: Three Moms, One Pain
Updated: 6/8/2006
Posted by: Robyn Young, Reporter
Susan Ceci, Patricia Bindics, and Janeane Shanahan share a remarkable bond, and a remarkable pain.
Each is the mother of a missing child.
All thought their cases would be solved within days, but are still waiting, years after their loss.
Twenty-six-year-old Lori Ceci Bova disappeared in June 1997, after having dinner in a Lakewood restaurant with her husband, sister, and
brother-in-law. Her husband said they had an argument and that Lori went for a walk early the next morning.
Twenty-two-year-old Damien Sharp disappeared in May 2002, after reportedly being dropped off at a Memorial Day weekend party in Warren, Pennsylvania.
Twenty-five-year-old Yolanda Bindics, a mother of four, was last seen in August 2004 at the Family Dollar store where she worked in Jamestown.
“It seems like an eternity,” said Janeane, Damien’s mother. “It’s just dragging. It’s horrible, and it’s the worst thing that a mother could ever, ever go through.”
Janeane and Susan knew each other before Damien disappeared, but have grown closer ever since.
They describe the burden of not knowing exactly what happened to their child as being like a weight on their chest. Janeane said she rushes out of bed every day, hoping this will be the day police in Warren call her with news. She said she stays mad, because she is afraid where her grief would take her.
When asked how she copes, Susan said, “Stay busy and be with your family.” She said her family holds private prayer services on the anniversary of Lori’s disappearance. They used to include others, such as volunteers who aided in her search, but found it was just too painful. Susan said while scrubbing the windows of her home, she often finds herself waiting for Lori to walk down the sidewalk.
“My cell phone, I never turn it off,” Janeane said.
The Bindics have held fund raisers and other events in honor of Yolanda, and are planning a rally June 12 at the Family Dollar where she was last seen.
Patricia said Susan attended one Bindics family event. “She was just there like an angel extending herself for me, and I was in such a terrible state in shock and grief that naturally I respected that and I appreciate that,” she said.
All three women met Tuesday at Susan’s Lakewood home to talk with 2-On-Your-Side about their unique bond, and how they continue to cope with their loss.
“We support each other and we give calls to each other and just say, I’m thinking of you,” Susan said.
Janeane has been waiting for four years with no break in the disappearance of her son. Susan has been waiting for nine years. The Bindics have been waiting since 2004, but this week, 2-On-Your-Side reported that Jamestown Police claim they may soon solve the case, based on results from evidence they sent to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia. In September 2004, Yolanda’s purse, car keys, and other personal items washed up from a storm drain in Jamestown. Police say they have sent additional evidence to the FBI, without specifying exactly what it is, and are waiting for results.
Investigator Re-Interviews Several People, Learns New Information
September 21, 2008
LAKEWOOD – New developments in the missing person case of Lori Ceci Bova are giving investigators a new path of attack and the family a cautious hope.
Sgt. Investigator Paul Gustafson has been in charge of the case since he took the initial complaint from her husband, Tyrone Bova, at 11:14 a.m. on June 8, 1997.
Gustafson said that recent developments in the case have led him to re-interview a number of people and take the investigation in new directions.
”In the past several months, I’ve re-interviewed about 30 to 40 people,” Gustafson said. ”Through these interviews, I learned some new information and have been digging deeper into the case from a new angle.”
Gustafson said he couldn’t elaborate on specifics regarding the investigation, but did take time to dispell ”street theories” which have circulated since Lori’s disappearance.
Her husband at the time, Tyrone, was not a police officer as some people have claimed. In fact, he did attend a police academy in North Carolina, where the couple had moved for a short time, but never finished the training, Gustafson said. Tyrone was a contractor at the time of Lori’s disappearance, he added.
”There are certain things that were going on at that time in her life that are case-sensitive, but that is certainly not the case,” he said of the theory.
Gustafson said he couldn’t say if Tyrone was among the people recently re-interviewed, but did maintain that he has not been helpful with the investigation.
”We’ve never had any cooperation from Tyrone,” Gustafson said. ”He has never assisted us in any way, shape or form since the beginning.”
It is reported that Tyrone is currently living in North Carolina and has since remarried and has children. Efforts by The Post-Journal to locate and contact him for comment have not yet been fruitful.
Lori was last seen leaving the Red Lobster restaurant in Lakewood with her husband, sister and brother-in-law on June 7, 1997. Tyrone said they went home and had some type of argument, and around 2 a.m. she went for a walk and never returned.
Nine hours later, Tyrone contacted the police and Lori’s family began searching for her.
Since that day, a number of situations have provided false hope for Lori’s family, although one of them gave partial closure to another family.
When the body of Yolanda Bindics was found in a heavily wooded area in the town of Charlotte, Lori’s family was notified. DNA evidence later proved it was indeed Yolanda, but for a few lingering days, the possibility remained.
When a clump of hair and a sweatshirt were found at different times in Chautauqua Lake, speculation peaked but only to be debunked shortly after.
”We were actually able to locate the owner of the sweatshirt who said he fell off a boat on the lake and lost it,” Gustafson said. ”And when we compared the hair with her DNA samples, we were able to rule her out. It seemed like hair from a hairbrush.”
Psychics and mediums including the famous Sylvia Brown have all chimed in on what they think happened to Lori, but to no avail.
”I’ve had people try to read my palm and swing a pendiulium in front of my face,” Gustafson said. ”But we never received anything solid from those routes.”
New technology has aided with Lori’s still unsolved case, Gustafson said.
