The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 16

Alb The Beacon Journal Friday, February 9, 1990 pmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmimmmimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMiimwi 'urns iwmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm xtmmm I I 1. 1 Missing girl's body found in Ashland County Continued from page Al away. feut farmer Wilbur Salyer was slqw getting to the door. So she ran across the blacktop road to Mrs. Kidd's house.

'My heart just sank," Mrs. Kidd said haltingly six hours later, She remembered dialing the Ashland County Sheriff's Department and handing the phone to her friend. 3Mrs. described the grisly scene to a sheriff's deputy. it's a dummy no it's a child," Mrs.

Seabold said at one point. discovery brought a community's hopes to an end. White ribbons symbolizing the hope that Amy would be found alive and well decorated many trees, mailboxes and homes in the affluent, west-side Cleveland suburb, about 45 miles from where her body was found. Police and Bay Village residents as well as Amy's parents, Mark and, Margaret Mihaljevic, kept up their hopes for months during an investigation that failed to turn up any solid evidence. But that ended when the Cuyahoga County coroner's office identified the body Thursday by using dental records.

Amy's abduction, believed to have taken place from a shopping center across the street from the village police station, mobilized dozens of volunteers and a massive search. The discovery of the body prompted wildfires of rumors throughout Bay Village. Throughout the day, radio news reports said a body had been found, but had not been identified. Mrs. Mihaljevic stopped by the Amy Center a room in City Hall devoted to volunteers trying to find the girl shortly after noon to chat and pick up some fliers calling for her daughter's return.

Minutes after she left, police called volunteers to let them know that a body had been found. Volunteers then called Mrs. Mihaljevic. "She didn't believe it," said volunteer Susan Adams. "She said, 'It isn't my Early in the afternoon, television reporters advanced on Bay Middle School, wandering the halls and seeking reaction from pupils, who had not heard the news.

Shortly after that, school officials went room to room, telling pupils that a body had been found but not identified. Parents arriving outside the school to pick up their children, leaned into friends' car windows to talk about the news. They spoke quietly, giving sidelong glances and forced smiles to strangers. where Amy Mihaljevic's body was found; law enforcement officials searched the area Beacon Journal photoTad Wals along county highway 1181 TP -s. 4 1 mi's; toXw if -Ji 4r 4 5 Iff Beacon Journal photoEd Suba Jr.

Day Village Police Chief William E. Gareau answers questions from media about Amy kJ M.J Patricia Kidd shaken by discovery some nightmares, and the beginning of others. "At least they (Amy's parents) can get on with their life," said Mrs. Sabo. "At least they won't have to endure waking up every morning and not knowing.

There is no worse living hell than that for a mother." Mrs. Sabo, and fellow volunteer Kathy Novotny said they ing the question over in his head. "I'm determined. We're not going to give up." Forty investigators from the FBI, Bay Village Police, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and Ashland County Sheriff's Department would continue to work to find the killer. After a 10-minute news conference, Bay Village Police Chief William E.

Gareau patiently and somberly spoke with reporters. "Am I optimistic that the killer will be found?" he asked, turn combed a half-mile radius of where the body was found. They found part of a broken earring. Sandstrom reported from Ashland County and Adams from Bay Village. are runaways eath shows us our vulnerability is we can't watch our children every second Large stake marks location At the Amy Center, volunteers gathered, nervously expectant, not sure exactly what they wanted to hear.

"We have mixed feelings," said Mrs. Adams, who has five children of her own. "We don't want it to be her, but if it is, at least we'll know that she wasn't beaten and abused for months. At least the family would have a reality." As the afternoon wore on, reporters gathered outside the Mihaljevic home on Lindford Drive. Police officers and FBI agents came and went politely refusing comment.

Tattered white ribbons symbolizing hope for Amy fluttered from branches in trees in the front yard. Amy's parents and her 13-year-old brother, re mained inside the home. Confirmation that the body was indeed Amy's came to the Amy Center shortly before 4 p.m. Volunteers seemed to breathe a reluctant sigh of relief. Some cried, others swore.

Others just stared. Volunteer Jeanne Sabo, whose 10-year-old daughter used to be' Amy's best friend, said the death would probably be the end of Depiction of Amy Mihaljevic sua pect from a witness. creased his consumption of alcohol and drugs, which would further affect his behavior. The offender may have found a logical reason to leave on a previously unscheduled vacation, or visit relatives, change jobs or provide excuses to miss work on the days immediately after the abduction. Anyone recognizing an individual who has exhibited any of the above-described behavioral patterns is asked to call the FBI or Bay Village police at 871-1234.

The physical description of the man believed to be Amy's abductor: Age: Possibly between 30 and 35. Build: Medium, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall; dark hair, possible curly, with bald spot near the top of the head. Other details: A trace of beard growth; possibly wearing round glasses and a tan jacket. A series of abductions of six girls occurred in the Akron-Cleveland area from 1980 to 1982. Most were solved, including the kidnapping and slaying of 8-year-old Tiffany Papesh, although her body has never been found.

