Missing Woman: Patricia Viola - NJ - 2/13/2001

[Kathylene]

Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Date of Birth: August 18, 1958
Missing Since: February 13, 2001
From City/State: Bogota, New Jersey in Bergen County, USA.
Age at Time of Disappearance: 42

Gender: Female
Race: White Caucasian
Complexion: Fair
Height: 5' 2"
Weight: 125 lbs
Hair: Brown, thinning in front.
Eyes: Brown

Identifying Characteristics: Ears pierced once but probably not wearing earrings. Patricia has at least 3 birthmarks on front right side of neck.
Clothing: Green or gray long sleeved sport shirt, jeans, white athletic shoes, black cloth winter jacket.

Jewelry: 14 karat gold wedding band, engagement ring with 1 karat round stone worn on her left ring finger. Click here to see similar rings.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Patricia was last seen 2/13/01 at the Bixby School Library in bogota and by the Palisade Ave. crossing guard as she walked home at 11:35 AM. She arrived home and after speaking to her mom, left the house again at approximately 1-2:30 PM setting her alarm as she left. Personal items, purse, keys, ID, cell phone and medication, Dilantin & Phenobarbital, for her seizure disorder, were all left behind. She may have had a seizure leaving her disoriented and with amnesia.

Investigative Agency: Bogota Police Department
Contact: Detective Jim Sepp
Phone: (201) 487-2400
Investigative Case #: 2001-23-18
NCIC #: M341353827

Web site: http://patriciaviolamissing.homestead.com


Progressed to age 50


Print a Poster: http://www.projectjason.org/aan/AAN_PatriciaViola.pdf

[Kathylene]

Family clings to hope of finding woman
Wednesday, February 12, 2003

By KAREN MAHABIR
Staff Writer

CARMINE GALASSO / THE RECORD
Jim Viola is confident his wife, Pat, who disappeared two years ago, will return to him and their children, Michael, 12, and Christine, 15.

The glossy red and pink gift bag that Jim Viola bought his wife for Valentine's Day two years ago hasn't moved from beneath the living-room mantle. Next to framed wedding photos, it has begun to bulge with cards from him and their two children, marking the holidays and birthdays that Patricia Viola has missed.

"That bag is going to be waiting for her," Jim Viola says.

It was two years ago tomorrow that he bought the bag. It was also the last day Jim Viola saw his wife. Feb. 13, 2001, began like any other day in their Bogota home. Viola left for work, the kids headed to school, and Pat, then 42, went to volunteer at the local school library. Returning later that day, she set the house alarm, locked the door, and, it seems, disappeared.

Since then, detectives have used helicopters, boats, and dogs to search for the missing homemaker. Information has been carried on radio stations, television shows, billboards, and numerous fliers. Viola also established a Web site, created wallet-sized cards, and began distributing video CDs.

He even drops the cards into every piece of mail he sends out - anything to spread the word.

"Somebody had to have seen something," Viola says, sighing.

Still, not a single clue about where Pat Viola went or where she is has emerged.

"We have nothing. We can't lean in any one direction," said Bogota Detective James Sepp. "We're going to need one piece of the puzzle to come forward before we can make the rest of the pieces come together."

Viola has balanced the search for his wife with working as an engineer for Honeywell in Teterboro and being both dad and mom to Christine, 15, and Michael, 12.

Their routine, for the most part, has remained the same. Michael is still active in floor hockey and basketball. Viola continues to bowl Wednesday nights. And the family still attends St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Bogota together every Sunday.

Michael is more mature and independent now, although it's still difficult for him to express his sadness. Christine, meanwhile, has become more active in a church youth group, finding guidance and support in retreats.

"Sometimes I really wonder about her," the teenager says of her mom. "Other times I don't know what to think. ... I think that wherever she is she's safe, because God is with her."

Viola said he, too, has become more religious. He also has begun taking more responsibility for his own well-being - learning to cook and spending more time with a handful of very close friends.

