Constant Reminders

There is always something that reminds you of something that is important that other people may not think twice about. It could be anything. For some people, there are things that remind them of something sad that most people will never be able to understand and probably don't want to.
Since my obcession with trying to find Carrie began nearly four years ago, there have been several things that always remind me of the obvious and the desperate need to find her. While these things may seem to small and unimportant, they mean so much to me and my family and I think it's worth sharing them with those dedicated readers of this blog so that maybe they care understand just how personal this search has become for us.

Just today I was in a store picking up a few odds and ends for a baby shower I'm having tomorrow for a friend of mine. As I walked by the gift bags, I looked down and saw a bag that had daisy flowers all over the bag. My mind went straight to Carrie. Every time I see a daisy flower, I think of Carrie. The daisy was Carrie's favorite flower. In fact, every time I'm driving down the road when it's Springtime, and I see the daisies growing in the median, I think of Carrie. In the beautiful sight of the flowers, then comes the flood of ugly dark thoughts of could Carrie's remains be dumped alongside one of those roadways I'm passing.
I can be visiting mom and flipping the home shopping network channel while gem week is on advertising a choice of three birth stone rings, and mom and I will always say, "the Garnet", because that is that beautiful deep red stone that just happens to be Carrie's birthstone.

On a clear starry night, dad will tell me if you try really hard, you can see Carrie's star tonight. There is always one more thing that makes us remember Carrie, especially as we come up 10 years with her still being missing. I know that when these pleasant thoughts enter my mind, that I should not allow bad things to come in and overshadow them, but sometimes it is hard not to think the bad things. I have to tell myself that this is how Carrie would probably want us to remember her in happy ways and to not the bad things that happened. I have to tell myself each time I see a daisy flower, a garnet, or the beautiful sun, that this is a little sign that says "hey don't forget about me". I won't ever forget and I know that when God will reveal Carrie's location so we all can have peace when he is ready. I was thinking of Carrie today as all other days, but more so than others.
I'm still looking for her.

Carrie's Mom Urges Congress to Pass Missing Person Database

It's been nearly ten years since her daughter Carrie disappeared without a trace. Although it's been proven by a court of law and her mom knows that Carrie will never return alive, Debra Culberson still would like to find her Carrie's body and bring it home for a proper burial. She struggles with the every day uncertainty of possibly never finding the humanly body she used to hold and love knows as Carrie. While she continues to wait and suffer in her own personal hell, Debra Culberson is determined to help others from going through what she's dealt with the last decade.
This past week she was in Washington DC testifying about a subject she feels is very important. That is the fact that there is no mandated DNA database that could match all human remains that are found. There are over 50,000 unidentified people right now who we are confident that there is a family just like the Culberson's who are waiting and wondering - where is my loved one. Although they may not know for sure if their loved one is even dead, if the mandate was in order in all 50 states, there'd be no doubts or persons sitting in undiginified boxes on shelves in dark rooms, but rather being sent home to be with their families who have been searching for them. At this time, there are less than ten states in the United States that have a law that states that all human remains found must go into a matching database. This simply has to happen in all states. We have wonderful people like the Doenetwork who volunteer their time and efforts to help law enforcement because it is known that the police often do not have time to spend on these cases to solve all of them, but imagine what we could accomplish with both Doe and the mandate?

Something that most people will never be able to understand is waking up every single day waiting and wondering where is my child/friend/sister/etc? I know that there is the one person who holds the key but they refuse to tell me anything. I will have to accept that somehow in my heart and continue searching for them, but maybe just maybe could they be already be found and lieing in a morge but cannot be identified due to certain pieces of the puzzle being missing?

I urge each person who wants to make a difference to determine who your congressman or congress woman is and begin a campaign within your state to mandate this database to help these missing people. This could be your loved one or even maybe yourself someday that needs identification. Think of those who'd be hurting and working so hard to find you and would have it so much easier if this were in place. Please read the article below regarding Debra Culberson's efforts in Washington DC.