”I’ve been on this job for 18 years, and everything has changed in that time,” he said. ”New technology and techniques have helped us because some of it wasn’t available in 1997.”
Gustafson said that after 11 years of working Lori’s case, he feels like he knows her and owes it to her family to deliver them closure.
”My efforts have always been the same; find the person who knows where Lori is and bring closure to her family,” he said. ”I will not give up until the day I can make that call.”
Amy Cleveland, a close friend of Lori and the Ceci family’s spokesperson, said they are thankful for Gustafson’s determination and hopeful recent developments will bring an end to the saga which has consumed their lives for the past 11 years.
”We are so grateful to him,” she said. ”He said he would never give up and he hasn’t. We’re cautiously optimistic but hope that something will come out of this.”
Ms. Cleveland said that the past 11 years have been unreal for her and the Ceci family and not a day passes without thought of Lori coming into their conscious minds.
”You see things like this happening on TV all the time, but we are living it,” she said. ”All we can do is not let her be forgotten and pray, everyday.”
Anyone with information about the case, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is asked to call Gustafson at 763-9563.
A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to a conviction.
http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/512109.html?nav=5018
Three Moms, One Pain
Updated: 6/8/2006
Posted by: Robyn Young, Reporter
Susan Ceci, Patricia Bindics, and Janeane Shanahan share a remarkable bond, and a remarkable pain.
Each is the mother of a missing child.
All thought their cases would be solved within days, but are still waiting, years after their loss.
Twenty-six-year-old Lori Ceci Bova disappeared in June 1997, after having dinner in a Lakewood restaurant with her husband, sister, and
brother-in-law. Her husband said they had an argument and that Lori went for a walk early the next morning.
Twenty-two-year-old Damien Sharp disappeared in May 2002, after reportedly being dropped off at a Memorial Day weekend party in Warren, Pennsylvania.
Twenty-five-year-old Yolanda Bindics, a mother of four, was last seen in August 2004 at the Family Dollar store where she worked in Jamestown.
“It seems like an eternity,” said Janeane, Damien’s mother. “It’s just dragging. It’s horrible, and it’s the worst thing that a mother could ever, ever go through.”
Janeane and Susan knew each other before Damien disappeared, but have grown closer ever since.
They describe the burden of not knowing exactly what happened to their child as being like a weight on their chest. Janeane said she rushes out of bed every day, hoping this will be the day police in Warren call her with news. She said she stays mad, because she is afraid where her grief would take her.
When asked how she copes, Susan said, “Stay busy and be with your family.” She said her family holds private prayer services on the anniversary of Lori’s disappearance. They used to include others, such as volunteers who aided in her search, but found it was just too painful. Susan said while scrubbing the windows of her home, she often finds herself waiting for Lori to walk down the sidewalk.
“My cell phone, I never turn it off,” Janeane said.
The Bindics have held fund raisers and other events in honor of Yolanda, and are planning a rally June 12 at the Family Dollar where she was last seen.
Patricia said Susan attended one Bindics family event. “She was just there like an angel extending herself for me, and I was in such a terrible state in shock and grief that naturally I respected that and I appreciate that,” she said.
All three women met Tuesday at Susan’s Lakewood home to talk with 2-On-Your-Side about their unique bond, and how they continue to cope with their loss.
“We support each other and we give calls to each other and just say, I’m thinking of you,” Susan said.
Janeane has been waiting for four years with no break in the disappearance of her son. Susan has been waiting for nine years. The Bindics have been waiting since 2004, but this week, 2-On-Your-Side reported that Jamestown Police claim they may soon solve the case, based on results from evidence they sent to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia. In September 2004, Yolanda’s purse, car keys, and other personal items washed up from a storm drain in Jamestown. Police say they have sent additional evidence to the FBI, without specifying exactly what it is, and are waiting for results.
6/3/2007 – 10 years – that’s how long it has been since Renee Shutters has seen her sister, Lori Ceci Bova.
“She was my best friend and if only I could go back in time, maybe I could have changed the way things worked out,” Mrs. Shutters said. “I didn’t realize that dinner at the Red Lobster on June 7, 1997, with my husband along with Lori and her husband Tyrone, would be the last time I would be able to talk and laugh with her.”
Lori was last seen June 8, 1997, leaving her home at about 2 a.m. after a family dispute. At that time she was 26-years-old, was 5-foot-4 and weighed about 106 pounds, with green eyes and long brown hair. It was June 8 when Lori’s sister received a phone call that instantly made her sick.
“It was 5 a.m. and the phone rang. It was my younger sister, Jeni, calling and asking if Lori was there.” Mrs. Shutters recalled. “When I told her no, she said that Tyrone had called her and said that Lori was missing. That was when my family’s world went into a tail spin and nothing has been the same since.”
Mrs. Shutters said she can still remember Lori’s husband, Tyrone, driving her throughout Lakewood and Ashville looking for Lori.
“I remember him taking me on Waltonian Road, and then stopping at Ashville BOCES in front of a garbage dumpster,” Mrs. Shutters said. “He asked me to look in the dumpster, because when we find her, it may not be good. I remember the sick feeling I had in my stomach and how scared I was to be in the car alone with him after he said that. I hadn’t yet come to accept that Lori could have gotten in harms way. Although if I had allowed myself to listen to my intuition and the sick feelings I experienced when I first received the phone call, I should have known.”
Co-Worker and Friend Laments Loss
Not one day has gone by during the last 10 years without a thought and prayer offered to Lori Bova by her friend and co-worker Amy Cleveland, who has also become spokeswoman for Lori’s family.
