Found Deceased: Gina Lin Anderson--MN--10/23/2008

[LoriDavis]

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


http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=90904&section=homepage

Thief River Falls woman missing
Lisa Gibson Herald Staff Report
Published Saturday, October 25, 2008


Gina Anderson


Anderson's car 

A Thief River Falls woman who was last seen about 2:30 p.m. Thursday has been reported missing.

Gina Lin Anderson, 32, was last seen leaving her home by herself in her yellow 2002 Pontiac Sunfire, Minnesota license plate number 224AEA, according to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department. The witness who saw her at that time said she was in good spirits.

Anderson’s husband, Jeremy Anderson, reported her missing Friday, according to the sheriff’s department. He had last seen her at 7 a.m. Thursday, before he left home for work. She left behind her purse, watch, identification and medication for seizures, according to the sheriff’s department.

“If it’s not taken, we could have some really serious health issues,” said Deputy Ray Kuznia.

Anderson has long blond hair and blue eyes. She’s 5 feet 4 inches tall and 165 pounds. She was last seen in a pink, black and white “Castle” racing jacket, according to the sheriff’s department.

The biggest concern is her health, Kuznia said, and no evidence has been found that would indicate abduction.

Searches have turned up nothing. Anyone who has information on Anderson’s whereabouts should call local law enforcement or the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office at (218) 681-6161.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.in-forum.com/News/articles/219842

Authorities search for missing woman
Forum staff reports, The Forum
Published Sunday, October 26, 2008
 
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. – Authorities here are looking for the public’s help to find a woman who’s been missing since Thursday and could be in the Fargo area.

Gina Lin Anderson, 32, was last seen leaving her home in Thief River Falls about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, said Pennington County Sheriff’s Deputy Ray Kuznia.

Authorities are concerned because Anderson has medical issues and left home without her purse and seizure medication, Kuznia said.

Foul play is not suspected, he said.

A woman matching Anderson’s description was spotted in West Fargo’s Rendezvous Park around 7 p.m. Friday, Kuznia said.

“We’re thinking she very well could be in that Fargo area,” Kuznia said.

Anderson is blond, 160 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches tall. Without her medication, she may be confused or disoriented, Kuznia said. She drives a yellow Pontiac Sunfire.

Anyone with information can call local law enforcement or the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office at (218) 681-6161.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=91004&section=news

Thief River Falls police continue to seek help to find missing woman
By Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Monday, October 27, 2008
 
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. – Authorities continue to seek the public’s help in finding a Thief River Falls woman who has been missing since Thursday.

Gina Lin Anderson, 32, was last seen leaving her home in Thief River Falls about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. 

Aerial and ground searches were unsuccessful, and authorities were no closer today to finding Anderson than they were last week, Thief River Falls Police Chief Kim Murphy said Monday.

“We’ve had just a couple of leads over the weekend we’re trying to chase down,” he said, adding authorities are checking areas Anderson has been known to frequent.

West Fargo police investigated a tip that a woman matching Anderson’s description was spotted Friday evening in West Fargo’s Rendezvous Park, but it didn’t produce information about her whereabouts, Murphy said.

Murphy stressed that foul play is not suspected.

Authorities are concerned for Anderson’s safety because she has medical issues and left home without her purse and seizure medication.

Anderson is blond, 160 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches tall. She drives a yellow Pontiac Sunfire.

A statewide Minnesota Crime Alert was issued, and authorities are considering expanding the notice to other states, Murphy said.

Authorities are interested in any tips about the case, he said, adding, “No piece of information … is too small.”

Anyone with information can call local law enforcement or the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office at (218) 681-6161. 

[Kelly]

Project Jason Profile:



Name:  Gina Anderson
Date of Birth:  03/17/1976
Date Missing:  10/23/2008
Age at time of disappearance:  32
City Missing From:  Thief River Falls
State Missing From:  MN
Gender:  Female
Race:  White
Height:  5 ft 6 in
Weight:  160 lbs
Hair Color:  Blonde
Hair (other):  Long, below shoulders
Eye Color:  Blue
Complexion:  Fair to Medium

Identifying Characteristics:  Gina has a tattoo of a barbwire going around one of her upper arms. She had surgery on one of her feet in the past and is missing the 4th toe. She has scars on her lower abdomen from surgeries and a scar on her face by her mouth.