Related Article from Channel 13 News
By Tom Walker - Eyewitness News

Local police and law enforcement agencies in other cities could benefit from a new national database. It would help find missing people and identify the remains of those already recovered.
Debra Culberson has a mission that stems from ten years of painful and sometimes horrifying frustration. The pain began with the murder of her daughter Carrie in 1996 and the fact that Carrie's body has still not been found. A website dedicated to her case still pleads for information.
The horror came with rumors her body had been dismembered before being dumped in the Ohio River and the wondering if it's true.
"The not knowing of where your child is, not knowing the fate they had suffered. You can only imagine," said Culberson.
The uncertainty is similar to that surrounding cases in Indiana like the disappearance of six-year-old Shannon Sherrill, missing since 1986 from Thorntown and IUPUI student Molly Dattilo, last seen two years ago.
"That's not all that unusual in this country, where people are literally missing and maybe in another state and they're not necessarily identified and so the family members never find out what happened," said Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH).
Debra Culberson told members of Congress states should be required to run DNA tests on all remains found so they could be put in a national database. She says another state might already have her daughter.
"If they picked up those remains and put them in a box and put them on a shelf because there is no mandatory testing, then Carrie could already be found and sitting in a box on a shelf," Culberson said.
She says such a database could not only find her daughter but many others. "You'd think it would be something that should automatically be done. It shouldn't have to be mandated."
As it stands now, there are only six states where DNA tests of remains are required. Indiana is not one of them. That could change if Congress decides to make it mandatory everywhere.Carrie Culbertson disappeared near Cincinnati. Her mother says there are as many as 50,000 unidentified remains nationwide.
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=5062051&nav=9Tai

Suspected Helper in Sueann Ray Murder Case Asks For Less Restrictions!

Sueann Ray was missing for nearly six months when her body was found on property within spitting distance to relative's property of her estranged husband, Quinton Ray. The day her body was found buried in a shallow grave on Cherokee Gold Trail, her husband was arrested. Shortly thereafter, Sueann's father-in-law (Harrold Ray)was arrested for assisting his son, Quinton Ray in disposing of Sueann's body the night she vanished (August 26, 2005).
Harrold Ray has maintained his innocence since his arrest. He was granted bond, and made to take two drug tests per week as well as wear a GPS ankle bracelet to monitor his movements. He has not been happy with the judges orders because he claims he is innocent, and should be able to come and go as he pleases.

Ray has a past history of alcoholism and drug abuse. It is believed the testing two times a week more than likely has prompted his new requested hearing on June 28th. At this hearing, he is requesting for some of his restrictions to be removed. He feels as if they are straining his personal life. His personal life......... Let's discuss personal life.

It seems somewhere that the world has forgotten about Sueann Ray. She was murdered and buried in a shallow grave. She was found and finally laid to rest properly. It does not end there. The people "believed" to have helped put her there need to be punished. No jury has found either guilty thus far, however they have been charged. To me, you should DEAL with the restrictions put on you until the day in court arrives. Personally he should not be out on the streets at all, but he is. Being drug tested and wearing an ankle bracelet is only a drop in the bucket as to the uncomfortable reminder Sueann Ray's family must recall each day that they have to get up and go to work and carry on with life. At what point do we forget the life that ended and the restrictions of the family and the ultimate price that was paid that fateful night? While I will wait for the jury's decision in this case so ensure that justice is given where it's due, I feel like some of these requests are not only pathetic but an overall first hand look into the individuals mind who is "suspected" of assisting in this crime. Feeling justified, or that it never happened and life should just be able to go on without any restrictions or payment for actions taken that are against the laws of our land. One person comes to mind when I think of people who like to deny their actions. He was convicted of the crime and he now rests on San Quintin's death row. Seems that a sociopath mind is not enough to fool every jury in the US.

What Would Life Be Like Today If 8-28-96 Never Happened?

Every day that gets closer to August 28th, the more frustrated I become. I can only imagine how her family must feel. How can it continue to drag on and on with Carrie never being brought home?

I know that many families are out there who are thinking, "why us"? "What did we ever do to deserve this"? I wish I knew the answers to that. My mind often begins to wander towards that fateful late August night when Carrie vanished without a trace. What would've happened if she had just stayed home that night? Would she have never vanished, or would it have been delayed? I realize that there are some people who tell others that Carrie just up and left and that this whole thing was planned. Everyone knows that did not happen at all and that Carrie died that night and has been place in a undiginified location which is not only disgusting, it's pure out evil. We know that Carrie is not suffering or hurting anymore, but it's very important to find her remains. I really do not care what these people think or try to tell the public. It's all a matter of reality and fantasy.

I know that her family wonders what she'd be like today. What would her life be like had it been allowed to continue? This is so difficult.

It is hard to think of what has happened and the waiting and work that is still needed to bring Carrie home. There is work that needs to be done for all these missing people.

I know that we cannot turn back the clock and stop August 28, 1996. I know that everything happens for a reason, like it or not. It's been very hard to focus the last few days. If I could have one wish come true, I'd bring Carrie home. This cannot be solved until God sees fit. He is larger than evil and he acts when he's ready. I shall work on my patience and trusting in the bible verse that many of us rely on.

"There is nothing hidden, that shall not be revealed" - Matthew 10.26

When Patience Begins to Wear Thin

We are taught that God has patience and understanding. We are told that we should do the same. If there is one thing that I need improvement on, it's having patience and understanding about some things.
Every single day I wake up and wonder will this be the day that the one piece of information to bring Carrie home will happen. Usually somewhere in between my commute to work or coming home, I think of what it must be like to have a child missing and not know where where they are, or to know they are dead, but cannot bring them home to be buried. Why should I be concerned, because Carrie and the others are not related to me, and technically none of my business. I guess it was meant for me to carry this personal burden because many times I've decided that I am taking a break or maybe this will never be solved and I should just forget about it.

