By David Lohr

(Continued)

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"Right now we have a goal.  We eventually want to have 500,000 volunteers nationwide, so that wherever there is a missing person, we can have someone there helping the family.  I know a lot of law enforcement agencies get a lot flack when it comes to unsolved crimes.  What people don't understand is in larger cities, such as Houston, you'll have hundreds of cases each month and maybe seven officers who can work all those cases on a full time basis.  It is not that they do not care, it has to do with the fact that they simply don't have the resources to thoroughly investigate each case.

Tim is always on the move and seldom has time to recuperate from one search to the next.

"Right now my presence is being requested in Florida, Arizona and Kansas to work cases in those states.  I can't be everywhere at once and it can be difficult trying to explain that, especially if another case breaks.  Breaking cases tend to take precedence, as there is a greater possibility of finding the person alive and in the end our goal is to do just that."

I also had a chance to speak with Barbara Gibson yesterday.  Her official title with EquuSearch is "administrator," however her duties are tenfold.  Not only does she assemble members for meetings and searches, she is also in charge of fund raising, hotel bookings, phone calls and so much more.  She has an active role, in every case and she speaks with the family members of lost persons on a daily basis. 

"This job can be really stressful and emotionally draining," Gibson said.  "These are real people with real tears.  Even though we don't know these people, we feel a connection to them.  We attend every funeral and the grieving process affects all of us."

Since their involvement in the search for Natalee Holloway, they have had even more requests coming in, which has put a strain on their already tight budget.

"Our bills have doubled in this past year alone.  We are getting called on more and more searches, but we are working on the same funding.  It is a real struggle just to stay afloat.  A typical search could cost well over $3,500 and we pay those expenses out of pocket.  We never charge the police or the families.  For what we do we need a budget of around two million dollars a year and we are nowhere close to that right now."

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Contact  David Lohr at           crimewriter74@hughes.net

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