts before reporting a missing person still missing.
Tara, Would very much like to help the family of Derrick Morris. The Kristen Foundation named for Kristen Moddafferi who went missing in San Francisco 10years age has been helping missing for 9 years. I did not see this story anywhere and I feel upset about that. I try to get the same help for all my missing but it very hard even to get the police to get back to me. I can help if I know how to get in touch with the families. When Kyle went missing I was given his info from Bob Moddafferi who was called for help and he got in touch with me. I met with the family and started to give information on going ahead with the search. It is wonderful he is getting the attention he needs but all missing loved ones deserve the same. That has always been my goal. If you could get me in touch with the Derrick’s family I will do what ever I can for them. It is still a new case, we need to get on it asap. Regards Joan
Most missing people are runaways, turn up after a few days or left to make a new life for themselves, much like Derrick. Cases like Kyle’s make up a small percentage of missing people. That makes it a waste of a lot of time and money when most of the missing are not locked up in some lunatic’s basement while he warms up the oven.
Exactly, Gregg. We can’t blame the police, I personally know for a fact the men and women working for CMPD do not take their jobs lightly and wish they could do more. But in situations like Kyle’s, there isn’t much they can do. Kyle is fortunate to have family and friends as media savvy and persistant as they are. Regardless of the situation, its unfortunate whenever anyone goes missing for whatever reasons. My prayers go out to the Fleischmann family for his safe return.
ps. This article was published on 12/5, Derrick Morris was found on 12/3.
Unfortunately this is not isolated to NC. It happening all over the country. And even when the story makes the papers one day, it won’t even be in the smallest print the next. I can’t imagine going through not knowing where someone in my family is and to know that we would be all alone is even scarier.
You would reconsider your choice of words “a waste of a lot of time and money” if it was your friend or family member who was missing. I wish you could, but hope you never have to understand the feeling.
We miss you Kyle.
Why is an amber alert used as soon as a child is missing and we have nothing available to us for an adult? Does the child rank higher? Maybe this is something we can all work on in honor of Kyle. Lets make some changes. Bottomline is the police will let you down more times than not when you are the victim – I should know it has happened to me twice!
A few hours down the road from where Kyle disappeared another young man disappeared leaving a local nightclub. Justin Gaines was last seen leaving Wild Bill’s, a popular club with the Athens, Ga and Atlanta young people. The police, have not helped with the Justin Gaines missing case either. FIND KYLE AND JUSTIN AND BRING THEM TO THEIR FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS!
I don’t know which comment to cover…so, from a police officer’s point of view, here it is. Let me just start by saying RESOURCES and LOGISTICS!!!!!! I don’t know the pain these families feel for a missing loved one, but I can tell you that there is no way in hell that any department in any state can devote as much time to missing persons as needed. Can’t do it. Other things happen. We rely on TIPS from citizens and follow up on those tips. Does that mean we don’t care? Of course not, we care or we wouldn’t do the job. And to LINDA, YES CHILDREN RANK HIGHER!!! Children can’t help themselves, can’t communicate, can’t fight back etc….and if you feel that we will let you down then don’t call, or better yet, do a ride along with the officers where you live and see how you feel. It is easy to talk bad about something that you really don’t know anything about (except for CSI: Miami)…in Charlotte, AKA: the real world, crime is difficult to solve. It is unfortunate that so many people have such low regards for the officers on the street (even so called citizen Servatius). It is a good thing that regardless how you feel about me, I will put myself in danger to protect you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
You all seem to be missing the point of this article. Yes, it is questioning the way our communities respond to disappearances, but it’s also another chance to spread word about disappearing friends and family. I can’t imagine the agony that his family must be in, and neither can the majority of my fellow citizens (and I hope it stays that way).
Please show support to the police, fire departments, and Kyle’s friends and family for continuing the search. And most importantly, spread the word about Kyle. Not only will more people be cautious when out at night, but tips and community involvement are the only things who will bring an end to this tragedy.
I’m an Elon alum and had met Kyle a few times- he’s a great guy who needs to be found.
http://www.helpfindkyle.com
As someone who has been involved in this search as well as many others, I have a few comments. I have told Kyle’s family and friends that I have never seen a better organized effort (not even by professionals) as I have seen with Kyle’s case. They should be proud of their loyalty and commitment to their friend/family member. Having said that, I HATE that they had to be the ones to undertake this operation. No friend or family member of a missing person should have to be slapped in the face with what is the reality of the giant cluster associated with trying to find a missing person (especially a sane, grown adult).