Usually about two hours into putting it all behind me, I end up thinking of the situation more and thinking that it would be betraying Carrie and those who are unable to speak right now, if I turned away. I've had friends ask me what will I do with myself when Carrie is found. I answer them by saying, it's not what I will do, but what will her family do when they are finally able to begin to heal in some fashion. Why did Carrie Culberson become the one person who changed me from who I was to who I am now? Lots of people have speculated about this, but Carrie never knew me and I never knew her, but from only what I've been told by her mother, past friends, and oodles of news articles and court documents. What would she think of me being obcessed trying to find her? Would she think my whole family is nuts because we've traveled allover the United States, telling her story?

As many of you know, our age is just a few months apart. When I was 21 years old (a little behind Carrie) in 1996, I too had met a guy who I felt sorry for and began dating him. The relationship spiraled out of control into violence on several occasions. I was young and I did not really take the situation serious as I should have. Now that I'm 31 years old, I can honestly say that I got away from this guy because the violence had boiled over the night before my favorite holiday (Halloween) and I was hit in the side of my head where I'd end up losing hearing in my right ear to some extent. That's something I've never fully recovered from but I am alive. The point where I learned danger was around me was when I went to the hospital that night with the bloody ear and horrible headahe. This was the last time for me, but not for many other young women. I could've been just like them.
When I read about Carrie's story, I felt a lot of myself and my own personal battles in her story. I seen that my own life could have ended under those same circumstances and it became my mission to do whatever I could to help her.
My mom and I have gone everywhere we can, we've trained ourselves to react to emergencies, help others who are just witnessing their loved one being missing, and most of all, I've learned the personal hell each family has to endure. I am running out of buttons, ribbons, bumber stickers, and other things to make to occupy my idle mind until that call comes in that she's been found.

I'm physically tired of all this. I don't want anything for myself, except maybe a nice vacation alone by the ocean to relax, but with that vacation, I'd like to know that Carrie was finally home, and her mom and sister could sleep tonight without wondering where she is. Carrie would want those of us who geninuely care about her (and I know she knows my intentions from above - somehow) to do all they can to bring her home and not give up. I just wish there was a way to not be sad about the unknown future ahead.

Nobody knows what it's like to wait and wait and wait. Nobody knows what it's like to wonder which day could the right day. The days that pass with nothing are the ones that make it even more difficult to smile and be positive. I'm ready for Carrie to be found. I know that my patience boiling over is no better than those who took her away if I let it get there. I just wish it were easier. I'm gonna say a small prayer here on this blog. There really isnt any difference in my thinking silently then posting it here. Maybe if some others see it and pray along, maybe he will see fit to reveal all of this and some hearts can be a little lighter? It's worth a shot.

Dear Heavenly Father, I know you have a lot of people coming to you asking for important things. If you could see fit somehow, please help us find Carrie. I know that if you do not reveal it to us, we may never find out where she is. You told us to wait for your timing and I'm trying so very hard. It is so hard contining to wait with no answers no location. I have put my full trust in you and know you can help us. Please help me or her family find her. If it's not to be soon, then please give me strength and understanding until it can be revealed. Today has just been a heavy day and I cannot leave this task behind. I will continue to trust in you always - Amen

For all of you who have been following Carrie's case, please remember her and the fact that she'll be missing for 10 long years. We simply cannot give up on this until she's found.

The bikini strangler is a repeat sex offender

Jerry "Buck" Inman was captured in Tennessee near his mommy's house shortly after a warrant was issued for his arrest just days ago. Inman had gone back to where he should've been all along when police took him down. Shortly after his arrest, reports started coming out that he has spent time in prison for kidnapping and rape. Inman is also a registered sex offender in at least two states.

Inman was employed in Tennessee as a construction worker when he abandoned his job and subsequently was fired. It appears that he just got into his car and wandered around like a lost dog until he found a woman somewhere that he decided to assault. He is now said to have attacked three women within a five day time span, killing at least one of them - Tiffany Souers.

I have a huge problem with this story. This man is a clear threat to society. Yes he was registered in a few states, but what stopped him from traveling to another area under the radar, putting others in danger? People, this is why we need electronic monitoring of these people. Obviously after the time he spent in jail, he was NOT cured of his perverted tendencies.

After some questioning, Jerry Inman told authorities that he did indeed kill Tiffany Souers and that he he'd seen her and decided to wait for her to go to bed before he made his move. He says he's a "sick animal". This is yet another example of a preventable crime.

I wonder how many more innocent people will lose their lives because our government is afraid to violate these criminal's rights? This is a complete outrage! Let's think of what will happen to this jerk now.

