A police spokesman says a body pulled from the Ohio River is that of a northern Kentucky man who was reported missing nearly two years ago.

Independence Police spokesman Capt. Tony Lucas told The Kentucky Enquirer (http://bit.ly/18W0mJ2) that an Ohio coroner confirmed the body found on Nov. 2 is that of Mark Allen Smith.

Authorities said Smith’s body was in a blue 1999 Ford Ranger pickup truck when it was pulled from the river.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

The Independence man was reported missing by his sister, Mechelle Wallace, on Feb. 27, 2012, more than a week after he was last seen in the truck at a gas station.

Wallace says she hopes more answers are forthcoming about her brother’s death now that his body has been found.

“I want to know what happened, how he got there, and why did it take almost two years to find him,” Wallace said.

Until the truck was pulled from the river, there was little to explain Smith’s disappearance.

His son, Dustin Smith, said he too wanted more answers.

“It’s tough, but it is the beginning of some closure,” he said.

Police say the mother of three missing children from St. Francois County and her boyfriend are in custody after the kids were found in Tulsa, Okla. early Tuesday morning.

Authorities say the children, Jaysnia, Juliana, and Jesus Mendoza, ages 3, 5, and 7, were found with Julie Mendoza, and her boyfriend, Patrick McKinzie.

According to KOVT in Tulsa, officers were tipped off the children and her mom was in the area around 12 a.m. Tuesday. They were found walking in a neighborhood and their car was located at a restaurant parking lot around. It was not immediately known why they were in Oklahoma.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Julie Mendoza and Patrick McKinzie were arrested and both charged with three counts of interference with custody, a felony. They remain in custody in Tulsa on a $50,000 bond each.

The children were taken into protective custody by Oklahoma Human Services.

Authorities say Mendoza was allowed visitation with her children on Saturday but did not return them to the kids’ grandmother the next day as scheduled. Police say she told the grandmother she would not bring them back.

Police say an investigation helped them determine she was with McKinzie.

Authorities say Mendoza, 28, who has lived in St. Louis, has a long history of substance abuse and has abandoned the children in the past to travel, sometimes for months at a time.

The repeated episodes eventually led to the children’s grandmother being granted guardianship. She was was expected to pick the children up in Oklahoma some time Tuesday.

An Endangered Person Advisory has been issued for three siblings from Bonne Terre, Mo.

Police say 7-year-old Jesus Gevonie Mendoza, 5-year-old Juliana Feliza Mendoza, and 3-year-old Jaysnia Hayzel Gabrela Mendoza were with their mother, who does not have custody of the children.

The children’s mother, 28-year-old Julie Marie Mendoza, was allowed to visit with her children Saturday at 6 p.m. and was supposed to return them at 12 p.m. Sunday. She did not return the kids, and said she was not going to bring them back. Police say she has a history of drug use.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Julie Mendoza is described as Caucasian, standing 5’4″ tall, weighing 160 pounds with black hair, hazel eyes, and a medium complexion. She drives a gold four-door passenger vehicle, last seen southbound on Richardson Road, toward Route K in Bonne Terre, Mo.

Jesus Mendoza is described as a Caucasian male, standing 4’0″ tall, weighing 62 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a skull sweatshirt, blue jeans, and tan boots.

Juliana Mendoza is described as a Caucasian female, standing 3’5″ tall, weighing 32 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a medium complexion. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt, pink skirt, and pink boots.

Jaysnia Mendoza is described as a Caucasian female, standing 3’6″ tall, weighing 34 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a medium complexion. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt, pink skirt, and pink boots.

Anyone who sees the family is asked to call 911 or the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department at 573-431-3131.

In celebration of America Recycles Day, Lexington residents will have an opportunity to participate in a free paper shred event that will allow them to dispose of sensitive documents in a secure and environmentally-friendly manner.

The event will take place Saturday, Nov. 9, at the old landfill pad, 1631 Old Frankfort Pike, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is a joint collaboration between Lexington’s Division of Waste Management, Cintas Document Management, the Keep Lexington Beautiful Commission (KLB), God’s Pantry Food Bank, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the Frankfort/Lexington Chapter Links, Inc., and is sponsored by Paul Miller Ford.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

“We’ve been pleased to see so many people participate in previous events,” said Steve Feese, director of the Division of Waste Management.” It’s obviously filling a need for our residents.”

All documents will be securely destroyed and recycled into low grade paper products, such as tissue paper. Cardboard boxes will be collected and sent to the Lexington Recycling Center.

Shredding and recycling old documents is not only good for the environment, it’s also a way to protect personal information.

“BBB’s mission is to advance marketplace trust, and assisting consumers in protecting their identity is crucial to that mission,” said Jack Frank, President and CEO of BBB serving Central and Eastern Kentucky. “Shredding old credit card statements, tax forms, medical records, etc. is a positive step toward avoiding becoming a victim of identity theft.

The paper shred event is for Fayette County residents only (no businesses, please). There is a limit of five boxes or bags of material per car. Please make sure that the paper isn’t in plastic binders or held together with binder clips. Staples, paper envelopes and paper clips are OK. Participants are asked not to arrive early as they will not be served before 9 a.m.
Entrance to the event will be through Jimmie Campbell Drive only. Participants will exit onto Old Frankfort Pike in front of the landfill pad. The first 400 cars will receive a LiveGreenLexington reusable shopping bag filled with coupons and information on recycling and other city programs.

While there is no charge for the shredding service, participants are invited to bring donations of non-perishable food items for God’s Pantry. Most needed items are canned meat, canned fruit, soup, canned beans, tomato products and baby formula. Please do not bring items packed in glass.

