JAMES EDWARD HOGAN~AMERICAN EMBASSY VICE-CONSUL IN CURACAO 9/24/09

[texasmom]

http://news.aol.com/article/missing-us-diplomat-james-hogans-dna/695059

Bloody Clothes Belonged to Missing Man

By DAVID McFADDEN, AP

posted: 1 HOUR 59 MINUTES AGO

comments: 16 filed under: NATIONAL NEWS, WORLD NEWS

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Oct. 2) - The weeklong search for an American diplomat has taken a grim turn as investigators on the Dutch island of Curacao said DNA from bloody clothing strewn along a popular beach matched that of missing man.

Police and prosecutors in this palm-fringed corner of the Caribbean said forensic scientists have confirmed that blood-spattered clothes found on Baya Beach "definitely" belonged to James Hogan, a 49-year-old U.S. vice consul who vanished a week ago.

Divers also found his cell phone in the sea.

On Friday, authorities used sniffer dogs to search rocky coastal areas and combed the Caribbean floor with a sonar-equipped robotic device for traces of Hogan. The Curacao prosecutor's office said the Royal Dutch Navy and the U.S. Navy were assisting.

Investigators on the island of 137,000 inhabitants are still trying to trace where Hogan went after leaving his home to go for a walk on the night of Sept. 24.

He and his wife live in Toni Kunchi, a quiet district outside the capital, Willemstad, that is home to wealthy business owners and diplomats.

U.S. State Department records show that Hogan, who arrived in the southern Caribbean island in August 2008 for a two-year assignment, had a legal residence in Florida, but no city or town is listed.

He completed junior foreign service officer training in 2005 and spent two years as a consular officer in Gabarone, Botswana.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said at a news briefing Friday in Washington that the agency is "very concerned about the welfare of Mr. Hogan."

"This is obviously upsetting news; it's not conclusive news. But we will continue to stay in close touch with the Netherlands forensic service and with the Curacao police," Kelly said.

Hogan's responsibility includes consular duties for the nearby Dutch island of Aruba, where Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway vanished in May 2005 during a high school graduation trip.

Holloway was last seen leaving a bar in the Aruban capital. No trace of her has been found despite extensive searches involving Aruban soldiers, FBI agents and even Dutch F-16 jets with special equipment.

Some residents in Curacao, a tiny island where the U.S. keeps military planes and personnel, said they were concerned that Hogan's disappearance might put a dark cloud over its vital tourism industry.

"I don't know if it will have a huge impact, but this is definitely not a good thing, obviously," said Angela Vergouwen, a 23-year-old waitress and bartender at the Grand Cafe De Heeren. "Everyone is talking about it."

Curacao, the headquarters of the Netherlands Antilles government, lies just 30 miles off the coast of Venezuela and it is sometimes used as a jumping-off point for drug traffickers.

Associated Press writer Matt Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2009-10-02 15:52:46

[texasmom]

Oct 2

No text, yet.

1:20 into video, discusses clothes and cell phone found...close contact with Netherlands Forensics and Curacao police... Haven't listened to whole tape to see if topic is readdressed.

http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=36699559001

I can't register to post on ireport, where daughter is posting.  Can anyone post there...to have her contact media?? and maybe link to this thread...?

Thanks Buckeye!

Here's today's text:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2009/oct/130208.htm

Ian Kelly
Department Spokesman
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
October 2, 2009

snip:

CURACAO
U.S. concerned about the welfare of US Diplomat Hogan; Netherlands forensic service has confirmed his DNA on blood traces on clothes found on beach

snip:

QUESTION: Just briefly, can you bring us – give us an update on the situation involving your missing vice consul in Curacao?