“I can’t believe it has been 10 years since my wonderful friend has been gone,” Mrs. Cleveland said. “I sit and think of all the years that have gone by, never to imagine that we would still be searching for answers.”
Jim and Sue Ceci, Lori’s parents agree with Mrs. Cleveland.
“It all seems surreal that it has been 10 years. When I think about being apart, I couldn’t stand 10 minutes, let alone 10 years,” Mrs. Ceci said. “We still have hope and faith, until we find out something different . we are trying to remain positive.”
Admittedly, Mrs. Cleveland still keeps a poster of Lori in her car, so everyone can still see her.
“I think about all the years that have passed, and everything Lori has missed, and what we have missed with her,” Mrs. Cleveland said. “I feel so blessed for the years Lori was in my life; Lori will be in my heart forever.”
A Community’s Support
Since that first terrible day, the local community has held prayer services, established a trust fund to aid in the search and combed the area hunting for any evidence of Lori’s whereabouts. June 7, 1997, is a dated etched into the community’s collective memory.
“I think of all the events that have taken place in an effort to find Lori. All the leads that we followed, all the ups and downs we experienced as a result of our searching for answers to our many questions.” Mrs. Shutters said. “Even with all of those events, the most prominent memory I have is, the outpouring of love we felt from the community, co-workers and strangers.”
Mrs. Shutters remembers the search that was coordinated at the Chautauqua Mall where more than 100 people showed up to volunteer to search.
“There were people we knew and many others we did not know that were willing to give up a sunny afternoon in an effort to find Lori. As the oldest child, I remember being in charge of something I had no idea about. Thank God, my uncles and our family friend Sunny came to my rescue,” She said. “We searched around the mall where Lori worked at Kay Jewelers, and we had a bigger group dispatched to a wooded area on Waltonian Road. The volunteers that showed up that day, and many other days, do not know the impact they had on our lives. By showing up to search, our family did not feel so alone. We had hope that we might find clues to lead to Lori and that hope kept us going.”
When the family, community supporters and local police ran out of places to search, Mrs. Shutters and her husband hired Carol Pate a world renowned psychic from Arkansas. Mrs. Pate has been working with police since she was 12 years old and has worked on over 200 murders and missing person cases.
“I found her by contacting ‘Unsolved Mysteries.'” She has appeared on shows such as, “Unsolved Mysteries,” “The Other Side,” “The Leeza Show” and many others. Also she has filmed two International documentaries in Japan, Mrs. Shutters said. “She spent the weekend getting familiarized with the area and working with friends and family in gathering pictures and articles of clothing and jewelry for her to work with. She worked with a sketch artist to put together a picture of the place she believes Lori to be.”
After an exhausting weekend, the family had spent a considerable amount of money. In the end, Mrs. Pate provided a local sketch artist with a description of a park-like area with mountains in the background. The family spent months pursuing different areas that matched the area described by the psychic; with no results.
“Extra,” a television program, came to Jamestown to do a missing persons story. No solid leads resulted from it.
“Then there was the hair found in Chautauqua Lake. I must admit, I thought that was it,” Mrs. Shutters said. “The hair matched in color and in length. After many long days of the volunteers diving and then waiting for the DNA results, our family was exhausted. There were many other false alarms that were responded to and each time you went on an emotional roller coaster of thinking this could really be it.”
In January 2000, family members were invited to appear on the “Montel Williams Show”with special guest Sylvia Brown, an opportunity that excited the family.
“You can’t get a personal reading with Sylvia without being on a year-long waiting list, not to mention the cost,” Mrs. Shutters said.”Sylvia told us that we have to go back to the husband, he was definitely involved but he was not alone.”
The interview with Sylvia sent the family to Hartford, Conn., on an extensive search, and told them to find someone named Glenn. Nothing was found, and the family still wonders about the connection to Glenn.
Later, family friends coordinated a 5K walk to raise money to help with finding Lori.
“The 5K turned out really good. It was nice to see all the people out there that cared enough to participate. With the proceeds, we hired a private investigator,” Mrs. Shutters said. “Unfortunately, a private investigator is very expensive and it did not take long to use all the 5K proceeds and much more. When we ran out of money, the private investigator agreed to keep all the records that he put together and we could hire him at a later date if we wanted.”
Last June 7, Mrs. Shutters received a surprise visit from a woman who was originally from the Ashville area.
“She provided Paul Gustafson and me with a lead. Paul investigated the lead and was not able to find any links to Lori,” Mrs. Shutters said.”I was overwhelmed with the kindness she had shown me by taking the time to find me and provide me with this information. She was a prime example of the kindness our family has been shown.”
Discovery of Yolanda Bindics
Recently, things have been quiet for the family and loved ones of Lori Bova.
After appearing on a local radio show, to discuss all the local missing person cases, something amazing happened. A lifeless body was found in Cassadaga.
“We all know now it was Yolanda Bindics. That is the first time in a long time that I had to experience the hope that Lori could have truly been found. There was about 20 minutes between the time I learned that the body had been found and the time it was confirmed by our investigator Paul Gustafson that it was not likely Lori,” Mrs. Shutters said. “I must say that I thanked God that the body found was Yolanda and not some other poor unknown person that may never get matched up with a name. If it was not Lori, it was certainly the next best thing to see Yolanda’s family get closure.”
Renee Shutters can’t say whether or not her family will ever get answers to their questions, but she continues to pray for the best possible outcome.
“I must say that this case has all the makings of a Hollywood movie, but unfortunately it is real,” Mrs. Shutters said. “I have come to peace with the situation by finally realizing that this burden is too large for me to carry. I have put it on God’s shoulders.”