Historically, this is a job that has fallen to the police by default. It is not a job that they are trained to do, nor do they have the manpower to do it with the same regularity that people disappear. When we realized that our homes and businesses were going to burn down on a regular basis, we created firemen and fire departments and trained those people to do that job. When we realized that people were going to taken hostages, etc., we formed SWAT teams that we trained to handle those situations.
Why in God’s name are we not doing the same thing for missing persons? Honestly, I believe it is funding and media attention. At least one attempt has already been made to form a statewide missing persons response team (in NC) that we hoped would put highly trained dog teams across the state, ready to respond at a moment’s notice to ANY missing person regardless of age, race, financial situation, or cuteness factor. We had hoped that this statewide response team would become a model program that would be copied by every state. What happened to that idea? It died a slow death because no one was interested in funding it; no one was interested in promoting it.
Amber Alerts only get issued if it is known that the child has been kidnapped. This means that someone actually has to SEE the child being taken. Amber Alerts are good but they aren’t enough and they don’t do anything to help a large portion of the children who go missing and they don’t do anything for adults. EVERY missing persons case needs to be treated (from the very beginning) as if a crime has been committed. Why? Because way too often, when and if the person is found, they have been murdered and by that time, any evidence of the crime has most likely been destroyed because it wasn’t properly collected in the beginning.
With the current state of financial/political affairs, the police just can’t do this. What a shame.
for their organs. Don’t go anywhere alone, get a big dog for protection, and vote for Tancredo.
outside the saloon? and area? cell phone calls and no message could mean someone assaulted him then stole his phone. Have dogs check shelters for people that may have taken anything on his person, including clothing, shoes, phone.
On my childs 1st night at a NC college he gave someone he thought was another student a ride. Well the short of it is he end up in some woods 20 miles from school with 2 stab wounds. If his cell phone had died he would not be here today.This world is getting meaner & meaner.All funding is going to the war.We must start doing everything we can to protect ourself. IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE.The police have their hands full.It will only get worse as the middle class disappears
I’ve been following Kyle’s case from the beginning and I find myself often thinking about the family and cannot imagine what they go through day and day out. I also find myself often thinking about the horror that Kyle may have endured and it brings me such tremendous sadness.
I really take issue with all the comments about faulting the police men and women who voluntarily put their own lives on the line day in and day out, just to protect your well being. Obviously they care, or else they wouldn’t sign up for this job. I, for one, am grateful for all that they do. Of course, if your loved one stays missing, the effort will never seem like enough, but they are doing all that they can with what they have.
Now, I absolutely do agree with the comments about the government, but not with the officers themselves. I think Linda Dunn’s idea is a fantastic one, unfortunately, one that we’ll probably never see come to pass in our lifetimes. Until then, we have to rely on the police assistance that we can get… But, also do as the Fleischmann’s are doing and that is taking matters into their own hands. That’s exactly what I would do in their situation. There is no way I would be able to sit idly by and wait for help to come to me, I would take ownership and do whatever is necessary to help find my loved one. The more hands in the pot, in this situation, the better.
We are all one community, instead of critiszing, do something to help.
Did they find the guy who stabbed your son? Maybe there’s a connection. I know I’m grasping for straws, but it’s not impossible, especially if your son felt safe enough to pick him up.
Its’a crazy story.As I was cleaning out his dorm room ( 3dayslater) another student came into his room looking for him. I told him what happened,luck had it that this guy was the last one to see my child and just show the guy he was with.The bad guy must have thought my kid was dead and was looking for another robbery victim. The fellow student told me what the bad guy was wearing. I called the detectives and told them. As I was going back to the hostipal I saw the Bad guy, jumped out of the car and followed him, husband called cops. I tailed him till they got there. We are so lucky, and I tell everyone I can. You can not be to trusting, its sad but true.The bad guy got 5 years for almost killing my kid.
P.S. the bad guy was living in my kids dorm building without the college knowing, so my kid though he was a student.
I have been directly involved with the Fleischmann and Gaines cases — making photo buttons to aid in the searches.