MR. KELLY: Yeah. I think we were all concerned to see the press release of the authorities there regarding the clothes and cell phone that were found belonging to Mr. Hogan. I think you probably saw the press release from the Netherlands forensic service which confirmed that the blood traces found on the clothes were a DNA match for our colleague, Mr. Hogan. These clothes were found on the beach.
And of course, we’re – as we always have been, we’re very concerned about the welfare of Mr. Hogan. This is obviously upsetting news. It’s not conclusive news. But we will continue to stay in close touch with the Netherlands forensic service and with the Curacao police.

[texasmom]

I just noticed that the article I posted at the top of this page is the same one Klaas posted on the page before, sorry about that!

 

[texasmom]

http://diplopundit.blogspot.com/2009/10/us-navy-joins-hogan-search-in-curacao.html

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009

US Navy Joins Hogan Search in Curacao

US diplomat James Hogan has been missing in Curacao, the Netherlands Antilles since September 25. The State Department confirms that the Royal Dutch Navy and the US Navy are assisting in the search:

QUESTION: Can you talk about the U.S. diplomat that’s missing in Curacao?

MR. KELLY: Yeah. Vice Consul James Hogan left his residence late last Thursday, on Thursday night and, unfortunately, hasn’t been heard from since. And I believe his wife reported his disappearance on Friday. And since then, the Embassy and Diplomatic Security has been working closely with the authorities in Curacao to locate Mr. Hogan.

QUESTION: Do they think it’s something related to foul play or --

MR. KELLY: I --

QUESTION: -- have absolutely no leads, no idea?

MR. KELLY: No. Well, unfortunately not, not that I’m aware of. It’s a – of course, we’re extremely concerned, as is his family, that we have no --

QUESTION: Can you confirm the Dutch Royal Navy --

MR. KELLY: -- information.

QUESTION: -- and the U.S. Navy are assisting in the search?

MR. KELLY: No, I can’t. Yes, I can. (Laughter.) Yes, the Dutch Royal Navy is assisting in the search.

QUESTION: And the U.S. Navy, apparently?

MR. KELLY: Yes, and the U.S. Navy.

James Hogan reportedly arrived in Curacao last summer for a 2-year assignment. He was the Consulate’s Pol/Econ/Con officer until his disappearance a week ago. An officer recently arrived in Bogota had been ordered to fly to Curacao to run the consular shop in the island temporarily.




That last sentence....the Bogota officer ordered to Curacao to fill in for Mr. Hogan after his disappearance...maybe?

 

[texasmom]

http://www.24ora.an/images/stories/news/2009/september/sept30/flyer_james_hogan%20engels-spaans.pdf

English/Spanish Flyer

[texasmom]

http://diplopundit.blogspot.com/2009/10/dna-match-in-james-hogan-search.html

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2009

DNA Match in James Hogan Search


US Diplomat Now Missing for 9 Days in Curacao



Source: Bonaire Reporter



Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports that DNA research by The Netherlands Forensic Institute has confirmed that blood traces found on the island of Curacao are from the missing diplomat, James Hogan. “The latest statement issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office for the Dutch Antilles confirmed that blood traces found on clothing and on the ground nearby are a match for Mr Hogan, who went missing eight days ago. The local authorities announced that a mobile telephone had been found in the sea and was being investigated further.” The report also states that “the Curacao police have now set up an anonymous tip line for anyone with information about his disappearance.”


The Bonaire Reporter posted online a poster distributed in the Toni Kuchi area (see above) as well as a photo of Mr. Hogan that appears to be taken from an ESTA briefing in 2008. It repeats what has been reported earlier that “a large scale investigation on land and in the sea continues with equipment and manpower from Curaçao, the central government, the Netherlands and the US” and points that there had been little coverage given to this incident in the American press.


The AP has covered the story here and here. The New York Times carried one of the AP stories yesterday here.