Besides regular day trips, he has twice taken Michael and Christine to the family's Pennsylvania time-share in the Poconos. They're planning to return again this summer.

"I can't take that away from the kids, or myself. We still need to have that," he said.

The Violas tried family counseling in the first six months after Pat left, but Christine and Michael were unable to share their feelings. Since then, each has pursued individual ways of coping, although Viola said he is looking to arrange more counseling to help his kids navigate adolescence with only one parent.

Around their cozy Bogota home are bittersweet reminders: a plaque in the dining room that lists "Mom's Rules," dozens of photographs, and a closet full of untouched belongings. Pool parties, Jersey shore vacations, and romantic dinners on cruise ships around Manhattan are now memories.

"She was my first real love," Viola said, purposefully twirling his gold wedding band. "I fell in love with her right away."

The two met about 20 years ago, when Jim Viola walked into Honeywell for his first interview. Patricia was working in the personnel section. He was taken with her sweet nature and soft voice. They were married in 1986.

Viola says he and his wife had planned to celebrate Valentine's Day 2001 with a special dinner later that week. At 6:50 a.m. on Feb. 13, he said goodbye and rushed off to work. At 11:30 a.m., she returned from the library and called her mother to say that everything was fine at home, even though the house alarm had been activated, police said. She then reset the house alarm at 1 p.m., they said.

What happened next is anyone's guess.

Investigators say they have no evidence that Patricia Viola was taken against her will or harmed in any way. They have nothing that connects the activated alarm with her disappearance. A search of the house has turned up nothing of consequence, they said.

Viola said he got home from work at 4:30 that afternoon and assumed his wife was out shopping. Then he noticed her pocketbook on the counter and no note telling him where she was, he said. Pat, who has epilepsy, also left behind her keys and essential medication.

As the hours passed, Viola said, he checked with Pat's mother, her friends, even the local bus company. Her epilepsy prevented her from driving, so perhaps she had taken a bus to the mall, he said.

At 11 p.m., he finally called police.

About 1,650 New Jersey residents were listed as missing in December, according to state police statistics. About half are juveniles, including runaways and those believed abducted.

Nationwide, about 96,000 people - most of them under 18 - are listed as missing this month in the FBI's National Crime Information Center database. Officials do not know how many missing spouses comprise that number, or why any who have vanished voluntarily would do so.

"It's not a crime to be missing. The only problem is that your family wants to know where you are," said Angela Bell, an FBI spokeswoman in Washington, D.C. "Nobody can say why a woman would leave her family. I don't know of any agency that would be able to tell you that. There's no comprehensive reason."

Detectives continue to look for Pat Viola but they say there is little ground they haven't covered.

In May, a spot on the Channel 11 television show "Missing" led to two tips. One woman said she thought she saw Pat Viola getting into a car outside the Butler Diner with an infant and a man. Bogota officers immediately went to the diner with a photograph, but neither the owner nor the patrons there recognized her, Sepp said. Police said the caller couldn't describe the car or its license plate, and has not reported seeing her again, he said.

Another caller, from Rockville Centre on Long Island, said she saw a woman who looked like Pat Viola - seemingly disoriented and possibly having a seizure - in the area. Detectives reviewed all aid calls in Rockville Centre from the day Pat Viola went missing but found none that matched the description.

"Everyone was accounted for," Sepp said.

Jim Viola believes his wife may have had a seizure that could have caused amnesia. She may now be hospitalized as a "Jane Doe" somewhere, he said, adding that he plans to send the CD to hospitals in the area. He said he also is sending it to New Jersey State Police and to the Prosecutor's Office, Sheriff's Department, and county Police Department in Bergen, and to every municipal police department in the county. Missing-persons clearinghouses in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Connecticut will get the CD as well, he said.

Meanwhile, he is maintaining his Web site: patriciaviolamissing.homestead.com.

