Various missing children cases worldwide - plus the occasional adult

I don't remember it Freedom but how many times do we hear such sad tales? Children really do require you to have eyes in the back of your head, x-ray vision, super hearing powers and second sight. I have left my kids playing in their room whikst I stuck the kettle on, or shoved some washing in. They could have choked on a toy or fallen over and bumped their head but I would like to think I was aware enough of danger not to deliberately place them in it.
If the McCanns had even come out and said they were wrong or started an awareness campaign of dangers in the home or even endorsed some kind of safety device, I think the world would be a lot more sympathetic to them. They might even of had us fooled into thinking there really was an abduction. Instead they alerted us all to look deeper.

Conversely, there was a case in 1985 where the mother of a murdered child was universally (or so it seemed) slated by the media for leaving her daughter alone in a caravan while she went out drinking. I seemed to be the only one who felt sorry for her. I do wonder if snobbery about her social background played a part in the condemnation. 

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/leoni_s_evil_killer_must_serve_30_years_1_476895


P.S. An article written before the discovery of the bodies of the Loughlin children; abduction was being considered as a possibility.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/12-year-old-boy-missing-11448520

Another weird sounding one. What was he doing outside at 4.30 in the morning and why did whoever saw him not stop him?


P.S. He's been found.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/12-year-old-boy-who-11451813

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/disappearance-of-schoolboy-transfixed-the-whole-nation-like-maddy-case-34791423.html


Disappearance of schoolboy transfixed the whole nation like Maddy case

Paul Williams

11/06/2016

The disappearance of a 13-year-old schoolboy in Dublin attracted huge attention - on a scale similar to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007.


The cases of missing children always deserve such attention.
Like Madeleine, the disappearance of Philip Cairns has been one of the most perplexing criminal cases in recent times.

Images of a beaming Philip in his confirmation suit, with a white rosette pinned to his jacket, became ingrained in the minds of a generation throughout Ireland - many of whom had simply assumed we would never know what happened to the Dublin schoolboy.
The death of Eamon Cooke (79), a convicted paedophile and founder of pirate station Dublin Radio, has unexpectedly brought into sharp focus the schoolboy's disappearance.

But we must be careful - although a woman has nominated Cooke as the killer of Philip, it will be extremely hard for investigating gardaí to conclusively prove this is the case.
The woman came forward last month as Cooke lay dying in a Dublin hospice and made a statement along the lines that Cooke murdered Philip in his radio studios.

Philip disappeared on the afternoon of October 23, 1986, as he walked back to Coláiste Éanna school where he had been a first-year student for just over a month.
His schoolbag was later discovered in a lane near his family home on Ballyroan Road six days after his disappearance.

This woman has told gardaí that, on the day Philip disappeared, she was in a car with Cooke and the schoolboy.
She says Cooke drove them to his radio studios in Inchicore. The woman claims Cooke struck the child with an implement following an argument. She claims she saw the young boy unconscious and bleeding on the floor shortly after the assault.

The woman claims that she then fainted. When she woke up, she says she was in a car driven by Cooke. She opted to keep this information to herself for almost three decades.
I met Cooke several years ago when he was on the run and wanted by gardaí at the time. He had a disturbing preoccupation with another child, whose pictures he showed me during an interview. I organised, and I'm delighted to have done so, for gardaí to be there at the Red Cow Hotel to arrest him.

Following that arrest, Cooke never tasted freedom again and, in 2007, he was jailed for 10 years for sexually abusing two young girls in the 1970s.
What is particularly interesting at the moment is how he has now become a suspect in this, the most long-running case of child disappearance in the history of the State.

Cooke, who was a twisted, nasty, sick creature preyed on children for many years - and got away with it.
Only when this sick monster was dying in a Dublin hospice, while on temporary release from Arbour Hill, did he become a suspect in Philip Cairns's disappearance.

But even then, as he was receiving palliative care and at the very least knew he was gravely ill, Cooke would admit to very little, although he did verify some details of the woman's statement.

Gardaí were mindful of this. They offered Cooke the opportunity to give any information he had about Philip to a solicitor, a priest or any other professional, who could disclose it to them after his death.
However, 'Captain Cooke' would not or could not give them any information.

It will be very difficult for gardaí to conclusively prove that this paedophile was responsible for Philip's disappearance.

The radio studios in Inchicore has been named as the scene of the crime - but it was demolished a long time ago.
I personally know a number of Cooke's victims - and I have never in all my years as a journalist seen or witnessed a more depraved individual than Cooke.

As a journalist I spoke to Cooke directly and was astonished by the way that he rationalised his abuse of a child.

The fact that Eamon Cooke had the capacity to kill Philip Cairns - if we know this to be a fact or otherwise - may bring some closure to his family.
I truly hope that gardaí can bring this investigation to a satisfactory conclusion for Philip's family, and with that, finally give them some closure.

This could be a huge step towards resolving one of the country's most chilling and unsolved murders.