“This is Cintas’ fourth year participating in America Recycles Day and we couldn’t be more excited. We continually strive to be a leader in green and it’s always nice when you can get the community involved,” said Eric Caldwell, general manager of Cintas. “This is a great event for Lexington and for the “Go Green” initiative. There is no better way to securely recycle your sensitive documents. We hope people take the time to come out and enjoy the event with us.”

For more information on the paper shred event, visit www.lexingtonky.gov/papershred. To pledge support for recycling in Lexington in celebration of America Recycles Day, click on www.lexingtonky.gov/AmericaRecyclesDay.

Cintas provides cost-effective document shredding, storage and imaging programs. For more information about Cintas document management services, visit www.cintas.com/documentmanagement

Human remains found in Logan County could mean the end of a missing person’s case. Deputies from the Logan County Sheriff’s Department stumbled across the remains of a man believed to be missing since June.

The findings started with a neighbor’s tip about an abandoned and wrecked ATV in a wooded area. According to deputies, the neighbor believed the ATV was stolen. However, when Logan County deputies arrived on scene they discovered more than a wrecked four-wheeler. They uncovered the remains of a human body.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

“It appears for some it might be a mechanical reason, they may have lost lighting. And it appears to be an ATV accident,” said Corporal M.C. Sutherland of the Logan County Sheriff Department.

An accident that could close a missing person’s case.

James Marcum disappeared on June 4^th. According to deputies he left his house on a red Honda ATV heading toward Mill Creek. His family and friends said he never returned home.

Although deputies say it’s too soon to positively identify the remains, they say the ATV found in the wooded area matches the description of Marcum’s.

“It’s his four-wheeler. It’s pretty banged up. It looks like his wheel came off and shot him over the embedment,” said Darlie Gearhart, the sister of Marcum.

Marcum’s family told 13 News they’ve searched the area, where the human remains were found, before. However, until a couple weeks ago the area was heavily wooded which made it impossible to see anything inside.

“We were down in there. Everything was covered up, you couldn’t see anything. I mean it was green, trees everywhere, full wind-blown,” said Gearhart.

Investigators say the remains will now be taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office to be positively identified.

Corporal Sutherland said the best way to avoid a major accident while riding an ATV is to always wear a helmet and avoid riding at night.

UPDATE:

Logan County Sheriff’s Deputies received a call Sunday morning, November 3, 2013 about an ATV. The caller stated the ATV appeared to be stolen.

Once on scene, investigators found human skeletal remains near the ATV.

The Logan County Sheriff’s Department cannot confirm at this time if the remains are that of a male or female. The West Virginia Medical Examiner was called to the scene and will collect the remains to determine the sex and the exact cause of death.

Deputies on scene believe these remains may be linked to the missing person incident of James David Marcum, who disappeared on June 4, 2013.

At the time of his disappearance, Marcum had left his residence on a red Honda 300 Foretrax ATV and had ridden back into the hills toward Mill Creek.

The investigation is continuing at this time.

The Rochester Police Department is requesting the assistance of the public in locating a missing endangered person with a search effort on Saturday, Nov. 9, according to Police Chief Steve Schettenhelm.

George Vanderweit, 71, was last seen at approximately 9:20 a.m. on July 5 in the area of Runyon and Dequindre, according to police.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Vanderweit is described as a white male, 5-foot-9, 178 pounds an was last seen wearing a red shirt with the word “Bargains” emblazoned on the front and olive green shorts. He may have been riding an older-style green road bicycle and did not have a wallet, cell phone or identification in his possession.

The Rochester Police Department is asking anyone who may have seen Vanderweit to call 248-651-9621.

The Rochester police and fire departments and the Vanderweit family will be conducting a search on Saturday, Nov. 9. Those interested in assisting with this effort should meet at the Rochester Fire Department at 277 E. Second St. at 9 a.m.

Two people went to the hospital after a crash on Leestown Road in Lexington Monday morning.

Police say the driver of a Jeep turned in front of a Bluegrass cab when somebody motioned him to turn. The driver of the Jeep said he didn’t see the taxi. The cab T-boned the Jeep.

http://liarcatchers.com/accident_reconstruction.html

EMS took an adult and a child in the cab to UK Hospital. Officials called their injuries minor.

The driver of the Jeep was not hurt.

A missing person alert was issued Sunday night for a 74-year-old man from Red Oak who has cognitive impairments.

Red Oak police are looking for Robert Raymond Gibson. He is described as a 74-year-old black male who is 5’7″ and weighs 168 pounds. He has grey/black hair and brown eyes.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Police say Gibson was last seen on Nov. 1 in Red Oak. He was driving a white, 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer with the Texas license plate BH7G899.

The Texas Silver Alert Network issued a missing senior alert Sunday night. Police ask anyone with information to call 972-617-7632.

Police have charged a Martin County man in the double murder of his cousin and cousin’s wife.

The murders happened Friday night at a home in Tomahawk on Rockhouse Road. When police arrived at the home, they found Edger and April Hendrick dead of gunshot wounds.

“You know the way I always looked at it you, aren’t supposed to kill anyone. That is put on a big stone tablet, its one of the Commandments,” says a family member of the victims, who didn’t want to be identified.

http://liarcatchers.com/wrongful_death.html

Kentucky State Police arrested Orie Spence Junior and charged him with both murders. Spence is Edger’s cousin.

“One day you wake up and hear your cousin is dead and you are thinking well that’s another loss and then they tell you well your other cousin did it, I mean that is crazy,” says the family member.

Family members say the two men, Hendrick and Spence, did not seem to have any issues with one another. “It’s all family, we love one another, we’ve grown up with one another,” says the family member. “I mean they lived and grew up with one another.”

Police are still investigating what lead to the fatal shooting.

Spence is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center. The bodies of Edger and April Hendrick have been sent to Frankfort for an autopsy.