Viola has recently become good friends with a Florida man who has been searching for his daughter for 25 years. The two now work together to get the word out about their loved ones.

The search simply has to continue, no matter how long it takes, Viola says.

"I feel like we're going to find her," he said. "I still feel that the right person hasn't seen her picture."

[Kathylene]

Patricia has been added to Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. Please consider helping reunite Patricia with her family by wearing her photo button and sharing her story with others. For more details on how you can make a difference, please see:

http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html

If you chose to adopt Patricia, we'll send you a personal bio so you can share her with the world as a person, rather than a case or a statistic. Here is an excerpt from her bio:

"Pat is an extremely dedicated mom as evidenced by her spending 9 days at her son, Michael’s bedside when he needed open heart surgery. This loving support helped Michael’s full recovery. Pat is a devoted and loving wife who always went out of her way to investigate what her husband, Jim, was looking into so she can get him the perfect gift on those special occasions. Pat was always there for her husband, Jim, especially when his dad, grandparents and young cousin passed away. Pat is also a dedicated friend and always has time to lend an ear to listen and support her many friends."


Thank you!

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
www.projectjason.org

[Kathylene]

(A Project Jason Press Release)

Bogota, NJ -- Christmas for Jim Viola, and his two children, Christine and Michael, is just not the same without wife and mother, Patricia Viola, missing from Bogota, NJ, since February 13th, 2001. The empty chair at the dinner table, and Patricia's favorite Christmas decorations, serve as constant reminders that she is not home, and another
year has come and nearly gone.

"Like many typical families, Christmas shifts into high gear right after Thanksgiving, not this year though. The beautiful artificial Christmas tree that we picked out as a family a few weeks before we celebrated our last Christmas together in 2000, will go up, eventually, mainly to keep some sense of normalcy and spirit for our two children, Christine and Michael, " Jim Viola, Patricia's husband, explains with a weariness expected of a man who has been devastated by this loss.

It is difficult for the family to get into the Christmas Spirit, especially when facing four years without knowing the answers in regards to Patricia's disappearance. The family does still have hope, and part of that comes from the efforts of strangers to help find Patricia.

Some of the country's best natural networkers, truck drivers, are going to help the Viola family to keep that hope by their participation in the 18 Wheel Angels program.

18 Wheel Angels is a national missing person's locator program spearheaded by nonprofit organization Project Jason. The program enlists the aid of truck drivers, and business travelers to place posters of missing persons along their routes as they travel across the country. A different missing person is featured every 2 weeks. Participants are asked to go to the 18 Wheel Angels link on the Project Jason Website at www.projectjason.org, and to then download and print as many posters as they can place. Anyone can participate.

Patricia Viola's campaign begins on December 16th and will run through December.

In addition to the 18 Wheel Angels campaign, Project Jason had added Patricia to their Adopt a Missing Person program. Patricia's family sent buttons to the organization to have available for people across the country to mail in and request. The compassionate person who adopts Patricia will also be mailed an info card, which contains a bio and personal information about her. Whoever adopts Patricia will wear her button and share her story with others. As awareness is key in missing person's cases, it is important for Patricia's face to be seen so that she can be found and reunited with her family.

Project Jason was founded by Kelly Jolkowski, mother of missing Omaha, NE youth Jason Jolkowski. The all volunteer group's mission is to create and increase public awareness of missing people through a variety of outreach and educational activities. Project Jason seeks to bring hope and assistance to families of the missing by providing resources and support.

For additional information about the 18 Wheel Angels or the Adopt a Missing Person program, and Project Jason, please see the website at www.projectjason.org, or contact President and Founder, Kelly Jolkowski, at 402-932-0095. You may also email kelly.jolkowski@projectjason.org.

