View full sizeMichelle Knight in a 1999 family photo prior to her disappearance in 2002.Michelle KnightAbducted: Aug. 23, 2002Age when abducted: 21Age when rescued: 32Knight was the first of the three victims to be abducted. She was last seen at a cousin's house near West 106th Street and Lorain Avenue in Cleveland. Her disappearance did not receive much publicity. Knight's grandmother, Deborah Knight, said in an interview that, based on the recommendation of police and social workers, family members had concluded that Michelle likely left on her own because she was angry that her son was removed from her custody. A short police report on disappearance said Michelle had a mental condition and frequently was confused by her surroundings. Knight's name was removed from an FBI database on missing persons by Cleveland police 15 months after her disappearance. Michelle's mother, Barbara Knight, who now lives in Florida, said she and Michelle were close, and she never believed her daughter would disappear without a trace. Barbara Knight put up fliers throughout her West Side neighborhood while living in Cleveland, and said she continued to search on her own after moving to Florida.
View full sizeAmanda Berry, shown before her abduction.AP Amanda BerryAbducted: April 21, 2003Age when abducted: 17Age when rescued: 27Berry disappeared while returning to her home on West 111th Street from her job at Burger King at West 110th Street and Lorain Avenue. She called her sister and told her she had a ride. At first police considered Amanda a runaway. But then the FBI began to investigate the case as a kidnapping. In November 2003, police said someone used Amanda’s cell phone a week after she disappeared to contact Miller and claim her daughter would be fine and would return in a few days. Berry's disappearance received extensive media coverage because of the tenacious efforts of her mother, Louwana Miller. Miller frequently went to local media, held vigils, and appeared on TV shows such as "America's Most Wanted" to keep her daughter's name in the news. Miller was disheartened in 2004 when she was told by a psychic on a TV showthat her daughter was dead. Miller died in 2006.
View full sizeGina DeJesus disappeared in 2004 when she was 14.AP Gina DeJesusAbducted: April 2, 2004Age when abducted: 14Age when rescued: 23DeJesus was a seventh-grader in special education classes at Wilbur Wright Middle School on April 2, 2004, when she decided to walk home. Her family quickly realized something was wrong when she didn't arrive home at her usual time. She was reported missing that same day, and the FBI became involved just two days later. Gina was last seen at the corner of West 105th Street and Lorain Avenue by childhood friend Arlene Castro, who is the daughter of suspected kidnapper Ariel Castro. It was later learned that there are several connections between the DeJesus and Castro families. Gina's family often held vigils for her, with the most recent on April 2, 2013, the ninth anniversary of her disappearance.Source:http://amandaberryginadejesusmicheleknight.blogspot.com/2013/07/who-are-victims-more-about-amanda-gina.html
Who are the victims? More about Amanda, Gina, and Michelle. Images
Amanda Berry , Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were kidnapped ...
(300 x 226 - 45.73 KB - jpeg)
Amanda, Gina and Michelle
(615 x 409 - 31.29 KB - jpeg)
... Cleveland kidnap victims Gina DeJesus Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight
(634 x 380 - 47.55 KB - jpeg)
Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight / Splash News
(615 x 400 - 71.92 KB - jpeg)
Articles and news stories published over the past few days evidence a weak response by proponents of the Bi-County Parkway and the first sign of backtracking by the McDonnell administration. Strangely, the proponents response to last week's hearings and public outcry was underwhelming to say the least. Apart from a staunch Connaughton supporter (read sycophant) defending the Dark Lord on several local blogs, the only other posting in support of the route was an editorial by Roger Snyder published in Friday's WAPO. Not surprisingly, the editorial evidenced a level of hubris that has come to be expected of those in support of the Bi-County Parkway. Mr. Snyder asserts that "glib quips bloated by hyperbole make for attention-getting sound bites, but they should not be allowed to unravel the three-plus decades of methodical planning that has brought the road this far". I would suggest that Mr. Snyder's letter is marked by the very "glib quotes bloated by hyperbole" that he accuses opponents of using. In fact, such tactics have actually been the stock in trade of those pushing the Bi-County Parkway as evidenced by his written statements. He merely parrots the time-worn arguments, arguments that have been shown to be without factual basis, made by the CTB, VDOT and the various Chambers over the past six months. Merely repeating that there are no other options, the road will ease traffic on I-66, its merely a "concept corridor", it will spur economic development in PWC and that the process has been transparent does not make those statements any more factual than they were six months ago. It has been demonstrated that there are several other options, the impact on I-66 is unknown, it likely will not provide PWC an economic advantage and the process has been far from transparent. Lastly, although Mr. Snyder discloses that he was the "Prince William County director of planning, chief executive of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association and the City of Manassas director of community development", positions from which he has retired, he does not disclose that he remains active in the development field as the owner of RWS Aerial Photography which provides aerial photographs for local developers and the Chamber of Commerce as evidenced at the Prince William Chamber of Commerce Commercial Real Estate Showcase (CRES) recently held at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. Perhaps Mr. Snyder should review the definitions of "transparency" and "full disclosure", telling only half the story and cobbling together questionable "facts" in the form of "glib quips bloated by hyperbole" is the essence of hypocrisy, another quality that has marked proponents' presentations.The more important story however is Hank Silverberg's report posted this morning on WTOP. It would appear that the recent public outcry may have revealed the first chink in the Governor and VDOT's armor. Taken at face value, it would appear that the Governor has taken notice of public opinion and confirms that "Part of the plan is being revisited as the state moves through a series of public meetings". What part of the plan is anybody's guess but one would presume that the most likely segment in question would be the Bi-County Parkway. In any event, it would appear that now is the time to turn up the heat to ensure that the Governor remains focused on that opposition.