She was last seen June 13, 1980, standing in a checkout line at a grocery store near her Maple Heights home. Brandon Flagner, who confessed to the killing, was sentenced in 1985 to life in prison. Majority of missing children On an average day in America, 3,288 children run away Akron police said. Drawing public attention to the issue of missing children, such as through pictures on milk cartons, may be overkill, according to Akron police. The National Center for Missing Exploited Children says that of 23,958 children reported missing during the past five years, 871 were abducted by strangers.

Of those, 189 were located alive; 115 were found dead. More than 12,000 of the cases involved runaways. Of those, 10,789 were later located alive and 28 were found dead. The worst fear of parents is that their child will be abducted by a stranger. But it is usually a misplaced fear.

Out of about 2,500 reports of missing children filed with the Akron Police Department last year, fewer than 2 percent involved kidnapping by a Stranger. Police said they have 22 children on their missing-persons list. The vast majority of the children were runaways, according to Akron police. Most of the rest were "custodial kidnappings" in which the child had been abducted by a parent. Many runaways leave home repeatedly; one Akron youth ran away 42 times.

Akron officer has safety tips FBI creates profile of a typical child killer By William Canterbury Beacon Journal staff writer Beyond a physical description that a witness gave police of the man suspected of abducting Amy Mihaljevic, a psychological profile of someone who would abduct and kill a 10-year-old girl remains as elusive as the suspect himself. Nonetheless, the FBI has put together general information about the type of person who might commit such a crime, based on experience and research conducted by the FBI at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime at Quantico, Va. According to William D. Bra-non, special agent in charge of the FBI's Northern District in Cleveland, the traits of such an abductor and killer are: The abductor likely acted alone during the actual abduction. However, the person may have taken someone into his confidence to create an alibi or to obtain the assistance of a friend or associate to cover up his involvement in the crime.

The abductor may have alluded to his involvement during conversations with a friend, an associate or a relative. Any such person having such knowledge could be in a significant degree of peril or danger. People who commit crimes like this often remain in the area, and frequently will monitor the Investigation closely. The person responsible for the crime would likely become anxious, more rigid, reclusive and more uptight than usual after the crime. The person may have experienced trouble sleeping, may have lost weight or would have in- The reality Continaed from page Al for the monster who did this to her.

What kind of person slaughters an innocent child? The electric chair would be too merciful for such a fiend. Let him die in a ditch. But why do we feel this way? Kids die every day. Some starve. Some are sick.

Some are the victims of the drug wars. Tragedies every single one. We should be just as angry about their deaths. Yet we don't feel like we do now. We may weep for them, but most of us are removed from their pain.

For most Americans, Amy Mihaljevic's death seems so much closer to home. Her death is every parent's nightmare. Every parent's frustration. Her death reminds us of our own vulnerability. Amy Mihaljevic had everything we want for our own children.

She lived on a safe street in a safe community. She went to a safe shopping center. She was protected. She is dead. And we realize that as much as we may want to be, we cannot be a shield of armor for our children.

We have to let them grow up. We can only hold their hands so long. Yet how long is long enough? Was Amy Mihaljevic too young to go to the shopping center alone? Perhaps. But her parents had no reason to suspect that she went there. They thought she was attending choir practice after school.

We can't watch over our children every second of every day. When I was 6 years old, I often walked almost a mile to school. and I'm supposed to take you." Your family would not send a stranger. A "stranger" Is not necessarily someone you have never seen before. Says Noland: "I see people in my neighborhood every day but I really don't know them." Always report any contact with a stranger.

If a stranger tries to grab you, always resist. "Scream, yell, fight, ha says. Yell "kidnap" so others will know It's not a discipline problem. Here's the advice Akron police Detective Bob Noland gives to grade-school pupils to help protect them from strangers: When you're playing or walking to school, do it with a friend. Walk facing traffic.

That is good for traffic safety and lets you see a stranger coming. If a car stops, start running. It's highly unlikely a person will turn the car around or chase you. Never walk up to an unfamiliar car even if the stranger says, "Your mother's in the hospital for children her not to talk to Dammit. I think I will read Baby Corner The tiorenstain Boars: The 7rou- ble With Strangers again tonight.

Then I think I will turk her very tightly into bed. If that dog named Hover won't bark, Papa 's gonna buy you a hone and curt. If that horse and cart don't pull, You're still the vwi-ciwt girl in the world. Sometimes by myself. My daughter is almost 6.

I wouldn't think of letting her walk that far to school alone. Right now, I probably wouldn't let her walk two blocks alone. Am I being too protective? I don't know. I do know the panic I felt the day I lost sight of her, for just a few minutes, at an amusement park. I remember that it was 90 degrees that day.

I remember feeling as cold as ice. When she returned, I scolded her. Then I hugged her. I wanted her to feel secure, protected. I wanted to feel that way myself.

I'm sure Amy Mihaljevic felt secure, protected the day she journeyed to that shopping center alone. But now she'll never again ride the horses she loved so much. She'll never sing in a choir. And her parents will never again hug her, never sing her another lullaby, never again warn.