For more information, please see Patricia's web site, http://patriciaviolamissing.homestead.com

[Kathylene]

http://northjersey.com/print.php?qst...Y3dnFlZUVFeXkz

Family still clings to hope for missing mom's return
Wednesday, December 22, 2004


BOGOTA - He still talks about her in the present tense, as if his wife of 18 years took a quick walk and would return at any moment.

The reality is that Patricia Viola stepped out nearly four years ago and has not been seen since that February afternoon. Then 42, the mother of two left behind a puzzling mystery that has stumped her family and investigators.

Still, Viola's husband and two children cling to the hope that she eventually will be found alive and safe.

Continuing his efforts to spread the message - and, he hopes, find more concrete clues - Jim Viola said the family is kicking off two nationwide campaigns this month to raise awareness about the baffling disappearance.

Under a project called "18-Wheel Angels," truck drivers and business travelers throughout the country will be hanging fliers and posters of Patricia Viola on routes they travel. The locator program is assembled by a non-profit group called Project Jason.

Project Jason also has added Viola to its adopt-a-missing-person program. Under the project, someone can ask for information on Viola, or other missing persons, and will wear her photo button and share her story with others.

Project Jason is a non-profit organization designed to raise awareness about missing people. It is named after Jason Jolkowski, who was 19 when he disappeared from in front of his Omaha home on June 13, 2001.

Viola vanished Feb. 13, 2001, leaving behind her belongings, including her epilepsy medication. Earlier, she had gone to volunteer at a nearby library and called her mother.

"It's basically my opinion that we need the right person to see Pat's face," said Jim Viola. "It could be that she is in a hospital somewhere, maybe someone is taking care of her. But you don't know who will be that person who will help you."

"If we don't keep Pat's face out there, the story is just going to fade away," Viola said.

For more information on Project Jason, call founder Kelly Jolkowski at (402) 932-0095, or visit the Web site at projectjason.org.

[Kathylene]

Posted by Kelly 6/5/05:

Pat's husband Jim informed me that Pat has a new forum. Please come and visit. http://findpat.conforums3.com/

Also, Jim wrote a lovely poem about his beloved wife:

"Broken Heart
By Jim Viola


Our hearts came together during a job interview

The courtship that followed was not out of the blue

The attraction was immediate and mutual too

The eventual wedlock was heaven to me and you

The memories were built as we shared our lives

Our children arrived early and oh what a delight

In Christine and Michael I see mirrors of you

To have a beautiful family and you at my side

My sweet Patricia I love you so

I felt so blessed as we enjoyed our sweet life

From the Jersey Shore to Disney to Shawnee and more

To be so much in love and be without a fear

And then have it disappear is too much to bear

Our hearts are now broken and our guts ache so

Not knowing where you are or if you were forced to go

The pain is so great as the tears start to flow

We must keep on going and looking for answers

They say it's God's plan but still I ask why

It's hope that we have and with all the support

Our confidence is high

You'll be back soon at our home port"

[Kathylene]

Patricia's story is featured today on the Project Jason-Voice for the Missing blog.

It is entitled “The Reluctant Mr.Mom”, and tells the story of a deep, abiding love.

http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/


Be sure to help out the families of the missing by telling others about the blog. This is just another way we can reach out and let the faces of the missing be seen. We welcome appropriate website links. Other ideas are posting the blog link on other forums you frequent, and sending it out to your friends and family via email.

Thank you for helping us to help others.

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
http://www.projectjason.org
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

[Kathylene]

International Webcast featuring: East Coast Missing children and adults!

Lorne Boulet, James Farrence Jr., Audrey May Herron, Sharon Ivy Jones, Asukile & Sakile Melchishua , Tina & Bethany Sinclair, William Smolinski Jr., Crystal Soles & Patricia Viola

Saturday Jan 14, 2005
8-10 PM PST
"GINA for Missing Persons"
LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBCAST CONCERT
Featuring: Kelly Fitzgerald (Salem, MA, native)
& Jannel Rap the C Street Band
www.kellyfitzgerald.net http://www.jannel.org

Kulak's Woodshed
5230 1/2 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA
818-766-9913
To view click on link below
http://www.kulakswoodshed.com/

Join us and DO SOMETHING about it. If you can't make it to Hollywood you can do something about it anyway; by forwarding and watching! See you one way or another Saturday Night!