He will sit in jail for about two years before a trial date can be set, fed great food, able to watch TV all day. He might possibly be given the death penalty and from there it'll take another 20 years to put him down. He'll be living and breathing, and wasting air and resources. It's disgusting, but this is NOT the only one left. There are thousands of them out there roaming the streets right now. Tiffany Souers will not be the last innocent person who dies because these people are not in lock up. It is time for us to start to take these things more serious and make sure that these people stay out of society.

S.L.E.D closing in on Bikini Strangler

(Please note that we've posted the criminal's photos before the victim in this blog entry because this man is currently on the run and authorities are asking for the public's help in capturing him).
Memorial Day weekend, college co-ed Tiffany Souers was found strangled to death in her apartment near the college campus of Clemson, South Carolina. She apparently had been strangled with her own bikini top. A few short days later, S.L.E.D. (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) released a series grainy photos of someone attempting to use an atm with their face and head covered (pictured left). The photos as they were released on FOX News were just plain spooky to look at. This attempt may have been what really set the wheels in motion to solve Tiffany's case. Once the bank machine recognized the incorrect code being typed into the system, it took the ATM card and then the police were notified. Shortly after that, Tiffany's drivers license was found alongside a roadway in Anderson, SC.

Late June 6th, S.L.E.D. held a press conference to announce that they have matched DNA from a past sex offender from the State of Tennessee by the name of Jerry Buck Inman. A warrant for the following has just been issued: murder, criminal sexual conduct in the first degree and kidnapping involving the death of Tiffany Marie Souers.

I will honestly say that I've been watching this case from behind the side lines because of the fact I have never had very good experiences with the State of South Carolina. After doing some research of S.L.E.D, I've come to realize that maybe their State Police is one of the best agencies in the South East.

At this time, Jerry Buck Inman is still on the loose. An APB (All Points Bulletin)has been sent to ALL law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to be on the lookout for Inman. I feel like it's only a matter of hours before this man is captured. Seems as if justice is on the horizon for Tiffany Souers.

It appears now that S.L.E.D., along with TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are now working very close to help capture this man. Hopefully by the time this blog is posted, he will be in custody. More updates to be posted shortly.


Related Article

Warrants issued in Clemson student murder

Warrants have been issued in the murder of a Clemson University engineering student.
Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Robert Ariail said at a news conference this evening that warrants have been issued for a Jerry "Buck" Inman of Tennessee for murder, criminal sexual conduct in the first degree and kidnapping involving the death of Tiffany Marie Souers.
Souers' body was found May 26 in her Central apartment. She had been strangled by her bikini top.
Inman, described as a construction worker, became a suspect after DNA samples from the crime scene were submitted to a national database and returned his name from two states, S.C. State Law Enforcement Division chief Robert Stewart said at the news conference.
Inman is registered as a sex offender named James Inman in Blount County, Tenn. The so-called "cold hit" matches -- DNA matches that bring an entirely new suspect to light -- were confirmed this afternoon, Ariail said.
Inman might be driving a green Chevrolet Camaro or an Econoline van, Ariail said. He also could be driving a Chevy Blazer. He is heavily tattooed and considered extremely dangerous.
Law enforcement agencies nationwide have been put on alert about Inman, whom South Carolina investigators do not believe has remained in the Central area, Stewart said.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14755364.htm

If you have ANY information on the whereabouts of Jerry "Buck" Inman, you are asked to call 1-800-442-2746 and press 2

Who Murdered Brandon Glenn???

Brandon Glenn was a young man who had a difficult life. His family were very poor and unable to hold down a job. Brandon found himself having to quit school at 17 to help his father make ends meet. It was a time when Brandon should've been participating in school events, and mingling with friends, but he chose to give that up to help his family.
A kind hearted young man who wanted to help others. Someone wanted to take away on June 4, 2002.
Brandon's body was found in an alley near his home. He had been shot to death by an unknown assailant. Who would want to end his life and why?
It was later learned that Brandon had been seeing an emotionally unstable girl that was known by only her first name "Tammeron". Brandon had cut all ties to Tammeron shortly before his death.
After Brandon's murder, this girl was never seen nor heard from again. It is believed she has some information regarding the death of Brandon Glenn. Unfortunately there is no photograph of Tammeron to post on this blog for others to look at.

Brandon's story broke my heart when I saw it a few years back. I felt as if there had to be someone I could do to help him. It was like this young man had no voice and that was totally unfair.

Brandon's life was simple but it was important. He was not given the same things most young people were able to have. Someone needs to pay for what happened to him that fateful night. If you get a chance, please take a look at his website we created for him a while back. Leave him a message or some flowers at his memorial at Find-A-Grave. Let's remember Brandon Glenn on this anniversary of his death. May justice be found soon.

Additonal Links:

Justice For Brandon