Have You Seen Me?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Missing Adults Get Too Much Exposure! (Janine Todt)

Yup, you read the title right! There is entirely too much exposure for missing adults!

I will give you an example of this annoying over exposure.
Just today, I was trying to find out more information on Janine M. Todt, a woman who has been missing from Richmond Township Pa, since August 10th, 2008. The article hogged up so much space, I almost missed a story about seven tomato plants and ten corn stalks being damaged. The audacity!
I'll highlight the garden story, so you can locate it easily.

Aug. 3: a trespassing incident at the Kutztown Produce Association is being investigated. Several males were found on the property after hours.
Aug. 5: a 27-year old male was arrested for Driving Under the Influence after a crash on Fleetwood Ave. and E. Arch St. The driver was flown to the hospital for his injuries.

Aug. 8: Criminal Mischief was reported several times on a vehicle parked in the 00 block of Brookfield Dr.
Aug. 10: Police are investigating a reported missing person from the 200 block of Moselem Church Rd. The 24-year old female was last seen around midnight on Saturday, Aug. 10. Her name is Janine M. Todt, a white female. Todt is described as standing 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighing about 150 pounds. She is believed to have a medical condition and to be on some medication which is making her confused.
Anyone with information is asked to call Fleetwood Police Dept. at 610-944-7011.
Pennsylvania State Police
Crops damaged
State Police at Hamburg are investigating damage done to a Greenwich Township woman's garden.
Christa Pettit, 38, told police someone destroyed some crops at her Eagle St. garden between Aug. 5 and 6.
Pettit said seven tomato plants and ten corn stalks were damaged.
Anyone with information is asked to call State Police at 610-562-6885.
Toilet stolen
Someone stole a portable toilet that was parked at a Greenwich Twp. church sometime around Aug. 4.

Of course I realize that this is only the rundown of a police report on Berks Mont News , and there is a lot of news to cover.

I proceeded to National Center for Missing Adults. Would you believe that the picture of Janine Todt was so prominent that I hardly noticed a profile for Ricarda Tillman-Locket?
Ricarda is Janine's neighbor to the left. Janine's right side neighbor was also nearly invisible. Luckily, the hat Charles Lee Toliver was wearing caught my attention.

Determined to prove my point of over exposure on missing persons, I googled Janine Todt's name.There were a handful of sites such as Scared Monkeys and Project Jason that covered the disappearance of Janine.
(sarcasm aside, THANK YOU to the people who did cover Janine's story!)
Fleetwood police and fire personnel said Monday that they are scaling back the search for a 42-year-old Richmond Township woman who has been missing since late Saturday.
Janine M. Todt, 42, was last seen by her husband Saturday about 11:30 p.m. in their home in the 200 block of Moselem Church Road. Police and crews with dogs and horses searched the area around the house for two consecutive days but found no trace of her.
Fleetwood police, who patrol Richmond Township, said they plan no further ground searches unless they receive new information.
They said they are following up leads regarding her disappearance.
Police have said Janine Todt suffers from a sleeping disorder for which she takes medication. She often would walk near her residence late at night and may have become disoriented.
Todt is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 135 to 145 pounds and has short dark hair.
Anyone with information should call Fleetwood police at 610-944-7100.
Updated photo of missing Richmond Township woman released
If the links of news reports and missing persons sites listed above haven't convinced you that Missing Persons are getting too much media exposure, I'm clicking on over to Philadelphia Police Department
Skimming the front page...no..nope...crime maps...curfew violations..nooo..blah blahblah...operation town watch...nope, I don't see missing persons on the front page. Oh wait! Ohhh, I see. That's amber alert and Megans Law...
nevermind ... missing persons aren't listed on the front page. I bet it's because Janine Todt will have an entire page dedicated to her once I click on that there search button!
It's a wonder the police are able to keep up with all the tips that must be coming in on Janine's case! This one 24 year old missing woman basically uses up the entire internet!
I wonder why the search was called off after 2 days, considering Janine Todt suffers from a sleeping disorder for which she takes medication. Especially since it is thought that she may have become disoriented.



9 comments:

Delilah said...

Another "throwaway" adult has gone missing...oh my! When will the day come when all missing persons are created equal?

We need to wake up Lincoln to give that speech again.

Thanks for your effort to get this young girl some coverage....let's get busy for her!

mammabear said...

What amazes me is that I only live about 2 hours away from Janine, yet it was a month until I heard about her missing. Of course, I'm sure that if I had cable/satellite/whatever they call it now, I definitely would have caught that 1 minute news clip!

Anonymous said...

I was shocked to read the COLDNESS in some people in this "comment". Maybe someday when it's someone YOU love, (God forbid) you'll be gratefull for any coverage. I knew Janine. We grew up together and despite personal views & feelings, this is sad.
Here's the latest,,, read below and pray this never happens in YOUR circle of family or friends.
_______________
Dental records may help identify body found in Richmond Township
*************************

Dental records will be examined in an effort to identify a badly decomposed body found in a wooded area in Richmond Township, officials said Tuesday.

A forensics expert will examine the body today in Reading Hospital, according to Berks County Deputy Coroner Allyson Heilbock.

An autopsy performed Tuesday to identify the body was inconclusive, she said.

Investigators have not determined whether the body is male or female.