When singer/songwriter, Jannel Rap's sister (www.jannelrap.com), Gina Bos, disappeared Oct 17, 2000 she had no idea that this would be a pivitol life changing moment. Gina's story had no scandal, no suspects and lacked the hook and intrigue to get the attention of the national public. Gina Bos had simply vanished after performing at a pub in Lincoln, NE. Six months of slamming doors woke Jannel up in the middle of the night to do what she already does. The concept of using entertainment to get attention for the missing was born. Since Oct 2001, 150 concerts nationwide, 2 nonprofit organizations (www.411Gina.org, www.411Warrior.org), a TV show called "America Lost and FOUND" and now a monthly international webcast featuring east coast missing.

FEATURED ARTIST & Salem, MA native, Kelly Fitzgerald, just released her first solo CD "So Far." Kelly has shared the stage with such artists as Shelby Lynne, Nancy Griffith, Cheap Trick, Eddie Money, Vonda Shepard, the Gin Blossoms and more...

Thanks for your attention!
Jannel Rap

www.411Gina.org
www.411Warrior.org
www.AmericaLostandFOUND.org

[Kathylene]

Posted by Kelly 1/8/06:

From Jim Viola:

"I had attended Audrey May Herron's (http://www.audreymayherron.expage.com)
"Riding for Audrey" fund raiser up in the Catskills, NY last Aug. 13, 2005. Last week I received the tape
of the interview done of me which was broadcast on CBS6, Timer Warner 9 and Fox 23 up
there at that time.

A link to this clip is shown below (with my additions):

http://www.patriciaviolamissing.home...and_Jim_at_Rid ing_for_Audrey_2005_128Kbps.wmv

Additional clips of Audrey to follow pending family review.

Thanks
Jim
Missing my Pat - Bogota, NJ - 2/13/2001
http://www.patriciaviolamissing.homestead.com"

[Kathylene]

Posted by Kelly 1/24/06:

From Jim Viola:

"Everyone,

Please refer to the link below for information on our Shirt Fundraiser to support the search efforts for Patricia Viola. Patricia
will be missing 5 years this Feb. 13, 2006. Thanks in advance for your continued support.

http://patriciaviolamissing.homestea...tml#anchor_123

Some of you are already fully aware of this fundraiser, especially our sponsors, or have even purchased your shirts already. Thanks again for
your continued support.

Feel free to contact me if there are any questions.

Warmly,
Jim Viola
http://www.patriciaviolamissing.homestead.com"

[Kathylene]

[/hr]Posted by Kelly 2/2/06:

Jim Viola stepped forward to help with our national Campaign for the Missing.

He was very willing to join us on our mission to pass legislation in each and every state pertaining to missing persons and unidentified remains. He indicated he'd had no experience in doing this, but he was still willing and ready.

Much to his surprise, he was the first person to get sponsorship for the bill.

Read his thoughts about his work on the Campaign for the Missing, and what it meant for him to have this initial victory:

http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com...t-of-many.html

Thank you.

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
http://www.projectjason.org
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

[Kathylene]

An email from Jim Viola:

"Everyone,

We will be having a Prayer Vigil for Patricia Viola on Monday, 2/13/06 at 7:30 PM at St. Joseph's RCC in Bogota, NJ. Our daughter, Christine, has taken the lead in organizing the event.Feb. 13, 2006 marks 5 years that Patricia has been out of our lives.