Clothing:  She may have been wearing a light blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Jewelry:  She wears rings on both hands, with a wedding ring on her ring finger. She also wears earrings, a necklace, and bracelet.

Circumstances of Disappearance:  She was last seen leaving her house at around 2:30 pm on Thursday Oct. 23rd. She left in her car, which is a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire, bright yellow in color, license plate # 224 AEA. She left her purse at home, which had her drivers license, medical insurance card and other personal belonging in it. It is unknown if she had any cash on her.

Medical Conditions:  Gina has seizures and is on a anti-seizure medication. If she is not taking it, it is possible she could have multiple seizures.

Investigative Agency:  Pennington County Police Dept.
Agency Phone:  (218) - 681 - 6161
Investigative Case #:  P08-7802

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

[Kelly]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=91089&section=homepage&CFID=109637274&CFTOKEN=52951060&jsessionid=8830edc4411e6bb63634&freebie_check

Thief River Falls woman’s disappearance troubles friends, family

By Benny Polacca, The Forum
Published Tuesday, October 28, 2008
 

Gina Lin Anderson is known for keeping in constant contact with her family and friends, which makes her disappearance last week perplexing for those close to her.

The 32-year-old Thief River Falls, Minn. woman was last seen leaving her home Thursday afternoon in her car and has not returned.

“She’s very close to me, her parents, her sister,” Jeremy Anderson said Monday of his wife of 13 years. “She’s always thinking about everyone else – never misses a birthday or anniversary.”

Jeremy Anderson, who returned home from work around 6 p.m., thought Gina Anderson was gone for a trip to the grocery store and called her parents when she failed to return after a while. He said he was “up all night” before reporting her missing to authorities the next morning.

Law enforcement and those who know Gina Anderson are especially concerned for her because she left her personal belongings at home, including her purse, identification and anti-seizure medication.

“She needs it in order to function,” Jeremy Anderson said.

Aerial and ground searches Saturday were unsuccessful, and authorities were no closer Monday to finding Anderson than they were last week, Thief River Falls Police Chief Kim Murphy said.

“We’ve had just a couple of leads over the weekend we’re trying to chase down,” he said, adding authorities are checking areas Anderson has been known to frequent.

Authorities conducted searches that were citywide and covered all of Pennington County. A statewide Minnesota Crime Alert was issued, and authorities are considering expanding the notice to other states, Murphy said.

Foul play is not suspected in Anderson’s disappearance based on interviews with her family and witnesses, Murphy said.

“We’re trying to find her because of medical concerns,” Murphy said.

Gina Anderson, who works at the Petro Pumper convenience store in Thief River Falls, had Thursday off and planned to spend the night with her husband when he returned from work, Jeremy Anderson said.

A construction crew working on a house across the street from the Andersons’ home saw her leave that afternoon in her yellow Pontiac Sunfire, Jeremy Anderson said.

Gina Anderson spoke with crew members – who have previously seen her at her job – before she left and did not appear to be upset at the time, he said.

Authorities have investigated possible sightings of Anderson, including one at a gas station in Pelican Rapids, Minn., on Friday afternoon and one at West Fargo’s Rendezvous Park that night. Neither was 100 percent confirmed.

Family and friends conducted a wider search for Anderson on Sunday and distributed missing person flyers. Five vehicles with two or three people took separate routes from Thief River Falls to Fargo on main roads as well as side streets, Jeremy Anderson said.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “We want her to come home; we love her very much and we hope she’s under her own power to do that.”

Gina Anderson is blond, 160 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches tall.

[Kelly]

http://www.wdaz.com/news/index.cfm?id=867

TRF Woman Still Missing

Maria Gonzales, WDAZ, Published Monday, October 27, 2008

Gina Lin Anderson has been missing since last week and authorities are concerned. That's because she left her medications and personal belongings behind. Her yellow Pontiac Sunfire is also missing.

Right now, Anderson's family doesn't have a clue where she could be. They spent Sunday chasing down leads in Fargo and have checked their family's cabin, but still they don't know where she could have gone.

"It's a nightmare," said her dad Steve Lappegaard.

Last Thursday, Gina Anderson had the day off. Her family says her house was clean, bed was made and had a standing date with her husband that night.

"It was like she went to pick up a movie," said Anderson's mom Judy Lappegaard.

When Anderson's husband, Jeremy Anderson came home from work he didn't know where his wife was so he called her family

"Said okay, well maybe she's still out shopping or doing her thing," said her sister Jill Lappegaard.