Hunters found the skeletal remains Monday in a wooded area about 300 yards off Moselem Church Road, (SHE LIVED IN THE 200 BLOCK-SAME ROAD) authorities said.

Fleetwood police also are investigating.

mammabear said...

ANON,

I just read about Janine possibly being found, and saw your comment.

1)Yes, my post was a 'hard read'
it was not directed against Janine Todt. It WAS directed at the fact that many times adults are not given enough media exposure to help.
(In other words, I was being sarcastic)
Did you read my questioning of the search being called off after only 2 days..when she had a sleeping disorder and could have become disoriented?

I spend a LOT of time sifting through a LOT of missing children and persons profiles. Not just one isolated case, because that person lives near me.

2) I DO have TWO missing loved ones! BOTH of my SONS!
(Thank you very much! It's HOW I wound up with the depressing hobby of sifting through sad case after sad case of our missing children and persons!)
SO, I DO know a bit of what I am talking.
Perhaps if you had taken the time to sift through more of my blog BEFORE you jumped to conclusions, I would not be leaving you a testy remark at this point!

Bitchiness aside,
I am sorry that they might have just found your friend, and for what it's worth,
Prayers for the family who has been searching.

Anonymous said...

Mammabear,
Please don't mistake my comment as testy or bitchiness either. I didn't understand your "sarcasm", I'm sorry. I am also sorry for your missing sons. I will keep your family in my prayers. I am sorry you have to search the web-blogs-reports for them. As a mother of 2 teen boys myself, I couldn't imagine being in your position or any parent of a missing "child/children".
I did read your blog but was misled by the sarcasm. It is disturbing that the search was called off after 2 days,, especially when you know the person and the family and are hoping for the best. I said from the beginning upon hearing about Janine's disappearance, something's not right! People rarely/hardly ever just walk away,, with no money, no family contact, NOTHING! Another disturbing fact is the search dogs, horse police and helicopters did NOT discover this body (apparently deceased for a long time based on the badly decomposed state) only 300-500 feet from her home/street! This concerns me. They also did not mention the fact that her and her husband had an argument at the time she "disappeared" and left her home.
This is not a time for attacks. This is a time to come together and help wherever & whenever needed.
Again, I will keep you & your family & friends in my prayers in finding your sons. And thank you for your prayers as well.
Signed - A friend

mammabear said...

Anon,

Bless your heart! I didn't mean you were being testy or bitchy...
I kind of meant me!

I sometimes forget that some people don't get my sense of sarcasm...and I apologize for what you must have first read about your friend. I probably would have done the same thing you did ;)

I was kind of wondering whether or not there was arguing between Janine and her husband, and if there WAS, it really IS confusing as to why they would call off the search.

IF the family needs someone to talk with, or somewhere to turn to talk, check out Peace4 the Missing
None of us are
'certified counselors.'
It's just a group of people who have similar situations of missing loved ones.
(and most of the girls there are MUCH better at saying the right thing, than I am :)

~Prayers~
Take care!
mammabear

Anonymous said...

Thanks Mammabear.

She was in a disfunctional marriage. Somethings not right and her parents have been begging the police to re-open the search.

The search dogs ended her scent at an intersection close by. Makes you wonder,,, who picked her up at that intersection where her scent ended?? Since they were "arguing" did he go after her? Did he dump her body AFTER the search? Or was is someone else. Things that make you think,, why aren't the police thinking this too? He should be a suspect.

I will pass the website onto her parents. As they are in much more pain than any of us who just "knew" her. Thanks again.

God Bless,
A Friend

Delilah said...

Anon,

We will do our best to support and encourage the family of Janine. This is another travesty of justice that we hear about way too often.

We do have some contacts at Peace4 the Missing that are willing to speak to law enforcement, if that is what the family wants. They will be asked some hard questions and things are made public that can sometimes embarrass some family members, but it is all in the process of trying to get information out and the police really working on a case.

I hope you and Janine's family get some answers, you so deserve it. No family should have to "work" their own cases, but unfortunatly that's the way it is.

Anonymous said...

Thanks again Mammabear,,

Here's the latest. Unfortunetly,,, the body found on Monday, 300 ft from her street/home, was Janine.

Please read below and keep the family in your prayers.

Her family (Mom, Dad and Sister) was at my parents house last week & was so distraught & just wanted to know what happened to her. So sad it had to end this way.

***********************
11/13/2008

Body found in Richmond Township identified as that of missing woman

***********************
A body found in a wooded area off Moselem Church Road in Richmond Township was identified Wednesday as that of a 43-year-old township woman who had been reported missing three months ago, officials in the Berks County coroner's office said.

The skeletal remains of Janine Todt were found by hunters Monday on the property of Moselem Springs Golf Club, authorities said.

After an autopsy failed to identify the remains, the coroner's office called in a forsenics expert to make the identification using dental records, Coroner Dennis J. Hess said.

The cause and manner of Todt's death have not yet been determined, Hess said. He said his office has ordered further tests as part of the investigation.

Fleetwood police also are continuing to investigate.

Todt, who had lived nearby in the 200 block of Moselem Church Road, had been reported missing in August.

At the time, police said she suffered from a sleeping disorder and walked in the area near her home at night.

Thank you again,,, for your support, prayers and understanding.

A Friend