To the members of Texas Equuisearch, Ohio Chapter,
I hope this letter finds you and your team very well and would like to take a moment to reflect on the remarkable job you do and the unwavering support that you all have shown to, us as a department and our community as a whole.
On March 9th, 2013 our quaint little town in an otherwise crime absent community, one of our own, Sidney Randall, 14 years old went missing The next months would serve as the most wrenching and turbulent days that any Agency or Community would have to deal with‘ Through endless possibilities and what seemed like a fictional story made more for the densely populated areas, we found ourselves in the middle of a ‘Murder Mystery Suicide kidnap Recovery‘ mission that None of us were prepared to deal with mentally or physically. Though many people in the area volunteered to help in any way they could, the same problem existed, we had simply never dealt with a case of this nature and magnitude and did not have the equipment, staff or experience needed to resolve this case and return Sid to her family to bring closure to a family and community, Until being burdened with such a tragedy, you truly cannot grasp the entirety of the situation, how many are affected, resources needed or countless other variables that need tending. We were That situation, we were That town and Those people, and we weren’t blind to think we could handle it on our own.
Enter TES. Our first communication was with Dave Raider, who immediately attached himself to our case, and in a professional yet brotherly fashion, began to lend his experience and vast resources to our cause, It quickly became evident that TES was the key that we needed to unlock the doors that were keeping us from performing this task to the ability that the community and the Randall family deserved No time had passed before Dave and members of his team were on the ground with us, showing us avenues and procedures to deal with searches, resource procurement, public addresses and more than any other tool, Organization! We were Very deficient in one aspect for certain, that was the ability to organize and efficiently carry out a massive search operation that would be task oriented, safe and efficient Your staff handled all of that for us during our investigation enabling us to continue with interviews and fact finding that would move the case forward, yet also paused here and there to make sure we understood and perhaps learned from every step you made We were also introduced to several ‘state of the art’ equipments and tools that aid searchers in cases like these, such as ground penetrating radar, side scan sonar (for our rivers and lakes) and other tools that seem to make this tough task easier and fasten Time being an enemy of these situations, wasn’t on our side and we knew that your time here would soon be over, as many other cases and people need the same guidance and support that we needed.
It is difficult to sum up the entire wealth of knowledge, experience and resources that were given to us during this tragedy, yet even more difficult to express the feeling of gratitude that we have for your team. It’s always nice to have a friendly face and a helping hand especially in a time of need, but you all were much more than just that It should be stated that during my career I have never came across a more devoted, professional, passionate and relatable group of individuals. With us taking so much from the proverbial table it would seem as if there was nothing left to pass around. So I take this opportunity to, on behalf of my Department, Community, County and State, Thank you! Thank you for all the wonderful work you do and thank you for being there for us in our time of need and being a rock for us to stand and a hand for us to reach to for guidance, and Thank you for your camaraderie, that which I’m sure we all will miss the most in your absentee I hope and pray that your group and organization is well and able to help Many more families and communities. Also I offer our assistance in anything that you think we could bring to that table, in effort to repay or show our appreciation, though insignificant in comparison.
You’re definitely a Class Act, one of a kind, Gifl! Stay safe and keep in touch
Walnut Ridge Police Department
Walnut Ridge Police Department
Walnut Ridge Police Department 2