When Gina Anderson didn't come home that night her family called police and five days later, they still have no idea where she is, or if she's even okay.

"Whatever snapped, or whatever reason this happened, I don't care," said Steve Lappegaard.

Anderson's Dad says he just wants to know she's okay. She takes anti-seizure medication and her family says she doesn't have any with her, putting her in danger.

"If she should see this just, just call home, please," said Steve Lappegaard.

"I just want to know if she's okay and I want here to come home ... That's all I want," said Jill Lappegaard.

"Please call somebody. Call your parents, grandma, sister. Call me," said her husband Jeremy Anderson.

"Just pick up that phone and call. We'll be there. Everything's going to be okay," said Judy Lappegaard.

Gina Anderson stand at 5'4' tall and is 32 years old. Her 2002 yellow Pontiac Sunfire is also missing. The Minnesota license plate number is 224 AEA.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=91254&section=news

Thief River Falls family has hope Gina Lin Anderson will be found
Archie Ingersoll Grand Forks Herald
Published Wednesday, October 29, 2008
 
THIEF RIVER FALLS — Leaving unannounced and not calling for days — that isn’t like Gina, say her husband, father and mother.

The Thief River Falls native never went far from home, didn’t keep secrets and frequently talked to her parents on the phone.

“She’s got to tell you everything,” her father Steve Lappegaard said. “But right now, we have no idea where she’s at or if ….”

“There’s a million things that go through your mind of what could’ve happened and what did happen,” he said. “And those scenarios, I don’t want to think about, I don’t want to talk about.”

Anderson, 32, was last seen Thursday, Oct. 23, getting in her yellow 2002 Pontiac Sunfire outside her home. A construction worker chatted with her before she drove off.

“They knew each other, and he talked to her and said she seemed fine,” her husband Jeremy said.

Her mom talked to her the night of Wednesday, Oct. 22. Judy Lappegaard said her daughter was looking forward to going hunting at the family’s cabin near Grygla, Minn.

“She said, ‘Make sure that Dad goes to the cabin with Jeremy because I have to work and don’t want him doing deer stands by himself.’”

They ended their conversation assuming they’d talk soon. There was no hint that she would go missing the next day.

Jeremy, Gina’s husband of 13 years, said he last saw his wife 7 a.m. Thursday when he left for work. It was her day off and she was asleep. The couple didn’t talk during the day, but her mom drove by the house and saw her car there at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. When Jeremy, 36, got home at 6 p.m., Gina wasn’t there.

“I just thought she ran up to the grocery store or something,” he said.

“That’s what it looked like,” her mom said. “The house was immaculate, the bed was made, her makeup sat on the toilet, and she had changed pants.”

When Gina didn’t come home by 7 p.m., Jeremy started to worry. His in-laws called at 7:30 p.m. — they hadn’t seen her. He phoned the police that night, then Friday morning he filed a missing person report.

The search then went into full swing. Family and friends drove main routes and back roads looking for some sign of her. They called everybody she knows.

“Everyone that was a possible, we’ve called them or been to their house or sent somebody to their house,” Jeremy said.

Searchers have been investigating possible sightings of Gina around the region and reviewing security camera footage. Fliers with a photo of Gina and her car have been being distributed all over. Authorities conducted aerial and ground searches of the town and surrounding Pennington County.

“We searched that whole county: gravel roads, east and west, north and south,” Jeremy said. But all their efforts have produced the same result: “Nothing.”

The family had hoped Gina’s car could be somehow tracked, but authorities haven’t been able to locate it. Officials say there’s no evidence that indicates she was abducted.

All day Wednesday and Thursday morning, authorities received no leads. Wednesday afternoon, Jeremy was planning to go up in his employer’s plane and fly over Detroit Lakes and Pelican Rapids, Minn. — towns where people reported seeing Gina.

“That’s all I’ve got till we get some more leads of some kind,” Jeremy said.

Despite the lack of leads, the family is committed to continuing the search.

“We don’t want it to die,” her dad said. “I mean, once it’s dead, it’s dead.”

Gina left home with out her cell phone, purse, identification, credit cards, money, watch and medication. Her mom said she takes a prescription to prevent seizures which cause her to black out.

Her father said his daughter’s life has been plagued by medical problems and setbacks. “She never had a break in life,” he said.