By doing this, she said she has been able to cope with the loss of her sister and focus on the blessing she was given by simply having her in her life to begin with.
“I was given 26 years with the best sister I could ask for,” she said. “I now have two little ones of my own, Trenton, who is 3, and Brooke, who is 1. They have provided a new source of joy for our family along with my sister Jeni’s daughter, Amber and my brother Chris’s daughter, Katelyn.”
Remembrance Prayer Service Slated For Thursday
The family of Lori Ceci Bova wishes to thank everybody that has included Lori in their prayers.
“All the businesses and all the employers of our family members who have provided support in many ways throughout the years. The friends, family and coworkers that have been there for us; we thank everyone,” Renee Shutters said. “As a way to honor Lori, and to keep her in everyone’s prayers, we would like to ask the community to join us at Bethel Lutheran Church on Thursday at 7 p.m. for a Remembrance Prayer service. All faiths are welcome. God willing, we will get closure”
Investigation continues into ’97 disappearance
Updated: 06/09/07 7:16 AM
LAKEWOOD- More than 10 years after the disappearance of Lori Ceci Bova, Lakewood-Busti police haven’t closed their investigation.
The Lakewood woman’s husband, Tyrone, told police his wife, 26, never returned after leaving their New York Avenue apartment early June 8, 1997, to smoke a cigarette following a dispute.
Family and friends reported last seeing her the previous day in the Red
Lobster restaurant on Fairmount Avenue.
Lakewood-Busti Police Investigator Paul Gustafson said the department is doing all it can to solve the case.
“We actively have worked on the case for 10 years, and recently we have initiated some reinterviews and proactively interviewed individuals of interest,” he said.
Gustafson said Tyrone Bova has been uncooperative since he was last interviewed in late June 1997; nevertheless, he predicted a break in the case. Anyone with information should call Lakewood-Busti Police at 763-9563.
“I feel confident that at some point there will be someone with information that will lead us to the whereabouts of Lori Bova,”he said.
Family and friends, meanwhile, honored her Thursday night with a remembrance prayer service in Bethel Lutheran Church.
http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/502741.html?nav=5018
Cases Gone Cold
Lack Of Leads Frustrates Investigators
June 1, 2008
Sheriff Joe Gerace said cases typically go cold when a longer than usual amount of time passes between the time of the crime and resolution of the investigation.
‘‘If the cases aren’t solved within a reasonable amount of time, and as the leads start to dry up, we start classifying those cases as cold. It’s very, very frustrating,’’ he said.
He said cases go cold for a number of reasons, usually because of a lack of witnesses to the crime, uncooperative witnesses or a lack of physical evidence. One of the prime cold case scenarios is the disappearance of a lone victim, when no one witnessed the disappearance and the body is either never found or not found until some time later.
This was the case in three of the area’s most well-known cold cases, the disappearances of Kathy Ann Wilson, Lori Ceci Bova and Yolanda Bindics. The bodies of Mrs. Wilson and Ms. Bindics were both found more than a year after their disappearances, and Mrs. Bova has yet to be found.
LACK OF EVIDENCE, LACK OF DIRECTION
Lori Ceci Bova left her Lakewood home around 2 a.m. on June 8, 1997, and no trace of her has been found since.
John Bentley, Lakewood-Busti police chief, said the lack of any definitive evidence of foul play has made the investigation much more difficult.
‘‘The case file is a big as two full-sized bales of hay, but we have no Lori Bova. We have no person to put with our missing person,’’ Bentley said. ‘‘It makes it much more difficult. Of course the hardest thing is on the family of a missing person, but for an investigator it’s much more difficult not knowing status of your victim.’’
Bentley said the ambiguous nature of the Bova disappearance means authorities are unable to put pressure on persons of interest by threatening them with a specific charge. He also said it makes the case difficult for investigators simply because it is more difficult to investigate a nebulous situation than a specific crime.
‘‘I think we’ve interviewed everybody who’s ever known her. We interviewed her dentist. We’ve had a lot of people who were very forthcoming, and probably some who haven’t told us everything,’’ Bentley said.
Even when a body is found, the elements often degrade any physical evidence that was once available.
‘‘One of the biggest challenges is the loss of evidence you would gather from the crime scene. Weather, the elements and environmental conditions can destroy a lot of physical evidence,’’ Gerace said. ‘‘Cold cases are always a challenge. In any homicide investigation a majority of information comes from the victim.’’
Without that physical evidence, it can be very difficult for police to identify suspects or even establish the basic facts around a victim’s death.
RESOURCES
As cases drag on, they can strain police resources. Searches are time, manpower and equipment intensive, and police always have new cases coming in.
Sixteen months passed between Mrs. Wilson’s disappearance on May 18, 1988, and the discovery of her remains in a wooded area off Lindell Road in Warren County on the weekend of September 23, 1989.
More than two years elapsed between the time Ms. Bindics was last seen leaving work at the Fluvanna Avenue Family Dollar on August 10, 2004, and the discovery of her body near a hiking trail in the woods near Charlotte.
In the intervening time, police searched the Fluvanna Avenue corridor, the woods around Jones and Gifford Avenue, the county landfill in Ellery and the Chautauqua Gorge without turning up evidence of what happened to Ms. Bindics.
Police say every agency experiences the same problems of lack of manpower and investigative resources.
‘‘It’s always an issue, and every police department would tell you they’re in same boat. We’re always short of manpower, and we have to take hot cases when things are moving forward and attempt to resolve them,’’ Bentley said.
