Louise Poe Has Been Found

Just today I opened my inbox and there was an email from Louise Poe's daughter Sheran that I've worked with for nearly six months now. She told me that her mom Louise Poe had been found. Another one of my cases had been closed. Another one solved and able to have some sort of understanding and closure.

Louise disappeared on Dec. 28, 2005 from her personal care home in Woodstock, GA. She was 79 years old and suffering from severe dementia. Louise Poe's case would take me back to Woodstock and working once again with the same police department who at the time was handling Sueann Ray's case. It seemed that there was an even more urgency to help find Louise Poe due the circumstances surrounding her condition. I knew time was not on our side. My group had been dispatched immediately with Sgt. Dan King with the Woodstock Police Dept. who was the lead investigator handling Sueann Ray's case, who at the time was still missing. Sgt. King has a special spot in his heart for those who are missing and has worked countless hours to locate them, although the last two did not have positive outcomes.

As days would turn into months, hope would begin to fade, but our thoughts and ideas never stopped. We had a family searching for answers and needed to find Louise. Her face and name will be one that I'll never forget.

Apparently Louise Poe had wandered away from her personal care home on several occasions and was not the easiest person to care for. The last time she climbed out the window of her room and vanished forever. Later a nursing home employee was arrested for failure to check on the alarm that sounded once Louise opened the window and escaped. She was charged with a misdemeanor and fired from her job. It is unclear if Louise's family will sue the nursing home for negligence.

Search dogs and searchers on foot canvased the area, but to no avail, were unable to locate her. Once Louise was discovered on Monday, July 18, 2006 by land suveyors, it was almost unbelievable how she could have been missed but it happened. It proves that dogs and other search tactics are not always fool proof. Sometimes they fail.

Her daughter tells me that GBI identified Louise by dental records and once the body is released that her remains will be given a burial in her home town of Anniston Alabama. This will be a difficult time for her family. Our group had offered to do a six month vigil just weeks ago for Louise but her family declined saying it was just too difficult at this time and little did we know that less than two weeks later, her body would be discovered in some woods nearby.

Tonight I know that Louise is not out there in the elements waiting for us to find her. I know that she's resting peacefully and knows that her family can rest better knowing her fate, although this is painful. Now some sort of healing can begin for them. I will always remember Louise Poe. As each of these cases slowly start to come to a close, in the back of my mind, I wonder, when will it be Carrie's turn to be found? Friday afternoon I board a flight to Indiana to join th Midwestern Missing Person Coalition. As with all the trips and events that I attend, each of them are to to help educate others about missing people and keep Carrie's memory alive. We are nearing ten years, but we are not about to give up. With each of these cases being solved, it gives me hope deep inside that one day hopefully soon, we'll have her back. My heart will never rest until that happens. God bless each family and loved one out there tonight who continues to hurt and wonder where somebody they love is. May God have mercy on them and give you strength to make it until he's ready to reveal their whereabouts.

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