Her medical issues led to a struggle with an addiction to painkillers, but her father said, despite that, she’s never gone off without telling anyone.

“No matter where she went or what happened or whatever, she was always in contact,” he said.

Her family is hoping she’ll make contact with them soon.

“You just have to wait for that call and hope’s it’s a good call,” her mom said.

Anyone with information can call local law enforcement or the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office at (218) 681-6161.

[Denise]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=91663&section=news

Worried family of missing Thief River Falls woman wonders what to do next

Stephen J. Lee, Grand Forks Herald
Published Saturday, November 01, 2008
 
The father of Gina Anderson, the Thief River Falls woman missing since Oct. 23, said today the family is "stir-crazy," wondering what they can do to help find her.

Steve Lappegaard of Thief River Falls called one of the investigators today, he said. “I told him we are sitting here looking at four walls and if there is anything we can do, anything for us to check out, the car is sitting here, gassed up, ready to go. Just tell us what to do.”

The city police, Pennington County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension all are working the case, but seem to be at a dead end, Lappegaard said.

“They searched the county,” he said.

If nothing happens soon, the family is thinking of hiring a private investigator, he said today. He provided the Herald with a more recent photo of his daughter, one taken during Christmas 2007.

His daughter last was seeing driving away from her home about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 23 by three or four construction workers across the street. At least one of the workers chatted with her that day, he said. Investigators talked to the construction workers, who said she didn’t seem upset.

But Anderson left her purse, credit cards and other items she might have been expected to take. Although previous published reports said she had left her cell phone, Lappegaard said that, in fact, Anderson does not have a cell phone.

Investigators have said there is no indication that foul play is involved.

Lappegaard said Anderson’s husband, Jeremy, is “positively” cleared of any possible involvement. He and the Lappegaards and others were together Friday night “brainstorming,” Lappegaard said. One new idea was that when Gina and Jeremy first lived together, when she was 18, in 1994, they lived for about eight months in Lisbon, N.D., southwest of Fargo.

But Jeremy thought that wasn’t much chance that would be anything to look at, since they hardly got to know anyone there at the time and it was so long ago, Lappegaard said.

A few leads have turned up nothing. Last Saturday, about 10 friends and relatives went to the Pelican Rapids, Minn., area because of a tip she was seen putting on gas there. But after a relative reviewed video surveillance tapes from the store, no yellow car like hers was found, Lappegaard said.

On Friday, a tip was telephoned in from Fargo, but that turned out to be a dead end, a sheriff’s deputy said.

Last Tuesday, the husband of another daughter of Lappegaards, who lives a western Twin Cities suburb, saw a yellow car like Gina Lin’s and followed it on to Interstate 94 near Buffalo, Minn. But in trying to catch up to it, he was pulled over by a state Patrol officer and given a speeding ticket, Lappegaard said.

“We have done every other one, contacted somebody to look at (every lead,)” Lappegaard said. “The whole problem is if we could get one lead, so we know which way to go, then we would know where to go. That’s what we are hoping for.”

A Crookston woman called them to reassure them these things can work out, he said. That woman’s teen daughter was missing for several months and recently was found and returned home, he said.

Gina Anderson has been taking medication for seizures the past several months and he is worried she could have health problems without it, or if she isn’t taking it. Having a seizure while driving, for example, could cause her to drive erratically.

Lappegaard's daughter in the Twin Cities is on the Internet all day, putting up Gina’s information on Web sites and searching, he said.

“This is a nightmare, of not knowing anything, not doing anything. It’s a complete nightmare for all of us,” he said.

Anderson’s car is a bright yellow 2002 Pontiac Sunbird with Minnesota plate 224AEA.

Anyone with information should call the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office at (218) 681-6161.

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

[Kelly]

AAN Notify Sent. Code 17

Help us find the missing: Become an AAN Member
http://www.projectjason.org/awareness.html

[LoriDavis]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=92031&section=homepage

Search for missing TRF woman postponed
Archie Ingersoll Grand Forks Herald
Published Wednesday, November 05, 2008
 
Wednesday’s foul weather delayed an aerial search for a Thief River Falls woman who went missing two weeks ago.

Low-lying clouds prevented authorities from flying patterns above the town and surrounding landscape, combing the area for any sign of Gina Lin Anderson.

“It’s my understanding they’ll being doing it as soon as the weather’s good enough for them,” investigator Jim Van Schaick said.