Irish Independent

Has anyone outside of Ireland ever heard of Philip Cairns? I for one haven't.

This case can hardly be described as being on a scale similar to that of Madeleine McCann!

Nope - never heard of him or the case before.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Philip_Cairns

Snipped from Wiki, above:

This photo has been deemed a precursor to that of British infant Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal 21 years later.[5] However, the family, unlike the McCanns, have been relatively private about their loss, speaking to the media on only a few occasions in the past 25 years.[5] It has been reported that this is due to several inaccurate reports of the incident of which they have disapproved.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-to-pursue-dna-testing-and-conduct-new-searches-amid-fresh-leads-34792979.html


.... No picture of the boy in this article. Just a big picture of Madeleine. Are they lining up this chap as a possible 'Maddie kidnapper' I wonder.....




Gardai to pursue DNA testing and conduct new searches amid fresh leads
Investigators are still hopeful latest information may lead to vital breakthrough in case


Jim Cusack
PUBLISHED
12/06/2016 | 02:300 COMMENTSSHARE
Madeleine McCann's disappearance remains a mystery1
Madeleine McCann's disappearance remains a mystery
The information received by gardai about the multiple paedophile abuser Eamon Cooke is possibly the strongest lead to date in the 30-year search for Dublin schoolboy Philip Cairns.


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It will take a lot of detective work to follow that lead to its conclusion. Their work starts with DNA.
There is human DNA evidence of unknown origin on Philip's schoolbag which was dumped in a laneway off Ballyroan Road near the Cairns' home six days after his disappearance. It had rained in the interim but the bag and the schoolbooks were dry, strongly suggesting it was held in a dry place.

The DNA from the schoolbag is now being compared with Cooke's.
If there is a match, it will point to the conclusion that Cooke lured or abducted and then killed Philip. It could also lead to a re-examination of Cooke's known residences and a possible likely murder scene. Advances in DNA detection and analysis are such that even after 30 years it is quite possible to elicit vital clues. British police have been spearheading historic DNA investigations and have had a run of solving murder cases 30 years and older.

Gardai are also likely to talk to some of Cooke's many victims again.
The pirate radio DJ preyed on abandoned, vulnerable women in order to abuse their children. He was possibly one of the worst paedophiles the gardai had encountered in Dublin, sources said.

Cooke was eventually convicted on 42 counts of rape and sexual assault in 2007 and was still serving his term in Arbour Hill Prison at the time of his death, released only for hospice care.
When his victims were interviewed by detectives at that time, gardai had no reason to ask them if Cooke ever mentioned Philip Cairns. Cooke never came up as a suspect in the initial or even subsequent investigations into Philip's disappearance.

The Garda did not keep any register of sex offenders at the time.
Even though the geographic distance between Cooke's homes in and around Inchicore and near Tallaght are not that distant from Philip's home, and the scene of his disappearance, his name simply did not come up in the investigation.

In fact, the initial investigation concentrated on a quiet bachelor known to Philip. Considerable time and effort was devoted to a detailed investigation of this man until it was positively shown he had a full account of all his movements around the time of the disappearance. By the time he was finally cleared as a suspect the investigation had already begun to run out of time and direction. It has not significantly moved forward up to recent weeks when the new evidence brought fresh impetus.
One of the many children abused by Cooke is believed to have brought forward the latest lead that caused gardai to question one of the vulnerable women in Cooke's past and to try and elicit some kind of confession before he died two weeks ago.

Reports that a woman described seeing Philip beaten unconscious and bleeding in the west Dublin house Cooke used as his pirate radio station are said to be accurate.
But, Cooke refused to confirm any detail on his deathbed and the witness has no further information that might lead to the discovery of Philip's body. The disappearance of the 13-year-old schoolboy in October 1986 remains as much a dreadful mystery for gardai as that of the three-year-old Madeleine McCann is for British and Portuguese police.

And, it is almost as much a source of controversy both in and outside the garda as the McCann case. Dozens of claims and counterclaims have been made about the handling of Philip's disappearance and as every year has passed the chances of a real breakthrough diminishes.
But, sources say that while it was not recognised at the time Eamon Cooke exactly fits the type of predatory paedophile that could have murdered Philip. Cooke's preference was for young girls though not exclusively,

The woman's statement to gardai that she saw a boy she has come to believe was Philip lying prone and bleeding in his house is tempered with the obvious question as to why it took her 30 years to come forward. Cooke's imminent death may have freed her from some form of psychological hold he had over her. Or, it may be the result of some suppressed or possibly the product of her imagination.

Garda sources say they are not confident but are 'still hopeful' that the information about Cooke may lead to a breakthrough but it may also lead into another dead end. Cooke apparently made some indications during his interviews with detectives about knowing Philip but refused to disclose what, if anything, he knew happened to the boy or where his body may have been hidden.
Sunday Independent

How bizarre to include a photo claimed to be of someone (but looks nothing like her) completely unconnected to this case rather than one of the actual victim.