For more Prayer Vigil information and directions, refer to the following web link:
http://www.patriciaviolamissing.home...om/#anchor_157

Prayer Vigil Flyer:
http://www.patriciaviolamissing.home...2006_Flyer.pdf

Everyone is welcome. For those of you who are out of state and I probably cannot make it,please keep Patricia and our family in your prayers.

For my friends in the media, please contact me directly at 201-390-2428 for interviews. Thank you.

Other initiatives:

I am working with Kelly Jolkowski of ProjectJason.org in a hugh effort to change some laws pertaining to Missing Persons. The effort, "Campaign for the Missing 2006", is a state-by-state grass roots effort
to get new Missing Persons legislation passed in every state. I took on NJ and have already retained sponsorship from my local legislator, Senator Loretta Weinberg. The proposal is currently in the research/drafting stage.

If you'd like to know more about "Campaign for the Missing" and how you can become involved, please read the following:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com...sing-2006.html

Read about some of our early success in NJ:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com...t-of-many.html

CUE Center for Missing Persons Missing Persons Conference 2006 in NC - March 24-26, 2006

We will be attending the above CUE Conference in March. Like last year, the conference will provide Training and invaluable interaction with many Missing Persons Organizations and families of the missing. This year I will be speaking about Patricia in the Victim's Hour.

The Center For HOPE - 5th Annual Missing Persons Day in NY - April 2, 2006

We will be attending the 5th Annual Missing Persons Day at the NYS Museum in Albany
on April 2. As in the past few years we attended, Patricia will again be remembered among the missing in a touching ceremony. This event is usually well attended by the media.

We will also have a table set up at the same location the day before on Sat. April 1 as part of Safety and Information Day. This day is open to the public and we will have Patricia's DVDs, Flyers, other information available for distribution all day long. Patricia's DVD will be playing throughout the
day. Families of missing persons are encouraged to call Mr. Patrick Whalen at 518-473-2936, to reserve a table if you are interested in setting up a display for your missing loved one.

National Children's Missing Persons Day - May 25, 2006

The Lakehurst, NJ Elementary School has contacted me and asked me to speak to their children, grades 3-6, at an event they are setting up for this important day. I am going to do it and organizers even said to be sure to tell a little about Patricia as well. The history of this National Missing Persons Day will be discussed. Keeping the children safe will be stressed. I am trying to get a video on safety tips. I also am looking into child ID kits.

Please support H. Res 189 - National Missing Persons Day Background

The day of May 25th is set aside each year as National Missing Children’s Day, but currently there is no day to recognize the families of all missing persons across the nation. In 2004, there were 47,890 persons over the age of 18 reported missing to law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Regardless of age or circumstances, all missing persons have families who need support and guidance to endure the days, months, or years they may spend searching for their missing loved ones.

H.Res.189 would designate April 6th as “National Missing Persons Day.” The proposed date would coincide with the birthday of Suzanne Lyall, a University at Albany student who has been missing
since March 2, 1998. Lyall, a computer science major, was last seen after working a shift at the local mall. In 2001, Governor Pataki designated April 6th as Missing Persons Day in New York State.
The goal of this resolution is to bring missing person cases like Suzanne’s back into the public eye and ensure that they are not forgotten.


CUE Center for Missing Persons Missing Persons On - On The Tour To Remember (OTTR) 2006 - June 2006

Patricia will be among the missing persons featured as CUE embarks on their 3rd annual OTTR this June 2006. CUE will be traveling the east coast and making media stops along the way. The featured case this year
will be Molly Datillo. As in the previous 2 years, I will be creating a special DVD for this trip. The DVD will feature all the missing persons profiled and be played and distributed to the media along the trip.


Fund Raisers

To make a cash donation or purchase a pen or shirt following the link below:
http://www.patriciaviolamissing.home...Donations.html

Thank you everyone for your continued support.