Gerace wants to establish a cold case squad to combat some of these time and money shortfalls. It would involve the sheriff’s department rehiring retired cops on a part-time basis to take a fresh look at cold cases.
‘‘The idea is to have fresh sets of eyes and minds go through the case files, re-examine evidence and begin from scratch on some of these cases. There have been significant successes across country with these types of teams, and I will not give up my efforts to establish such a team,’’ Gerace said.
So far though, he has been unable to secure funding for the initiative.
PUBLIC OPINION
In small communities, disappearances are noticed, more people know each other and news media have more time to focus on specific cases. These factors can help law enforcement in some cases, but can also put a great deal of pressure on police.
‘‘It’s the nature of the beast. It’s difficult to control that kind of thing. But it’s easy to be an armchair quarterback,’’ Bentley said.
He hopes people at least try to put themselves in the place of police, who struggle when investigating cold cases with a maddening lack of leads.
Gerace said pop culture forces can also make life harder for police when certain types of cases come to trial. Not only have forensics shows like CSI taught criminals how to cover their tracks, he said, they have also instilled an unreasonable standard of evidence in the minds of some jurors.
‘‘It raises jurors’ expectations. We may go to a crime scene and recover literally hundreds pieces of evidence, but we don’t have the time or money to test all that for DNA,’’ Gerace said. ‘‘And a juror will say, ’Why didn’t the cops do what I saw on TV?’’’
NO RESOLUTION
For families and police alike, there has been no satisfactory resolution to any of the three disappearances. No one has yet been charged in the Bova or Bindics cases, and although two were charged in connection with Wilson’s death, no one was ever convicted of her murder.
Investigators continue to work on the cases, but say a successful resolution becomes less likely with each day that passes once a case has gone cold.
‘‘Unfortunately there’s more unsolved cases than people like to think. We’re smaller community, more close-knit, and people pay quite a bit of attention to cases like this,’’ Gerace said. ‘‘We want to solve every case, for one to give closure to the families, but also because there are perpetrators roaming the streets who should and must be apprehended.’’
‘‘There’s an urgency for us to really get investigating aggressively right away, because time is on the side of the defense,’’ Gerace said.
New Information in Woman’s Disappearance 11 Years Ago
Story Published: Sep 22, 2008 at 5:39 PM EDT
Story Updated: Sep 22, 2008 at 5:44 PM EDT
By Laura Gray
11 years ago, Sargent Investigator Paul Gustafson promised to find Lori Bova. He took the original missing person’s complaint in 1997, and has never stopped looking for new information. Over the past 6 months, Sargent Gustafson has re-interviewed more than 30 people. Now that hard work is bringing in new leads. “Some individuals have told us little bits of information that perhaps they didn’t 11 years ago. Just a little piece of information that leads to more information.” He refuses to disclose what information they may have discovered.
The 26 year old woman was last publicly seen at a restaurant June 7th, 1997. Her husband claims he was the last person to see her. Tyrone Bova told police that Lori left their home around 2am after an argument. “From the beginning we’ve had very minimal cooperation from her husband tyrone Bova and efforts to help us locate his wife .”
Tyrone Bova now lives in North Carolina and is again refusing to help police. Bova and others are considered persons of interest in a case that has turned up little evidence. When remains were discovered in Chautauqua County in 2006, Lori’s family was hopeful. DNA instead identified them as belonging to another missing woman, Yolanda Bindics. But many cold cases have recently been solved in Western New York, giving Sargent Gustafson hope. “The technology change in the course of the investigation is something that we’re using to our advantage. It’s certainly playing a part in this case. And ultimately, that may be just what we need.”
January 1, 2010
History happens one day at a time – and nowhere is that better chronicled than a daily newspaper.
The decade that was saw some 3,600 editions of The Post-Journal make their way to the public. Some were joyous, like the edition devoted to the rainy May 2003 day when Chief Justice William Rehnquist descended upon Jamestown to help dedicate the Robert H. Jackson Center – a rare visit by a sitting U.S. Supreme Court chief justice seen by thousands of area residents and covered in breathtaking detail in our pages.
Other days weren’t so joyous.
The community came together to express its grief in the days after Sept. 11, 2001, whether it was in churches, at vigils at Tracy Plaza in downtown Jamestown or in the lobby of The Post-Journal, where area residents came to pick up any scraps of information or one of the multiple editions printed that fateful day.
We expressed shock at heinous crimes we thought would never make their way to our county, another reminder that the 2000s were a decade much different than any that had preceded it.
There was also much good news, such as the grand announcement that Cummins Inc. was expanding operations at its Jamestown Engine Plant or that Johnny’s Lunch was going to bring affordable lunches to families throughout the nation.
In the following pages are, in no particular order, some of the most memorable stories to find their way onto a few of the 3,600 editions to roll off our presses throughout the decade.
SEPT. 11, 2001
Shortly after the news that two airplanes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, area residents flocked to churches and public vigils, and messages were left on the wall that surrounds Tracy Plaza on Third Street in Jamestown.
On United Airlines Flight 175, the second plane to crash into the World Trade Center, was Amy King of Celoron, a flight attendant working out of Boston’s Logan Airport.
”She was very positive, very outgoing,” said Kellie King, Amy King’s sister. ”She loved to have a good time, loved to laugh. At first (in the time following her death) those things are very hard to do. But, I’m able to do that more.”
In the years since the attacks, the King family has established Amy’s Run, held near Thanksgiving every year to raise money for the Amy King Kids Fund, which helps send youth to day camp and pays for a Southwestern Central School scholarship in Ms. King’s name.