Another dead paedo sounds like a good suspect - I am sure this will be picked by the U K media before you can say "don't look here, look over there".

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/woman-charged-with-preventing-lawful-and-decent-burial-of-baby-a3269506.html

Woman charged with preventing lawful and decent burial of baby
ROBIN DE PEYER 7 hours ago




1
policetape2211a.jpg
The woman is due to appear in court on Monday Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
A woman has been charged with preventing a lawful and decent burial of a baby by detectives investigating the disappearance of a child who has not been seen for more than a decade.

Scotland Yard said the 31-year-old has also been charged with perverting the course of justice and will appear in custody at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court in south London on Monday.

The Met said it is not naming the woman who has been charged, for operational reasons.

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Detectives have been looking into the disappearance of a baby born in Barnet, north London, in 2004, who has not been seen for more than 11 years.

Officers attended a house in Fryent Crescent, West Hendon, north London, on May 30 at 7am. Human remains thought to be those of a child, who police have not identified, were found during a search of the address on May 31.

A special post-mortem examination took place at Great Ormond Street Hospital on June 2 but the cause of death could not be determined. Further tests are being arranged.

A 50-year-old woman had earlier been arrested on suspicion of murder and later bailed.

She was re-arrested on suspicion of preventing a lawful and decent burial along with a 52-year-old man who was arrested for the same offence.

They have both now been bailed pending further enquires to a date in mid-July.

The Metropolitan Police said the case has been referred to its Directorate of Professional Standards and also to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

British toddler, 2, drowns in swimming pool while on family holiday in Portugal

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/british-toddler-2-drowns-swimming-8206276#ICID=ios_TMNewsApp_AppShare_Click_Other

There are now suggestions of possible charges being brought for neglect.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3644675/British-two-year-old-drowns-swimming-pool-left-relatives-mother-went-shopping-holiday-Portugal.html

Pool where tragic British tot drowned on holiday had alarm but 'it didn't work'

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/tragic-british-toddler-who-drowned-8219148#ICID=ios_TMNewsApp_AppShare_Click_Other

An odd sounding case from Canada.

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/crime-and-justice/27stay+strong+family+pleas+taliyah+marsman/12052939/story.html

I suppose that the child's father has to be the obvious suspect but I have a feeling that it will be someone else.

Let's hope that the girl is found safe.

They've arrested a suspect and are searching a rural area east of Calgary. The obvious implication is that the child's father is responsible however police aren't saying anything at this point. A witness came forward to say they saw the little girl with a small suitcase getting into a car with a "stocky" man with dark skin - they have a description of the car - and this seems to be the info that has triggered the arrest and the search.

The two parents were in court last week arguing about child support. The father has a history of domestic violence. The father has issued the usual statement about wishing his child to be returned safe and sound however interestingly he didn't appear anywhere in person and issued the statement through a friend.

Her father certainly matches the 'stocky with dark skin' description.

So I would hazard a guess that it's he who has been arrested and detained.

A very sad case indeed.

Re the missing child in Canada, the man detained is not her father.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/marsman-amber-alert-1.3678558

Freedom wrote:Re the missing child in Canada, the man detained is not her father.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/marsman-amber-alert-1.3678558

I can't seem to find any other articles that backs that up.

Eta - yes, just found one.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/1380275-video-man-in-custody-for-questioning-following-calgary-girl%E2%80%99s-disappearance

Freedom wrote:Re the missing child in Canada, the man detained is not her father.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/marsman-amber-alert-1.3678558

Very sad - a body has been found.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/amber-alert-for-taliyah-marsman-cancelled-after-police-find-body

Freedom wrote:

Freedom wrote:Re the missing child in Canada, the man detained is not her father.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/marsman-amber-alert-1.3678558

Very sad - a body has been found.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/amber-alert-for-taliyah-marsman-cancelled-after-police-find-body

Oh dear - very sad indeed.

I feel bad for naturally suspecting the father.

I got that horribly wrong just like my betting in the latter stages of the Euro's.

RIP Taliyah.

And a death sentence for Downey.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/07/24/21/48/police-appeal-for-assistance-to-locate-girl-missing-from-nerang

5 year old girl missing in Australia.

Andrew wrote:http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/07/24/21/48/police-appeal-for-assistance-to-locate-girl-missing-from-nerang

5 year old girl missing in Australia.

I do hope she is found safe and well.

I noticed she wasn't named in that article,, seems odd is that usual for missing children?

This is a more recent article...

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/crime-court/police-searching-for-a-gold-coast-child-missing-near-nerang/news-story/dfee514c9dc753dbf2a343d84046b54a

She is just referred to as 'Jocelyn'. In apostrophes as well.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/amber-alert-issued-for-5yearold-girl-missing-from-nerang-20160724-gqctgr.html

Jocelyn or Jossie.

More info about it all on the above link.

Snipped from above link:

Police have asked that no-one approach the young girl, but to contact police immediately.

Not approach her.... Eh?

Surely she's not armed and dangerous.

Something not sitting right with all this.