Post by Linda on Jul 18, 2005 12:38:48 GMT -5
This little boy is still missing from my area:
New tips on Ricky follow TV show
3 leads come in after segment on missing boy
By Susan Vela
Lansing State Journal
Looking: Planners look over maps July 5 in Williamston during the search for missing 7-year-old Ricky Holland of Williamston. He was last seen July 1. The ground search for Ricky has been called off, but officials are tracking down fresh leads, including several that followed a national TV broadcast.
Boy still missing
• Ricky Holland is about 3-foot-5 and weighs 55 pounds. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen July 1 wearing a gray shirt and red pajama-style pants.
• Anyone with information should call (517) 676-8211.
The search for 7-year-old Ricky Holland has gone national.
Millions of television viewers saw the missing Williamston boy on a Saturday "America's Most Wanted" telecast, garnering three tips - including one from southern Illinois - for Ingham County law enforcers.
"It improves our chances ... of somebody seeing him," Ingham County Sheriff's Sgt. Todd Jenkins said.
While investigators were pursuing tips from the Flint and Lansing areas, the one from Wood River, Ill., was a dead end.
Jenkins said the aiding Wood River, Ill., police agency talked to the person who reported seeing a boy matching Ricky's description about 1:45 p.m. Saturday at a local Auto Zone store.
The little boy seemed to be an adult male's willing companion, and the store didn't have an in-house camera to record their interaction, Wood River police reported.
"There's really nothing else we can go on," Jenkins said. "It's pretty much a dead end."
Ingham County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Joy said investigators were pursuing the other two tips prompted by "America's Most Wanted."
According to Joy, someone reported seeing a boy fitting Ricky's description recently riding in a pickup near a Flint area mall. And investigators still are trying to talk to a Lansing area tipster who left a message for investigators.
By Sunday evening, a child's shoes reported found at a Clinton County rest area over the weekend also were ruled out as a lead.
However, law enforcers hope Ricky's appearance on national television will generate more tips in the days ahead.
Ricky, who's been missing for about three weeks, has attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and bipolar disorder.
"I don't know how a 7-year-old could get by without some adult intervention," Jenkins said. "He was on a lot of medications."
Ricky disappeared after he was tucked into bed July 1.
Authorities suspect he ran away and then could have been abducted.
The searches, false sightings and dead-end tips have been emotional for Ricky's family.
"It's very frustrating for the parents," said Ricky's cousin, Rod Weston, who has been speaking for the family. But, "a thousand false leads are worth one that leads somewhere."
Weston, who works as an editorial assistant at the Lansing State Journal, was not taken aback by the out-of-state tip. He thought Ricky vanished from the area soon after the search began.
"It just seems like he would have turned up by now," Weston said.
Williamston resident Laura Maynard prayed for Ricky's safety during a Sunday service at Williamston United Methodist Church.
"Hopefully, there will be someone who recognizes him," she said of Ricky's story going national.
"Without having his medicine, he is not thinking as clearly as when he started."
New tips on Ricky follow TV show
3 leads come in after segment on missing boy
By Susan Vela
Lansing State Journal
Looking: Planners look over maps July 5 in Williamston during the search for missing 7-year-old Ricky Holland of Williamston. He was last seen July 1. The ground search for Ricky has been called off, but officials are tracking down fresh leads, including several that followed a national TV broadcast.
Boy still missing
• Ricky Holland is about 3-foot-5 and weighs 55 pounds. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen July 1 wearing a gray shirt and red pajama-style pants.
• Anyone with information should call (517) 676-8211.
The search for 7-year-old Ricky Holland has gone national.
Millions of television viewers saw the missing Williamston boy on a Saturday "America's Most Wanted" telecast, garnering three tips - including one from southern Illinois - for Ingham County law enforcers.
"It improves our chances ... of somebody seeing him," Ingham County Sheriff's Sgt. Todd Jenkins said.
While investigators were pursuing tips from the Flint and Lansing areas, the one from Wood River, Ill., was a dead end.
Jenkins said the aiding Wood River, Ill., police agency talked to the person who reported seeing a boy matching Ricky's description about 1:45 p.m. Saturday at a local Auto Zone store.
The little boy seemed to be an adult male's willing companion, and the store didn't have an in-house camera to record their interaction, Wood River police reported.
"There's really nothing else we can go on," Jenkins said. "It's pretty much a dead end."
Ingham County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Joy said investigators were pursuing the other two tips prompted by "America's Most Wanted."
According to Joy, someone reported seeing a boy fitting Ricky's description recently riding in a pickup near a Flint area mall. And investigators still are trying to talk to a Lansing area tipster who left a message for investigators.
By Sunday evening, a child's shoes reported found at a Clinton County rest area over the weekend also were ruled out as a lead.
However, law enforcers hope Ricky's appearance on national television will generate more tips in the days ahead.
Ricky, who's been missing for about three weeks, has attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and bipolar disorder.
"I don't know how a 7-year-old could get by without some adult intervention," Jenkins said. "He was on a lot of medications."
Ricky disappeared after he was tucked into bed July 1.
Authorities suspect he ran away and then could have been abducted.
The searches, false sightings and dead-end tips have been emotional for Ricky's family.
"It's very frustrating for the parents," said Ricky's cousin, Rod Weston, who has been speaking for the family. But, "a thousand false leads are worth one that leads somewhere."
Weston, who works as an editorial assistant at the Lansing State Journal, was not taken aback by the out-of-state tip. He thought Ricky vanished from the area soon after the search began.
"It just seems like he would have turned up by now," Weston said.
Williamston resident Laura Maynard prayed for Ricky's safety during a Sunday service at Williamston United Methodist Church.
"Hopefully, there will be someone who recognizes him," she said of Ricky's story going national.
"Without having his medicine, he is not thinking as clearly as when he started."