Map Extracted from CIA World Factbook Map

Asked for an update during the Daily Press Briefing yesterday [October 2: 12:50 EDT], the State Department had this to say:



MR. KELLY: Yeah. I think we were all concerned to see the press release of the authorities there regarding the clothes and cell phone that were found belonging to Mr. Hogan. I think you probably saw the press release from the Netherlands forensic service which confirmed that the blood traces found on the clothes were a DNA match for our colleague, Mr. Hogan. These clothes were found on the beach. And of course, we’re – as we always have been, we’re very concerned about the welfare of Mr. Hogan. This is obviously upsetting news. It’s not conclusive news. But we will continue to stay in close touch with the Netherlands forensic service and with the Curacao police.


Related Posts:


US Navy Joins Hogan Search in Curacao
US Diplomat Missing in Curacao

Related Item:

Radio Netherlands Worldwide: Missing US Vice Consul (see link here)
[listen to Netherlands Antilles' correspondent Rene Roodheuvel]


POSTED BY: DOMANI SPERO AT 11:29 AM [PERMALINK] 
TAGS COUNTRIES 'N REGIONS, FOREIGN SERVICE, FSOS, U.S. MISSIONS
TECHNORATI LINKS • SPHERE: RELATED CONTENT • DISCUSS ON NEWSVINE • STUMBLE IT! • ADD TO DEL.ICIO.US • EMAIL THIS • ADD TO MIXX!

[texasmom]

http://bonairereporter.com/news/009pdfs/newcurrent.pdf

[texasmom]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1265119.html


Posted on Sat, Oct. 03, 2009

Curacao cops: Witnesses saw missing US diplomat

By DANICA COTO
Associated Press Writer

Investigators searching for a missing U.S. diplomat in Curacao said Saturday that several people have reported seeing him around the time he vanished.

Tips considered credible began trickling in after police on the Dutch Caribbean island posted fliers with numbers that people could call anonymously, according to police spokesman Reggie Huggins.

"We have talked to quite a lot of people that one way or another have helped," he said, declining to release further details.

U.S. Vice Consul James Hogan, 49, has been missing since he left home last week for one of his regular midnight walks.

Authorities have found his bloody clothes at Baya Beach, a popular tourist spot known for water sports and vibrant nightlife, and divers located Hogan's cell phone in the ocean.

Part of the beach remained closed to fishermen and tourists Saturday as authorities searched for more evidence.

A U.S. Navy ship on a routine port visit to Curacao dispatched a helicopter shortly after Hogan's disappearance to search the beach, ocean and a nearby waterway, but crews did not find anything, said Lt. Commander John Daniels.

Hogan lived with his wife in Toni Kunchi, a peaceful neighborhood outside the capital, Willemstad, that is home to diplomats and wealthy business owners.

Hogan, who has legal residence in Florida, arrived in Curacao in August 2008 for a two-year assignment, according to U.S. State Department records.

He also had consular duties for the nearby Dutch island of Aruba, where Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared in May 2005 during a high school graduation trip.

Hogan completed junior foreign service officer training in 2005 and spent two years as a consular officer in Gaborone, Botswana.

Curacao lies about 30 miles (48 kilometers) off the coast of Venezuela and serves as the headquarters of the Netherlands Antilles government.



© 2009 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com

[texasmom]

http://curacao.usconsulate.gov/uploads/images/nXyIwfyZCXXtdMpu8FGccA/WEEKLY_News.pdf

Kingdom – Dismantling Date Netherlands Antilles: 10/10/10

St. Maarten and Curacao are scheduled to become separate semi-autonomous entities within the Dutch Kingdom on October 10, 2010.

The governments of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles together with the St. Maarten and Curacao Island governments agreed upon the date to dismantle the Netherlands Antilles during a Kingdom Political Steering Group meeting, yesterday.

The parties decided to make this date irrevocable; however special conditions might apply if the new entities do not meet certain arranged requirements. The areas of main concern are justice, police, and good governance. (Various media)

[klaasend]

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_63305.php

DNA-research confirms blood belongs to James Hogan
2 Okt, 2009, 12:44 (GMT -04:00)




WILLEMSTAD — The Spanish Water is currently being searched thoroughly for evidence of the missing American vice-consul James Hogan. Certain parts of the Spanish Water were closed off today. Baya Beach was once again accessible, but the gate at the road leading to the Quarantine building was still closed.