“It’s a big honor,” said Ms. King’s sister, Kellie. “It’s just important to us that her memory stays alive and we can help out the community by helping out kids.”
MURDER OF ROBERT OLDS
On Dec. 8, 2000, the first year of the new decade came to a shocking close when Robert Olds, 42, of Sugar Grove was found dead on a remote stretch of road in Kiantone. Steven Bush Jr., 21, of Frewsburg and Nicholas Osman, 19, of Kennedy were charged with second-degree murder in the case. Olds stopped to help Bush and Osman when he saw an overturned taxi-van on the corner of South Main Street Ext. and Donelson Road when he was beaten to death with a tree limb.
A jury ruled Osman was guilty after seven days of testimony, and he was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the crime. Bush’s trial ended Dec. 8, 2000, with his conviction of murder and robbery. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
”Who would do this to a man who was just trying to help,” said Michael Steppe, Olds’ brother-in-law, in a statement prior to Osman’s sentencing. ”How will (his wife) explain to their daughter the evil cruelty that took her father’s life? This was heinous and cruel, cold-blooded and without reason.”
CUMMINS COMES THROUGH
On Oct. 10, 2002, Cummins Inc. officials put the minds of hundreds of Jamestown Engine Plant employees at rest by saying the company was consolidating the heavy duty engine assembly and test operations from its Columbus, Ind., plant to the Jamestown Engine Plant, adding 250 jobs at the Jamestown plant immediately. The move came at a time when Cummins was posting poorer than expected financial numbers and had undergone several layoffs.
”I think it’s good,” said Lynn McIntyre, an assembly line worker. ”I was worried about getting laid off in January Now I don’t have to worry about that. They said this morning they’re going to call most of the people back or all of them if they don’t already have jobs. That’s great too.”
Employees at the plant had been convinced the plant might be closed altogether until the company’s announcement, which was attended by Gov. George Pataki.
”Everybody’s just thrilled,” said Jeff Bielata. ”Everybody was worried for a long time, but everybody’s happy to see this come inside and outside of here. Job security was the big question for a long time here.”
THE GERRY MURDERS
At 10:30 p.m. May 23, 2001, Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene of a double homicide that claimed the lives of Johnny T. Houston, 22, of Charlotte, N.C., and Richard M. Alicea Jr., 19, of 104 Isabella Ave., Jamestown, at the intersection of Harris Hill and 28 Creek roads, Gerry. Early during the investigation, Sheriff Joe Gerace said Houston and Alicea had apparently been targeted. It took two years for a fuller picture to emerge when three secret indictments were handed up by a Chautauqua County Grand Jury charging Gregory Pattison, 32, of Jamestown, Daniel Diaz, 35, of Mexico and Aaron Pike, 26, of Jamestown with first-degree murder in the case. According to the indictments, Pattison was contracted by Diaz and Pike to kill Alicea, a father of two children who took care of a third child, and Houston, a friend of Alicea’s who was visiting his brother in Jamestown.
During the trial, it was discovered Alicea and Houston were killed over $80,000 in drugs and $80,000 in cash. Despite being an admitted drug dealer, Jodi Dickinson, Alicea’s mother, said her son had gone to the police to come clean before his death.
Pattison’s conviction has been overturned by the Fourth Appellate Division in Rochester on a technicality, but he is still in federal prison on marijuana trafficking convictions. Pike was also sentenced to life in prison while Diaz pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
”It is impossible to tell you how this has impacted my life and the lives of Richie’s immediate family,” said Jodi Dickerson, Alicea’s mother.
”He seen death happen and he knew he was going to die a horrible death,” she said. ”Imagine the terror he felt.”
FIRST STREET FIRE
More than 100 firefighters from eight area fire departments battled a fire that destroyed the El Greco Furniture building on First Street, Jamestown, on Jan. 29, 2004. Firefighters from Lakewood, Celoron, Busti, Falconer, Gerry, Mayville and Fluvanna were on the scene while firefighters from Kennedy, Falconer, Fredonia and Stockton were on standby.
”Obviously, it’s devastating -a substantial loss. What we are seeing tonight, though, is the true meaning of community. We’ve had a tremendous response from firefighters. It’s overwhelming to me to see this kind of mutual aid response. This is a textbook example of why we have mutual aid. My heart goes out to the building owner and the business owners and my admiration goes out to firefighters. This fire is going to take a couple of days of monitoring.”
By March, 30, 2006, however, El Greco was back in business after moving to 608 Allen St.
”With the help of a supportive community, we buckled down and did what we had to do to be shipping again within weeks of the fire, and then we had all kinds of rebuilding and planning to do; there just wasn’t any time to think about re-opening the store,” said Alexis (Theofilactidis) Singleton, El Greco Baby and Kids co-owner.
MISSING PERSONS CASES
Several missing persons cases remain unsolved over the past decade, including two area residents who went missing after Jan. 1, 2000.
Yolanda Bindics was last seen at about 8:20 p.m. August 10, 2004, outside the Family Dollar store on Washington Street. Her car was then found outside Arby’s on Washington Street on Aug. 11, and despite numerous searches throughout the area, it was more than two years between her disappearance and the discovery of Ms. Bindics’ body near a hiking trail in the woods near Charlotte. In the intervening time, police searched the Fluvanna Avenue corridor, the woods around Jones and Gifford Avenue, the county landfill in Ellery and the Chautauqua Gorge without turning up evidence of what happened to Ms. Bindics.
While Yolanda’s family has closure, they are still waiting for charges to be brought against her killer.
