News
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WedNEsdAy, ApRil 10, 2002
PHOTO BY SALENA DE LA CRUZ / Clackamas Print
Above: This billboard is located off Highway 213 and was put up during the week of March 2$, and is one of two that was donated to help the authorities find Miranda
Gaddis and Ashley Pond who disappeared under similar circumstances. The community has worked together since the disappearance of these two girls and raised
more than $75,000 to continue search efforts and money to help the families with their bills.
Community helps families of missing girls
said Michelle Duffey, Miranda’s
mother.
Design Editor
Since the search has begun,
t’s been nearly three months nearly $75,000 has been raised to
since Ashley Pond disap help support the cause and $3,700
peared and over a month since of that has been put aside for the
Miranda Gaddis vanished under families as an emergency fund.
similar circumstances. Today they Both mothers have stopped work
are still missing, but with the me ing during the search for their
dia, families and communities ral daughters. Duffey has used some
lying for support and pleading for of the fund for her bills, while Lori
help, the authorities hope to bring Pond, Ashley’s mother, has kept
the girls home. They are looking her portion untouched in case her
at every lead hoping to find the daughter calls, and she needs to
one that shows the way to the hop on a plane to get her.
The community has banded to
missing girls.
This story and the similarity of gether but is terrified at the same
circumstances has received na time. Parents are trying to keep
tionwide media coverage, from the their children safe while helping to
nationally acclaimed TV show find the ones who were taken.
“America’s Most Wanted” to They are rallying to support a law
“Larry King Live;” “America’s called the Parent Notification Law.
Most Wanted” has aired five seg It would require school officials to
ments on the missing Oregon City notify parents or guardians at work
girls and plans to continue airing or home when their children are not
it. John Walsh, the show’s host, there. It is believed crucial mo
was in similar circumstances in ments could have been saved had
1980 when his six-year-old son was both mothers been notified their
abducted from a department store girls were absent.
and was later found murdered.
Ashley’s mother would like to
The authorities and the families plead with the person who took
hope the extensive media cover her daughter and Miranda. She
age will persuade whoever took the believes that the person respon
girls to bring them home.
sible is very sick and she would
Police have been sifting through like them to get help, but they need
over 2,500 tips with maybe “one to bring the two girls home.
“.. .As Ashley’s mother, I’d like
solid lead” over the past few
months, according to Beth Anne to say (to) this person that has the
Steele, spokesperson for the F.B.I. girls, for one, he needs to return
Search dogs have been leading them. For two, when he does,
their trainers through the complex, there is help out there for people
but again, no leads. Two bill like him.. .obviously someone who
boards worth nearly $250,000 were would do something like this is re
donated by a local company; one ally sick,” said Pond. “We,
is located on Highway 213 north Michelle and I, both want these
bound at Beavercreek Road, the girls back safe.”
other on Interstate 205 at the Park
Duffey’s concerns continue to
escalate since her daughter’s dis
Place exit.
“They have had a lot of tips, but appearance on March 5. She
they haven’t been panning out,” thinks of her daughter’s allergies
SALENA DE LA CRUZ
I
and whether or not she is getting are doing is wonderful. We give there,” said Duffey.
Everyday, work is being done,
them the ball and they go rolling
the appropriate medicine.
“I know Miranda is really sick with it. Just like today, it shows but the leads are coming fewer and
right now because she has aller such a wonderful community we further between. Someone out
there may hold the missing clue
gies really, really bad, and she’s have,” said Pond.
Though Duffey doesn’t blame that can help find these girls. If
usually at the doctor’s a lot. She’s
allergic to two medicines and if the apartment’s management for you know of someone who started
someone has them and is keeping her daughter’s disappearance, acting suspiciously or “out of
them, I don’t want them to give upon Miranda’s return she plans norm” since the disappearances or
her medicine she is allergic to. She to move completely out of the area. recently sold a vehicle, or if you
is allergic to Sulfa and Sefla,” said She doesn’t even stay in her own have other information, contact the
apartment because it’s too uncom F.B.I Tip Line at 1-800-822-0962.
Duffey.
Pond offers advice on how to fortable for her without Miranda. No tip is considered too small.
“Somewhere out there someone
keep children safe and how this She does still have two daughters
situation could have been with her, Mariah and Marissa, and saw something. Somebody knows
avoided. She said that “.. .maybe her son Jason, who is with rela something. No matter how minute
if we had an organization of some tives right now. She does think, you think it is, call somebody and
type to get together to organize a however, that no one would try let them check and see where it
neighborhood watch or block anything now because of the leads. The smallest clue might be
houses, then maybe we could amount of security and people on the thing that breaks this wide
open,” said Don Martin, Ashley’s
know who’s who...and then maybe high alert.
“I’ll probably move out of the grandfather.
we could all watch out,” said Pond.
To reach SalenaDe La Cruz e-mail
She had told her daughter to al area—it’s just too many bad
ways use the buddy system. How memories, and I think Miranda wonderwoman41477@yahoo.com
ever, on both those days the girls’ would have a hard time being or drop by B-104.
buddies weren’t around to walk
with them to their bus stops.
“It’s kind of interesting that
when both Miranda and Ashley
disappeared there were a lot of girls
that weren’t there at the bus stop,
that normally walked with the
girls,” said Pond. “Whoever took
these girls had to have known
that—had to have been watch
ing.”
On April 5, the Oregon City
Albertsons hosted an ice cream so
cial, selling root beer floats and
holding a raffle to raise more
money to help search for the miss
ing girls. By late afternoon, they
had already earned more than
$2,000. A rummage sale will be
held April 13 and 14 at the Oregon
City Armory to raise more funding
PHOTO BY SALENA DE LA CRUZ / Clackamas Print
for the search.
“Everyone is really pulling to Michelle Duffey, left, Miranda Gaddis,' mother receives a hug
gether
as
a during the ice cream social held at Albertsons in Oregon City on
community.. .everything that they April 5 to raise money to help find her daughter and Ashley Pond.