As of Wednesday morning, an underwater search is being carried out in the Spanish Water and at the entrance of the Spanish Water leading to the open sea. The searches, which are being carried out by Antillean, Dutch, and American defense personnel, occur daily, and start amongst others at the boathouse of the rescue organization Citro at the Caracas Bay.

Everyone had already left around nine o’clock this morning, apart from two Americans who were about to launch their kayak and search the surrounding. Unfortunately, they were not very talkative. One of them just barely nodded his confirmation that the team had experience in searching for missing people elsewhere in the world. However, for the sake of the search, they are not allowed to talk to the press.
Two small boats can be seen with men in camouflage clothing searching the water just further on the Spanish water, near the inlet at the Curaçao Yacht Club. However, they are too far out to ask them whether they had found anything important.

The coastguard requests users of the Spanish Water to act upon indications that sailing movements are limited and when certain parts are temporarily closed off. This search will continue until further notice. A kind of underwater robot is used to search the bottom.

Blood trails
Based on DNA-research, the Dutch Forensic Institute (NFI) confirms that the blood on the found clothing, the clothing itself, and the blood trails on the soil at the peninsula of the Caracas Bay, belongs to the missing American vice-consul James Hogan.

Hogan was last seen on Thursday evening of last week. He had left his residence at Toni Kunchi just before ten PM for a walk. His clothes and a few objects were found during the afternoon of the following day. Furthermore, the Public Prosecutor confirms that Hogan’s mobile telephone was found last Wednesday within the searching area at sea. This is currently being investigated.

Possible lift
Investigation has revealed that the vice-consul had first remained in the neighborhood, and afterwards, between eleven and twelve PM, had apparently first visited Bapor Kibrá and then Baya Beach. Therefore, the police are requesting witnesses who had perhaps offered Hogan a lift, whether or not in the company of others, to specifically report this to the police. “We are still missing a whole lot of pieces of the puzzle”, says spokesperson Reginald Huggins. Hogan’s family is being kept out of this as much as possible. It is not known whether things have been confiscated from his residence in the framework of the investigation.

A briefing is held every afternoon. Police spokesperson Huggins expected to release more information possibly this afternoon.

[texasmom]

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_63346.php

10/3/2009 Amigoe

Google translation:

[texasmom]

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/4988576/__Diplomaat_VS_op_Curaao_spoorloos__.html

Google translation:

[Ariana]

I am confused, these tanslations always confuse me actually.  Are they saying that he was involved with criminals/drug dealers and that his secretary found out or that the secretary was and that was why he fired her?  And just why would that have anything to do with him missing anyways?  Drug dealers don't need a secretary to bring drugs into an area.....that could only just point out connections to unsavory people.

[klaasend]

OK, so he had just fired his Secretary and I think they are saying the Secretary may have associated with criminals.  He also had just had a fight with his wife.  I'm wondering if the Secretary was having an affair with the wife?  Everyone assumes Secretary is a woman but it could easily be a man as well.

[texasmom]

OK, so he had just fired his Secretary and I think they are saying the Secretary may have associated with criminals.  He also had just had a fight with his wife.  I'm wondering if the Secretary was having an affair with the wife?  Everyone assumes Secretary is a woman but it could easily be a man as well.

IF this is actually the daughter (This comment has been referred to in some media, I wish we knew for sure), this is what she said (in quote below)...I've been wondering if anything was ever going to come out about WHO/if anyone was fired.  Now it seems it was the secretary.  It would also be nice to know the reason given for the firing.

I've read in several "comments" to articles that he was known to engage frequently with prostitutes, no idea if it's true or not; but I don't really see why/how that would have led to this.