I have a number of friends who are police Charlotte police officers — ask them they will tell you correctly they do not have the resources — I think a large part of this debate is about priorities rather than resources — one thing Tara said really stands out…
“The city has never hosted a Bobcats game or arena event it can’t staff with dozens of police officers to handle parking at no cost to those profiting from the events — and more than one million dollars a year in costs to taxpayers.” Add to that the many State Troopers on Panthers game days — I don’t want to start an argument.. I realize some are paid privately maybe by the Panthers and Bobcats — the point is if we the citizens had half of those police hours for things like crime and missing persons well you get the point — resources is a red herring — the issue is priorities and Kyle and the other 12 missing persons (yes 12!!) this year in Charlotte deserve better!
Probably nothing you haven’t already thought of, but for what it’s worth: has anybody acted even a little hincky when they were questioned? Slightly uncooperative? Follow those instincts, your intuitions – they are correct. Next, how about hypnosis of his friend who took the 3:30am call… any background noises or something he might have forgotten? Possibly, hypnosis for the bartender, or any patrons that were there that night? Next, some psychics are evidently for real (probably the ones who won’t accept pay). If one strikes out, maybe bring in another? Next, it’s my understanding it’s possible to triangulate a cell phone even when it’s off… what level of expertise have you brought to that equation (beyond the police dept.). Next, in cold case crimes that are finally solved, it always seems like they already had the right info/suspect, just didn’t know it. Maybe a pair of fresh eyes? Finally, will any of the other missing persons cases in Charlotte or nearby, lead you to Kyle? Perhaps explore particularly similar cases, in depth. My prayers are joined with yours.
I have been following Kyle’s case from Charleston SC. I am originally from NY and just last winter a good friend of mine’s father went missing! Of course it was blown off by the media, police, etc.. Finally my friends mom was grasping at strings to find her husband! She turned to a very well known psychic! This guy was known for finding a young child years ago and she turned to him. The chilling part is, he knew exactly where her husband was! It took 2-3 tries and some conversations, but this psychic did find her husband! About a 1/4 of a mile in the opposite direction of where the searchers had been looking for him! He is based out of NY and if anyone is interested then I could probably call her and get his info. I never believed in these sort of things until this happened close to home!
I like that idea of a statewide missing persons response team. That would be invaluable. If it saved one person from a horrible death it would be worth everything spent to bring it about.
I like what Joan Petruski has done with the Kristen Foundation – dedicated to assisting in the search for missing people. Perhaps Kyle’s family can use this terrible event to push the right buttons to bring about the statewide response team. Maybe such a response team could become a model for the entire nation.
I cannot imagine what it must be like for loved ones to go to bed at night still wondering, sometimes years later, what happened to their loved one.
Our idea of a statewide response team was taken on by a couple of guys in Denver, NC. All dogs were to be trained and dispatched by my organization, Public Safety Dogs, Inc. (then known as Canines for Kids, Inc.). I know they had been in contact with Representative Sue Myrick from Charlotte. They had begun raising money and applying for their nonprofit status. Like us, they found it was a very difficult task to undertake. They finally abandoned their attempt because they could find no substantial financial, political, or media support.
I enjoyed the story very much. Maybe we shouldn’t be putting the blame on the police. They have to do so much in this world today. My brother is a cop and I have to hear some of the tales he has and it’s scary even for a cop. I hope the family finally gets the answers. My prayers goes out to the family. God Bless You.
First off Amber alerts were created to alert the public to cases where children were known to be in danger and time is critical. They are not used for simple missing children (or person) for three reasons ; volume, urgency and outcome. First is volume. There are thousands of missing person reports everyday. Second is outcome. The vast majority of these cases (even missing children) turn out to be OK and were never in danger. Third is urgency. The system was designed to catch the publics attention to cases where we KNOW the person is in danger. If Amber alerts were used in every missing person case (which in the end most were not really in danger) the public would quickly ignore these alerts thus defeating the original purpose (to make the public aware of kids that are in danger).
I am sure the police would love to have more resources. The volume of criminal cases will always be more than the police are able to handle at a reasonable funding level. So the police motivation should not be called into question.
Even if we could magically provide 5 additional detectives where would they deploy them? My guess would be that not one would be put on missing persons. They would most likely used to investigate murder, rape, assualt… Why, because these are cases where they know a crime has occurred and there is tangible victim. It would be tough to tell a crime victim that they should not get the attention of these additional resource over a missing person case. Right or wrong that is how resources are prioritized.