Lately, there’s been a dearth of new leads on Anderson’s whereabouts. The 32-year-old last was seen Oct. 23 getting in her yellow sports car outside her home and driving off.

Van Schaick said there’s still no evidence to suggest foul play. A construction worker who was putting up siding across the street from Anderson’s house and had a brief, cordial conversation with her just before she vanished, is not a suspect in the case, he said.

“We have no evidence that he would be involved in her disappearance,” Van Schaick said.

He also said the death of a Strandquist, Minn., man whose body was found last week inside a vehicle at a gravel pit 10 miles southwest of Thief River Falls is not related to Anderson’s disappearance.

“We’ve found absolutely no evidence that would link the two,” he said.

Although autopsy results are not yet available, it appears the man — 22-year-old Brett Szklarski — committed suicide, Van Schaick said.

Investigators also aren’t connecting Anderson’s disappearance to her past addiction to painkillers.

“We have no reason to believe that that’s what happening now,” he said. “She’s made tremendous strides forward.”

Earlier ground and air searches, along with pursuits of tips from the public, have turned up nothing. “Everything’s been fruitless so far,” he said.

Van Schaick said officials entertained the idea that Anderson and her car somehow became submerged in a body of water.

“We did check all the bridges in our county, but we haven’t seen any vehicles in the water,” he said. “Most of the places where a car could go off is shallow water, in our county anyway.”

Anderson’s description and the circumstances of her disappearance were sent out nationwide through a database for missing people. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued an updated missing person alert Wednesday.

“We’ve been keeping an eye out for any Jane Does,” Van Schaick said. “We sent a message out to basically every hospital in the country.”

He said authorities will continue to meet each morning to coordinate the search.

“This’ll keep going on until she’s found,” he said. “This is going to continue.”

Polly Holthusen, who manages the convenience store where Anderson worked, said the town is swirling with stories of what happened to her co-worker.

“I just don’t believe she disappeared with somebody. I don’t believe that for a second,” she said. “She was a very family-orientated girl.”

Holthusen said she’s fed up with the rumors about Anderson, who was well-liked by her co-workers. “I’d like to make a statement to everyone to be more considerate of what the family is going through,” she said.

Leading up to Anderson’s disappearance, her co-workers didn’t observe anything different about her.

“Not a one of us here could say we noticed anything different,” Holthusen said. “She was the same person.”

[LoriDavis]

http://www.startribune.com/local/34014664.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Search continues for missing Thief River Falls woman
By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune
Last update: November 6, 2008 - 8:10 AM

Authorities in Thief River Falls are asking for help in finding a woman who has been missing for nearly two weeks.

Gina Lin Anderson, 32, was last seen on Oct. 23 when she left home without her medication and identification. Anderson has a history of seizures and has a history of pharmaceutical pain medication abuse, authorities said.

No foul play is suspected in her disappearance.

Anderson is believed to be driving her yellow 2002 Pontiac Sunfire with Minnesota license plates 224 AEA.

She is white, about 5 feet 4 inches, weighs 165 pounds, had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was believed to be wearing a bright black, pink and white racing jacket.

Anyone with information should call the Pennington County Sheriff's Office at 218-681-6161.

[Kelly]

Gina Anderson and Kendra Malson are Project Jason's featured missing persons for November 2008. The image you see below, with links to their news and information threads, is on the main page of the Project Jason website. This is one means of awareness for their cases, and with a high average of daily hits to the site, we'll reach many with their stories.

If your missing loved one is not registered with us for services, please click here: http://www.projectjason.org/report.html

[LoriDavis]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=92492&section=News

Aerial search begins today for missing Thief River Falls woman
Stephen J. Lee Grand Forks Herald
Published Monday, November 10, 2008
 
Wade Joppru is the last person known to have seen Gina Anderson as she left her Thief River Falls home Oct. 23.

Anderson, 32, remains missing without a lead to where she might be, say family members and authorities.

Joppru was working on a home across the street from Anderson, whom he knew from her job working behind the counter at the Petro Pumper truck stop/gas station/convenience store in Thief River Falls, he said Sunday.

He and Anderson shouted out greetings to each other as she left her house, got into her car and drove away in midafternoon Oct. 23, Joppru said.

"She just said, "Hi," from across the street," he said Sunday. He, a brother and others had been working on the home, renovating it, and he was working on the siding the day Anderson last was seen.