From what I've read....At the time of his disappearance there was a major conflict going on due to a strike by the refinery workers.  There was also a conflict about the new Hyatt that is under construction near where his clothes were found.  No idea if either may have been a catalyst to what happened, just wanted to mention these things I've read some about.

From what I've read he took these walks frequently, so many had probably seen him and knew it was part of his routine.



http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-334652

thinkagain13 // Sep 27, 2009   
Report violation
First of all, you need to get your story straight before you post it.  I am the oldest daughter of James Hogan.  There was no domestic dispute.  My Dad and my mom have been married for 24 years and he has never once taken off after a fight.  The lead the police have down there right now is that a woman who was fired from the office where my Dad works has criminal connections.  Second of all, my mom hasn't heard ANYTHING about his clothes being found, or anything that might indicate anything positive.  The local police insist she had something to do with his disappearance, and refuse to investigate the woman who was fired further.  My family is going through enough without you printing bs stories!

[texasmom]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2248599/james_hogan_us_vice_consul_missing.html?cat=9


James Hogan, U.S. Vice Consul Missing in Curacao, Last Seen Taking Midnight Walk a Week Ago

October 04, 2009

by Janet Shan


Hogan's Bloody Clothes, Trail of Blood and Cellphone Found
 
 
The Dutch Caribbean is in the news again. This time U.S. Vice Consul James Hogan, 49, has been missing on the tiny island of Curacao since he left home on September 24, 2009, for one of his regular midnight walks. The police have said tips considered credible have begun trickling in since fliers were posted with numbers that people could call anonymously. Authorities found his bloody clothes at Baya Beach, which is a popular tourist resort known for water sports and a vibrant nightlife. His cell phone was located in the ocean by divers. This does not bode well that he will be found alive.

Based on DNA testing, the Dutch Forensic Institute (NFI) confirmed that the blood on the found clothing, the clothing itself, and the blood trails on the soil at the peninsula of the Caracas Bay, belongs to Hogan. Lt. Commander John Daniels said a U.S. Navy ship on a routine port visit to Curacao dispatched a helicopter shortly after Hogan's disappearance to search the beach, ocean and a nearby waterway, but crews did not find anything. It is amazing that this story has flown under the mainstream media radar. You will recall the absolute horrendous handling of the disappearance of teenager Natalee Holloway in 2005, on the smaller island of Aruba. This case was never solved despite an alleged confession by Joran Vander Sloot caught on tape.

U.S. State Department records show that Hogan, who arrived on the island August 2008 for a two-year assignment, had a legal residence in Florida, but no city or town is listed. He completed junior foreign service officer training in 2005 and spent two years as a consular officer in Gabarone, Botswana.

[Red]

49 Year Old U.S. Diplomat James Hogan Missing in Curacao Since September 24, 2009 (UPDATE: DNA Match to Bloody Clothes)

http://missingexploited.com/2009/09/30/49-year-old-us-diplomat-james-hogan-missing-in-curacao-since-september-24-2009-update-dna-match-to-bloody-clothes/

There is a DNA match to the bloody clothes found on the beach in Curacao and that of missing US vice consul James Hogan. The Netherlands forensic institute has confirmed that there is a DNA match.

Curacao – The DNA research by the Netherlands forensic institute confirmed that blood traces found on clothing and beach of Curacao belong to missing US vice consul James Hogan.

The United States said Thursday it has been searching for the US vice consul in the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao since his wife reported him missing last Friday.

The local authorities announced that a mobile telephone had been found in the sea.

[texasmom]

It's great to see you, Red!    

[texasmom]

I hope the answers come soon. 

[jen3560]

It may not mean anything at all, but does anyone else find it interesting that he went missing on Aruba's election night?  Just as the winds of change were blowing in....

I also find that very interesting.

Even more so, if we learn that this man replaced Jean Akers in that Consular position.....