by Seamus McGraw
June 26, 2006
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (Crime Library) — In a way, it was an endearing quality of hers. Unable to afford a cell phone on her burger hop's wages, struggling single mom Deidre Harm often used to hit up friends, and sometimes even strangers to use theirs.
"If she saw a cell phone on somebody's belt, she'd ask if she could make a call," Wisconsin Rapids Deputy Police Chief Randy Jahns told Crime Library. Now, authorities are looking for anyone who might have lent the young woman their phone in the hopes that before she vanished, Deidre Harm may have punched a clue onto their keypad.
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| Deidre Harm |
More than two weeks after Harm disappeared during a night of bar-hopping, authorities are still no closer to determining precisely what happened to her, Jahns said. "We have some new leads," he said, without elaborating, but officially the case remains a missing persons investigation. There are no suspects, and authorities are thus far satisfied that none of the men in her life, not the father of her infant daughter Vegas, not even her close friend with whom she spent the earlier part of the evening on the night of her disappearance, have any valuable leads to her whereabouts.
Investigators have been keeping a close eye on the Wisconsin River, which snakes through the small town, in the event that some bit of evidence or some tragic find shows up there, Jahns said. At this time of year, when the river is teeming with fish and with fishermen, there are a great many eyes trained on the water, and the local fire department, which has been conducting training exercises in the river in recent days, also has been on the lookout for any trace of Harm. No one has seen anything, Jahns said, adding that if, as some have speculated, she fell, jumped or was pushed into the river, it is almost certain that some evidence of that would have turned up by now.
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Bar patrons could hold key to identity of mystery man
Investigators do suspect that at least one man, so far unidentified, may have some information that could resolve the mystery. Authorities have been told that Harm was seen in the company of one man at the Body Shop, a local strip club and tavern where she was last seen, though they have been unable to prod witnesses to come forward and provide a solid description of the man. It is possible, authorities have said, that Harm linked up with the man after becoming separated from her friend at another bar, The Finish Line, earlier that evening. Investigators have also been tracking reports that she and the unidentified man may have met another couple at the Body Shop, though the details of that encounter also remain maddeningly vague.
Part of the problem is that witnesses, perhaps fearing that they might be prosecuted for underage drinking, or perhaps because they were embarrassed about being in the ersatz strip bars, have been reluctant to come forward, despite pledges from the police that they will be treated with discretion.
Those witnesses are particularly crucial to this case, police say.
Authorities' probe into Harm's fate is hampered somewhat by the fact that the young woman who had just signed a lease on a new apartment it was to have been the first time she lived alone with her daughter without roommates left behind a small footprint as far as her financial and personal records are concerned.
Typically, in a missing person's case, as in other types of probes, authorities are able to track cell phone usage in the hours and days before the victim disappeared. In Harm's case, however, authorities must first identify any cell phone Samaritan who might have given Harm access to his or her phone, and then persuade them to come forward. That has been no easy task.
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Her small footprint makes her hard to track
What's more, the young woman carried no credit cards or bank cards, which often have been used to trace either a missing person or the person responsible for it. Earlier this month, for example, authorities arrested registered sex offender Jerry Buck Inman for the sexual assault and murder of Clemson University co-ed Tiffany Souers. One of the key pieces of evidence that helped lead to his arrest was a surveillance photo taken when he allegedly tried to use Souers' stolen bank card at a series of ATMs.
There also is little in Harm's behavior before her disappearance that might give police a clue as to the whereabouts or fate of the 5-foot-4, 21-year-old redhead. By all accounts, she was enthusiastic about her new apartment, devoted to her daughter, and showed no signs of depression or personal angst. There is no record anywhere of her having gotten hold of a significant amount of cash, cash which might have been used to keep her afloat if she did plan to run away, nor was there any hint of any serious trouble with any of the people closest to her.
In short, Harm left virtually no clues and that, authorities say, makes it all the more critical that police locate and interview witnesses who might be able to fill in the blanks about the last few hours before Harm vanished.
Authorities are asking anyone who might have a shred of information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, to contact the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department at (715) 423-4444 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678 (800-THE LOST)
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