”It sounds to me, based on everything they’ve said and done and found, that they should have plenty to make an arrest. … It gets so frustrating,” said Anne Chmielewski, Yolanda’s sister, in a 2007 edition of The Post-Journal. ”They’re supposed to know. Then what’s the problem? Where does the issue lie?”
Investigators are also looking for any evidence of Corrie Anderson, a Busti woman who has been missing since Oct. 28, 2008, when she left the Lake County Dodge dealership on Washington Street.
”Every minute of every day, finding her is the one thing I think about,” said Scott Baker, Ms. Anderson’s brother. ”Our family has been up early and searched on our own in Chautauqua and Warren counties every single day since she disappeared. Someone has to know or have seen something and we are praying that no matter how small the piece of information might be, they call the state police because it might be the one thing that helps us find her.”
And, while Corrie Anderson’s family searches for answers, the family of Lori Bova also waits for answers 12 years after the Lakewood woman’s disappearance. While the trail may have gone cold, Paul Gustafson of the Lakewood-Busti Police Department continues reviewing the file and searching for new evidence to bring the case to a close.
‘‘We keep going and hoping, praying that our prayers will be answered someday,” said Jim Ceci, Lori’s father, in a 2003 story. ”We love and miss her very much. It’s very difficult. Holidays, and every day, go by nd we think about it all the time. We hope that answers will come in our lifetime.”
CHIEF JUSTICE REHNQUIST VISITS
It was May 17, 2003, when the Robert H. Jackson Center was officially dedicated as a center to advance Jackson’s legacy through education, exhibits and presentations – with one of Jackson’s former law clerks and the then-Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court as the guest of honor.
Chief Justice Rehnquist affirmed Jackson’s role as the chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg War Crimes trials to be the crown jewel of Jackson’s career during a nearly 20-minute speech from a stage at the back of the Jackson Center that generated three standing ovations.
”Surely, Jamestown can be proud of the career of their native son, both on the national and international scene,” Rehnquist said.
While it’s hard to beat bringing the sitting Chief Justice to Jamestown, the Jackson Center has filled its mission over the year, bringing such luminaries as Nicholas deb Katzenbach, the Cheryl Brown Thompson and Linda Brown, the sisters from the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that ended school segregation; scores of Nuremberg interrogators, guards, prosecutors and other officials; Fred Korematsu, whose lawsuit in Korematsu v. United States attacked Japanese internment; branching out to the Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C., with yearly visits and programs in the nation’s capitol; and roundtable discussions with law clerks involved in the drafting of notable Supreme Court decisions, including Brown v. Board of Education.
But, with all the center has accomplished, it is its dedication ceremony that shows just how important a player it is in the world of legal education.
”I think Rehnquist’s coming legitimizes the vision of the board of directors when the contemplated founding a center to preserve the legacy of Justice Jackson,” said Gregory Peterson, Jackson Center board president, in a 2003 story. ”Clearly, having the chief justice make a rare appearance in Jamestown is a tribute to our native son, Robert Jackson. I think the stature of (Rehnquist’s) office will elevate the recognition the center receives. It enhances our credibility.”
WAR ON TERROR:
CHARLES COOPER and J.C. MATTESON
On Nov. 12, 2004, the War on Terror claimed its first local victim in the form os U.S. Army Sgt. J.C. Matteson of Celoron, killed in action when his Humvee took a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade that struck the Humvee’s turret, where Hatteson was posted as truck commander for his squad.
”He died a hero … fighting,” his mother, Joyce Reynolds, said during Matteson’s funeral. ”America and the world have a choice to lie down and surrender to terror or stand and choose to fight. Our family chose to stand and fight … we will not waver, we will not falter. We will see this through.”’
”He was always faithful, right to the end,” said James Matteson, Matteson’s father. ”He was worried about his men in Iraq -his duty to his men … that’s my boy.”
Then, on April 29, 2005, Pfc. Charles Cooper of Jamestown was killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his patrol unit. Cooper had received a Purple Heart from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on April 12, 2005, for wounds received in another bomb attack.
”He made it and he did good,” Charles Cooper Sr. said. ”We all backed him up.”
”Charlie was a son, and a good one,” said Joe Yelich, Jamestown High School principal, during Cooper’s eulogy. ”He was a brother, and a good one. He was fa friend, and a good one. He was a student and a good one. He set his sights on graduation and he made it – I know this because I handed him his diploma last June.”
JAMESTOWN SAVINGS BANK ICE ARENA OPENS
While the process to clear the land and plan for the arena’s construction began in the late 1990s, the facility was dedicated on a bright and blustery October day in 2002.
”I want you to use your imaginations because we were asked to use our imagination a few years ago about an ice arena project and a Chadakoin building project,” said Mayor Sam Teresi during the arena’s dedication ceremony. ”Use your imaginations again, because the people that pulled together to make this happen are pulling together again to make everything happen around us. It’s going to be a community effort again.”
In the late 1990s, the city purchased the land and moved the 11 businesses that inhabited the site. Once the land was cleared and construction bids determined, construction began in May 2001, bringing a variety of cranes, flatbed trucks with steel beams and concrete trucks to the site every day. Bit by bit, the arena took shape until, in October, it was ready for the public.
In the years since, the arena has played host to premium World Wrestling Entertainment events, concerts by such notables as Kenny Rogers, Aaron Tippin and Michael W. Smith, the North Atlantic Figure Skating Championships, regional hockey tournaments and become home to the Jamestown Jets, a Northern Junior Hockey League team.