Anderson didn't seem upset or in a hurry and didn't say anything to indicate where she was going, Joppru said. There was nothing that seemed amiss.

He was acquainted with her from her job at the convenience store, where he would chat with her when making a purchase, Joppru said.

Law enforcement officials have said they have no indication of any foul play in Anderson going missing and have no suspects, including her husband of 13 years, Jeremy Anderson, or Joppru.

Aerial search

An aerial search for her, involving perhaps three or more aircrafts from the U.S. Air Force, the Minnesota State Patrol and a local Civil Air Patrol unit, is expected to finally get into the air today, a law enforcement source said Sunday.

The search was postponed late last week because of bad weather.

Meanwhile, investigators in recent days have turned to questioning anyone who might have known her or recently had contact with her or on a regular basis, said her father, Steve Lappegaard, Thief River Falls.

That?s because so many of the details of her going missing are at odds with Anderson's normal patterns, Lappegaard said.

"She called home 10 times a day, so whatever she did, we were pretty informed," he said. But not a word was left or has been said since she last was seen Oct. 23.

"She has four dogs; they are house dogs," Lappegaard said. They needed lots of attention and got it from Gina, he said. "Usually, whenever she went somewhere, she would take one of the dogs along," he said.

Anderson's yellow 2002 Pontiac Sunfire, with Minnesota license plates 224EAE, also is missing.

Anderson left her purse in her home, including her credit card and identification, as well as the medication she takes for seizures, Lappegaard said. She didn't have a cell phone, so earlier reports that she left one behind were not accurate, her father said.

Anderson's husband last saw her the morning of the day she went missing, as he was going to work. Within hours after he returned home that evening and compared notes with Anderson's parents, he contacted police.

At her job in the truck stop, which has a cafe, Anderson met lots of people, including truckers and pipeline workers in the area temporarily, Lappegaard said. The truck stop, in fact, put on "a big feed" for the pipeline workers, and Anderson worked at the dinner, which was held in a local motel, he said.

Lappegaard said he's concerned that some of the people jailed in the regional correctional center in Thief River Falls "come from all over the country," and get released into the community.

He cited the arrest last week of two Arkansas residents after the armed robbery Thursday of Geno's Pizzeria in Thief River Falls as an example of out-of-state people committing crimes in the Thief River Falls area.

At first, investigators looking into his daughter's disappearance seemed to concentrate on the idea she had gone for her own reasons, Lappegaard said. But in recent days, the investigation has begun to look at whether someone she had met or known could be involved, he said.

He said investigators in the case, which include officers from the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as well as the local police and sheriff's office, have begun in recent days to interview people whose names Lappegaard and Jeremy Anderson provided to authorities.

A BCA agent was interviewing people who knew his daughter last week in Fargo, Lappegaard said, as well as "people from Petro Pumper, where she had come in contact with people."

Authorities asked hunters to keep an eye out for anything that might be connected to Anderson.

A dispatcher in the Pennington County Sheriff's Office in Thief River Falls said Sunday there currently were no tips turned in by hunters.

The pastor at their church, Trinity Lutheran, mentioned Gina during the service, asking for special prayers Sunday, Lappegaard said.

His daughter was an avid deer hunter and never would have missed opening weekend if she could help it, usually sharing his tree stand, Lappegaard said. But he didn't deer hunt near their cabin out this weekend, either.

"I couldn't go out there and sit in the tree without her," he said.

[Kelly]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=92733&section=homepage

Aerial search reveals no clues of Thief River Falls woman's whereabouts

Stephen J. Lee Grand Forks Herald
Published Wednesday, November 12, 2008

A Civil Air Patrol airplane flew for several hours Tuesday over Pennington County looking for Gina Lin Anderson, the Thief River Falls woman missing since Oct. 23.

According to a dispatcher in the Pennington County law enforcement center, nothing was found. If the weather cooperates, an aerial search will be done today over Red Lake County, the dispatcher said.

Meanwhile, Anderson?s family announced today a $5,000 reward has been established through the Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation in California for information about her disappearance.

Anderson?s sister, Jackie Pagel, Minnetonka, Minn., announced the reward Tuesday in an e-mail to news organizations in which she asked for help keeping the public aware of her sister?s disappearance.

The foundation, in Modesto, Calif., was formed by the parents of Carole Sund, who with her daughter, Juli Sund, and friend Silvina Pelossa, went missing during a trip in Yosemite National Park in 1999. A man later was convicted of murdering the three women.

