Kayelyn Louder’s family is racing against time to find her. Not only are missing person’s cases harder to solve the more time goes on — and it’s been almost eight weeks — but a weekend storm is fast approaching and temperatures keep falling.
But the Murray woman’s family — hopeful, diligent and worried — received a big helping hand in their search Wednesday night. About 100 Adult Probation and Parole agents hit the streets to ask their parolees and the people on probation if any of them have seen Louder, and pass out her missing person flier.
Her family, huddled together in the Salt Lake City office to brief the agents, were grateful for their help.
http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html
“I want you guys to know something,” said Roland Cook, executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections, standing before the packed room of agents ready to start looking. “When I was back in the room there with the Louder family, I told them that there was no one better to have looking for their daughter, their sister, than this group right here. And I referred to you a little bit as junkyard dogs, in a sense, but I completely believe it. And I know if there’s anyone who can find anything, it’s going to be you guys.”
Later, on a cold porch in West Jordan, Agent Jason Fairbanks handed a man Louder’s flier, asking if he’d seen her. He hadn’t. At the next house, Fairbanks’ partner Agent Brian Peterson asked another man about the missing woman.
“We’re just trying to help the family,” Peterson said. The second man hadn’t seen her either. But that’s two more people who know her face now.
“Maybe make some more, show people,” Peterson said.
The family has been worried since day one. About 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 27, Louder left her condo barefoot and walked into the rain, leaving her beloved dog, her phone, her keys and car behind.
“It makes me sick to think of her being out there somewhere, over winter, and not knowing where she is and not knowing that we put forth every effort possible,” her cousin Amy Fugal said.
Louder’s family reached out to AP&P for the help, said the program’s director Jeri Miller-Fox. The agents in Salt Lake and Summit counties get together several times a year for a field night — usually, to apprehend fugitives and check on people — and figured with that gathering coming up, they could help with the search at the same time. They helped with the search for Hser Ner Moo, a 7-year-old girl who went missing in 2008, and the Elizabeth Smart case, Miller-Fox said.
“Many of the people we interact with on a regular basis frequent drug houses or homeless shelters,” Miller-Fox said. “So there is a chance that if Kayelyn is out there, wandering the streets, or perhaps caught up in something, that our federal population might know something. So we’re going to ask them what they know and we get a lot of help from that community in trying to solve some of these cases.”
The family has hired two private investigators as well, and they receive tips every day. But none of the reported sightings have panned out, Fugal said.
About an hour after Louder left the condo, though, a witness said she saw a woman trying gates and hiding behind vehicles, as though hiding from someone, Fugal said. There is no surveillance footage of that particular area to verify if the woman was Louder, however.
Investigators have feared Louder is suffering from a mental illness that could leave her unable to seek help if she needs it. Louder had begun calling 911 to report emergencies that apparently didn’t occur, though Murray police spokesman Kenny Bass has said that investigators are unaware of any history of mental illness.
Her family said that this disappearance is out of character for Louder.
“I still have hope that we do find her alive. I know that everyone in my family does as well,” Fugal said. “But at this time, we’re also trying to almost prepare for the worst. Either way, we need to find her. We need closure. We need to be able to move on from this and without finding her, there’s no way for us to do that.”
Louder’s family is planning for a big search on Saturday morning. That search will begin at the Birkhill Condos, at 4276 S. Main St. in Murray. They want as much help as they can before the snow sets in. The National Weather Service expects a storm to bring accumulating snow to the valley floors by Saturday night and into Sunday. The temperatures will drop into the 20s at night, too.
For more information on the upcoming search, visit the “Find Kayelyn Louder” Facebook page.
Anyone with information about Louder or her whereabouts is asked to call the Murray police at 801-840-4000. Her supporters are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to her location or return.