”I would just like to take the opportunity to thank the board for its courage and commitment and caring for the community that led the foundation to spearhead this,” said Dr. Lillian Vitanza Ney, then president of the Gebbie Foundation, which led several area foundations to finance the project. ”The actual fact is this wouldn’t have been possible without all the other foundations. In truth, this is a renaissance for our city. It does mark a rebirth.”
THE HUNT FOR RALPH PHILLIPS
Throughout the summer of 2006, Chautauqua County residents couldn’t turn their heads without a possible Ralph Phillips sighting.
The madness started when Phillips escaped from the Erie County Corrections Facility in Alden, cutting through the roof with a can opener on April 2. From April to June, he was suspected in several hunting cabin break-ins in Erie, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. A stolen pick-up truck in Allegany County ends up in Ohio, where another vehicle is stolen, and police suspect Phillips is involved. He is also allegedly spotted in and around Sinclairville, Stockton, Randolph, Great Valley and Bradford, Pa.
On June 10, State Trooper Sean Brown was shot in the stomach after pulling over a Ford Mustang outside Elmira. The vehicle is found June 11 and a Chevrolet pick-up truck is reported stolen nearby. The hunt for Phillips then turned its focus back toward Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, as state troopers descended upon the area with checkpoints throughout the Cassadaga and Sinclairville areas. On Aug. 24: Kasey Crowe of 4710 Bachellor Hill Road, Patrina Wright, Crowe and Phillips’ daughter, and Richard Catanese were all charged with helping Phillips.
On Aug. 27, the State Police and county Sheriff’s Department investigated a burglary at Tom’s Sports in Ellington which they say may have been committed by Phillips. Deputies are also investigating the theft of a Dodge Intrepid a few miles away from the gun shop. Neither report is linked together, though deputies say the incidents fit Phillips’ behavior pattern.
The search increased in its intensity when two state troopers were shot in the Bear Lake area near Cassadaga with Phillips believed to be the prime suspect. State police begin searching all vehicles entering I-90 and crossing the border into Pennsylvania. On Sept. 8, with hundreds of troopers from throughout the state now searching for Phillips, the fugitive was caught. At 1:55 a.m., a car is reported stolen and pursued by two Warren County Sheriff’s Deputies. The car crashes in the woods and the man driving escapes. Throughout the day, Frewsburg schools are in lockdown. At 2:30 a.m., another car is stolen, and the man jumps from the vehicle and escapes into the woods. At 7:30 a.m., a perimeter is set up from Frewsburg to Akeley, Pa. and, at 9:10 a.m., a state trooper and dog tracked Phillips down and fired several shots.
The trail was quiet until 6:16 p.m., when police radio reported a man crouched by a fence row. At 6:23 p.m., radio communication began the second phase of the search until, finally, at 7:56 p.m., the man stepped out from the tree line. By 8 p.m., it was confirmed police had caught Phillips.
On Nov. 29, Phillips begins appearing in court, where he pleads guilty to killing one state trooper and wounding another in the Cassadaga shootings. He receives life in prison. The plea is also expected to keep his family members, arrested for allegedly helping Phillips during his run, stay out of jail. On Dec. 12, Phillips withdrew his guilty plea because he had heard a special cell was being built for him and that he would be locked up 23 hours a day. Despite his efforts to withdraw his plea, Phillips was sentenced Dec. 19. He was also sentenced Dec. 19 in Elmira for the shooting of Trooper Sean Brown.
”As I told you tonight, we do get our people,” said Wayne Bennett, then New York State Police superintendent. ”You can’t be shooting at the people who protect society – that cannot be tolerated. This miserable creature will spend the rest of his life in the New York state penal system.”
MURDERS ROCK REGION
The area has also been rocked by its share of killings over the last 10 years, including the recent in the death of 3-year-old Auston Morales of Jamestown in October. The toddler’s death has been ruled a homicide, though no charges have been filed.
In another unsolved case, Quincy Turner, 33, of Jamestown was murdered May 30, 2008, on Girts Road near the Chautauqua County Airport. While there have been no charges, police looked for three suspects immediately after the shooting, allegedly driving a tan or champagne-colored Chevrolet Malibu, perhaps between model years 2002 or 2004, that was seen leaving the scene of the shooting.
”Regardless of their station in life, no one deserves to be murdered. We want to provide answers,” said David Foley, county district attorney, in a June 8, 2008, story.
Two youths were charged with the murder of Dusty Elderkin on Dec. 15, 2007, after deputies were called to a Bloomer Road residence in Stockton for a report of a possible murder. Lyman Whitmore, 16, the older of the two youths charged in the case, was sentenced to nine years to life in prison by County Court Judge John Ward while a 14-year-old accomplice who helped police corroborate evidence and cooperate with the investigation was sentenced five years in a secure detention facility in Chautauqua County Family Court, the maximum sentence allowed by law.
LANDMARK EXPANSION
In January 2007, Johnny’s Lunch officials announced the Jamestown-based business was going west, one hot dog at a time.
Within the year, Johnny’s planned to open three new stores in Toledo, Ohio, and Detroit, Mich., with restaurants planned down the East Coast to Florida and eventually even reaching to California. First opened by John Colera in 1936 in the Hotel Humphrey in Jamestown’s Brooklyn Square, Johnny’s plans 1,100 new restaurants by 2022.
”We are trying to make the right decisions and not grow too fast or too slow,” said Tony Calamunci in an Oct. 14, 2008, story. ”We want to hit our stride – and we think we’re close to it – and get Johnny’s open across the country so people can enjoy our product.”
Missing Lori Bova 