Warmly,
Jim Viola
Husband of Patricia
Patricia's Main Web Page - http://www.patriciaviolamissing.homestead.com "

[Kathylene]

http://northjersey.com/

Prayer vigil planned for missing woman
Friday, February 10, 2006


BOGOTA -- A prayer vigil marking the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of borough resident Patricia Viola is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 115 E. Fort Lee Road at Palisade Avenue.

Viola, a married mother of two, vanished Feb. 13, 2001. Then 42, Viola volunteered at her son's school library that morning and was seen by a school crossing guard at 11:35 a.m. She called her mother from her home around 1 p.m. and has not been heard from since.

Viola left all her personal belongings behind, including her epilepsy medication.

For more information, visit patriciaviolamissing.homestead.com.

[Kathylene]

A news video from the 5 year anniversary:

http://www.patriciaviolamissing.home...ice_Feb_13_200 6.wm

[Kathylene]

The Troy Record, 4/2/06

Without a trace: When a loved one vanishes
By: Ryan T. Fitzpatrick , The Record

ALBANY - They may be missing, but they're not forgotten. They can also make a difference.

The families of several missing people from throughout the Northeast are gathering at the State Museum this weekend.

Saturday kicked off the two-day event with live music, a kiosk to make photo identifications for children and instructive self-defense videos. A ceremony will be held at the Museum Theater today at 1 p.m. with area politicians and prosecutors to speak
along with some families of the missing.
"We're the pre-eminent institute of our kind, so I thought it fitting that this be the headquarters of this kind of event," said Pat Whalen, assistant coordinator for the museum.

He credited the story of Karen Wilson, an area college student who went missing 21 years ago, with inspiring him to organize the event as one of the museum's monthly family-oriented events. He read a story where one of
the last people to see Wilson saw her dancing down the street.

"I found that so poignant. It certainly sounds like she was in good spirits," said Whalen. "The next thing anyone knew, she was just gone." Doug and Mary Lyall set up a table to distribute literature that offers direction to anyone who has a family
member vanish. The Lyalls are the parents of state University at Albany student Suzanne Lyall, who has been missing since 1998.

One of the biggest issues families face, aside from the unsolved mystery, is finding the
resources for support in the event a loved one goes missing, said Doug Lyall.

"This is something that wasn't there for us when we needed it," he said, pointing out the national databases and support centers, such as the National Center for Missing Adults or the Center for Hope, that are available to families of missing people. Much of the responsibility also falls on the family to be proactive, he said.

"We found out that we were where the buck stops," said Lyall. "If it's strictly a case of a person missing, and there is no apparent crime committed, it can very easily be overlooked and very easily be treated casually."

Many college students and other adults can "go missing" for a while but turn out to not have been abducted or harmed, he said. That's why the burden of showing that something is wrong often falls on the family, such as with showing that it is uncharacteristic of the missing person to simply leave on their own.

The Lyalls work as advocates for families of missing people, partly as a way to keep Suzanne's memory alive and partly to bring some good out their situation.

"This is something we can have a little control over," said Lyall. "Beyond that, we're at the mercy of the person responsible to come forward with the information (to locate Suzanne)."

Jim Viola traveled from Bogota, N.J., to share the story of his wife Patricia, who vanished without a trace on Feb. 13, 2001. Viola and other families like the Lyalls share a common bond, he said.

"It's a gathering of families going through the same issues and problems," said Viola. "The worst thing you can do is stick your head in the sand and become a hermit."

Viola is pushing for legislation in New Jersey that would require police to direct families of missing people to resources such as the national database, organizations that can help with creating fliers and other practical items

"The police can only do so much," said Viola. "The families have to carry the ball."

On Thursday, groundbreaking will be held for the state Missing Persons Remembrance, a monument to the missing, in the park next to the museum.

There are over 4,000 missing people in New York state, according to the National Crime Information Center.

Speakers to appear at today's ceremony include the Lyalls, state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, Rep.John Sweeney, state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, Rensselaer
County District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis and Albany County District Attorney David Soares.

http://www.troyrecord.com/