Sund?s parents, Francis and Carole Carrington, established rewards for information and later credited those rewards and news about them with bringing out information that led to their rental car being found, the first break in the case.

The Carringtons set up their foundation to help families who need it offer rewards for information about missing loved ones, according to the foundation?s Web site.

Anderson, 32, last was seen leaving her Thief River Falls home in her bright yellow 2002 Pontiac Sunfire mid-afternoon Oct. 23 by a man repairing a nearby house, according to police.

There is no evidence or indication of foul play and also no information of any kind of her whereabouts, said police and family members.

Unusual circumstances

But the circumstances of her disappearance are unusual, her family members say, because she left behind her purse, including her identification and credit cards, and her anti-seizure medication that she needs daily.

Several tips, such as possible sightings, all have turned up empty, police say.

Dave Odette, a local group commander with the Civil Air Patrol, coordinated the aerial search as assistant incident commander Tuesday, on the ground with the sheriff?s office.

A Cessna 172 single-engine four-passenger plane from Grand Rapids, Minn., flew in with three CAP volunteers: a pilot and two passengers, all trained in search and rescue, Odette said.

Using a grid pattern, the CAP plane flew at 1,000 feet, he said. Every 90 minutes to two hours, it would land to give some rest to the volunteers from the intense concentration of the searching, Odette said.

The total flight time including coming and going, and landing several times for refueling and to give the searchers a break, was eight hours.

The CAP is an auxiliary of the Air Force, which oversees all such searches through the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. The CAP has 56,000 volunteers and executes 90 percent of aerial search and rescues in the United States.

The $110-per-hour cost of the aircraft used Tuesday in Thief River Falls includes fuel and maintenance and is paid through the center with federal funds, Odette said. The CAP volunteers donate all their time and are not paid anything, he said.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=92838&section=news

Anderson search widespread, frustrating
Grand Forks Herald
Published Wednesday, November 12, 2008
 
Within a week of Gina Anderson?s disappearance from Thief River Falls, police sent information across the border to Winnipeg police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Anderson, 32, last was seen Oct. 23 in Thief River Falls, driving away from her house in her bright yellow 2002 Pontiac Sunfire.

Thief River Falls Police Chief Kim Murphy said today that on Oct. 31, the investigation he?s heading sent information to Canadian law enforcement agencies, illustrating the wide swath the frustrating search has taken.

Like every other move so far, nothing has come of it and it wasn?t done based on any solid information.

?It seems like the information and everything has been just at a standstill,? Murphy said. Nothing, no word or phone call or bank transaction has turned up giving a hint of her whereabouts, and several leads, including possible sightings, have turned into dead ends.

He?s got a lead investigator devoted mostly to the case, the Pennington County Sheriff?s Office has been closely involved and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has two agents interviewing people and chasing down leads ?in other jurisdictions,? Murphy said.

Aerial searches this week turned up nothing. The weather the rest of this week doesn?t look good for more aerial searches and he?s not sure where they would go, anyway, Murphy said.

Information about Anderson has gone out to many law enforcement agencies, using FBI-based information networks, Murphy said. But such searches can depend on such practical exigencies as ?shift briefings,? and how much any particular cop or agency emphasizes any particular missing person, Murphy said.

?If the vehicle is parked someplace out of they way, in a ramp, or if it?s been someplace where it was privately towed to a private lot, it would get missed,? he said. ?Those sorts of things do happen.?

Many people who might have known Anderson, had contact with her, or talked to her at her job at a local truck stop/convenience store have been interviewed, he said.

So far, there are no obvious loose ends in the investigation.

?Every time we have had names and contacts that have come up, it maybe took a little time to contact them, but so far, we have been doing really well with contacting those folks.?

Anderson?s family, including her husband, has been entirely cooperative, he said.

?We are concerned for the family,? Murphy said. ?It?s baffling to the family and it?s baffling to us. We are hoping for a positive outcome, we really are. We are leaving no tip unattended, everything has been given attention. We are definitely hoping that no foul play was involved. We haven?t got anything for us to indicate so, still.?

Murphy even said he was glad for the attention from the news media.

?We need everyone?s help here,? he said. ?We have even thought maybe she will call a media outlet and just say, ?Will you tell them to stop looking for me, I?m fine.? We are hoping for that. We don?t care how it comes in, or from who.?