Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

It was supposed to be like any other of her trips to St. Maarten in the past 10 years, but now friends and family are looking for a Mission Viejo woman who has gone missing on a Caribbean island for more than five days.

Frank Cordes last saw his wife, Leta Lynn Cordes, late Friday night before she headed out on foot to a nearby hotel, said Cary Honstein, a friend of the couple. Honstein was there vacationing with the couple and friends but returned to California before Cordes disappeared. She is now helping the family by contacting authorities.

The Cordeses had just come back to their island home from dinner when Leta Lynn Cordes decided she wanted to gamble. Her husband gave her money and she walked toward a casino about a quarter of a mile away that is frequented by friends and family when they travel to the area, Honstein said.

When her husband woke up Saturday at 7 a.m., he discovered she hadn't returned, she said. He filed a missing persons report the same day. Police and family are wondering about her whereabouts.

"It's not her personality to leave with strangers," Honstein said.

Her disappearance has been reported in local media outlets in St. Maarten, in the Antilles.

Cordes, 49, is described as 5-feet-5, 145 pounds and with a "777" tattoo on her back.

Authorities in St. Maarten were not available for comment.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/cordes-family-honstein-1960860-friends-maarten

American Tourist Leta Lynn Cordes Missing in the Caribbean while Vacationing on Saint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles Since 1/11/2008

http://missingexploited.com/2008/01/17/american-tourist-leta-lynn-cordes-missing-in-the-caribbean-while-vacationing-on-saint-maarten-netherlands-antilles-since-1112008/

49 year old Leta Lynn Cordes has been missing since Friday, January 11, 2008. Leta Lynn Cordes and her husband, Frank Cordes, had been vacationing on the Caribbean island of Saint Maarten. She was last seen by her husband when she went gambling and walked to a the  near by Westin hotel about a quarter of a mile away. Leta Lynn Cordes left to go gambling with only her ID and about $100.00 in cash. She has not been seen nor heard from since.

(http://missingexploited.com/picture_library/Leta_20Lynn_20Cordes_small.jpg)

Oh no! Another missing American in the Caribbean!
She's small and blonde....

I meant to add....are there witnesses that can validate the husband's story that she left to walk to the casino?  It sounds like maybe there were others in the house that can back him up on what time she left, and her condition when she was last seen alive. I have to wonder if LE on St. Maarten is up to the task of solving her disappearance.

I'm hoping she's OK.

Not much news....this is from today and says the husband is aiding in the search.

GAL MISSING IN ST. MAARTEN
Post Wire Services

January 18, 2008 -- MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - A California woman has been missing for a week after vanishing on the small Caribbean island of St. Maarten.

Leta Lynn Cordes, 49, who lives in Mission Viejo, has not been seen since last Friday, when she left her vacation home to go gambling, according to her husband.

Frank Cordes said she had been drinking and decided to walk to a nearby casino with only her ID and $100 in cash.

When he woke up the next morning, she had not returned home, he said.

The couple has been married for 20 years.

"My first reaction was, I was scared to death because it's not like her," said Cary Honstein, a friend of the missing woman.

"That was my first reaction, because she's never not come home all night - never ever."

Frank Cordes is currently in St. Maarten, aiding with the search.

First I have heard of her staying in the car asleep in the back seat. The FBI has offered to help.

O.C. woman missing in St. Martin

She was last seen a week ago heading by foot to a casino on the Caribbean island. Police there are investigating.

By H.G. Reza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 19, 2008

A Mission Viejo woman visiting the Caribbean island St. Martin vanished a week ago while on a nighttime walk to a casino, her husband said Friday.

Leta Lynn Cordes was last seen Jan. 11 shortly before 11 p.m. when she left their vacation home for the Westin St. Martin hotel to gamble, her husband, Frank Cordes, said.

"The Westin is about 10 minutes away walking time," Cordes said in a telephone interview from the island. "She had made that walk before."

According to Cordes, the couple had spent the evening drinking with friends and returned home by car. Leta Cordes, 49, stayed sleeping in the back seat while he went to bed, Cordes said.

About 10:45 p.m. his wife awakened him to ask for money for gambling and the car keys, Cordes said.

But she was "much too drunk," and he tried to persuade her to stay home, he said. Leta Cordes left the house on foot, heading for the casino. Cordes said she refused to let him drive her.

Leta Cordes' son, Rory Bryant, said she never went anywhere without telling her family where she was going. Bryant, of Lake Forest, has gone to St. Martin to assist in the search for his mother.

Judy Honstein said she and her daughter Cary have known Leta Cordes for 20 years and she "is not a person hiding out somewhere afraid to call."

Cary Honstein said she is "feeling more and more hopeless" as the search for her friend enters the second week. She spent the holidays with the Cordeses at the their island home, returning Jan. 4.

On Friday, the Honsteins met with an Orange County sheriff's investigator. Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said investigators will turn over information they gather to St. Martin authorities, who are in charge of the search.

A St. Martin police spokesman said Friday that there was no indication that Leta Cordes had met with foul play.

Ricardo Henson said Frank Cordes reported his wife missing Jan. 12, and police and canine units have been searching for her all week.

An FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles said the agency has offered to assist St. Martin in the investigation.

There was no word on whether the offer was accepted.

Cordes, 42, said he and his wife have been regular visitors to the island, part of the Netherlands Antilles, for several years.

He said investigators cautioned him not to reveal too much information about the case or his family.

Police released a picture of the missing woman, showing her with long blond hair. Cordes said the local media "has run with the photo and sensationalized the case."

Cary Honstein said she was not surprised that Leta Cordes ignored her husband's request to stay home after a night of drinking.

"If she makes up her mind to do something, she's going to do it," she said.

Honstein said the Cordeses have been together for more than 20 years and described them as happy together.

hgreza@latimes.com

Found this and it says the husband was not the last to see this woman...


Police Still Searching for Missing Woman

Police Spokesman Johan Janchi Leonard

Philipsburg:--  The police has canvassed  several known parts of both French and Dutch side as they continue to search for the American Leta Lynn Cordes who was reported missing since January 12. Police Spokesman Johan Janchi Leonard said the search is continuing in other parts of the island.

 The senior police spokesman said that the that the police are still treating the case as a missing person because so far there is no reason to believe a crime has been committed and unless they get further information to indicate other wise they will continue to treat the case as such. So far police has been divulging limited information to the media, but they promised to give more detail information later this week. Leonard said that it is not because the department is not giving out information they are turning a blind eye on the case. He said that the case has the attention of those in very top positions and that the K-9 dogs are being used to find the woman. Asked if the woman husband Frank Cordes who have been giving different stories to the media overseas and SMN News is a suspect in the woman’s disappearance Leonard said that they have not determined a crime has been committed and unless that happens no one is a suspect. He further stated that the man Frank Cordes was not the last person to see the woman alive as she was seen at the Westin Casino that night. However, the police spokesman refused to give more details on the sighting of the woman at the casino.

 

Thanks COLUMBO for finding this article......

Tuesday, January 22, 2008
FBI offered to help in search of missing Mission Viejo woman
Frank Cordes said he was interviewed by police for the second time by police in St. Maarten.
By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
The Orange County Register
Comments 2| Recommend 1


Police in St. Maarten interviewed Frank Cordes for the second time Tuesday morning as his wife, Leta Lynn Cordes, is still missing in the Caribbean island for the 11th day.

Two investigators with the St. Maarten police questioned Cordes about the couples' time in the island and asked detailed questions about who the couple came into contact since they arrived at the island in December, Frank Cordes said.

Leta Lynn Cordes, 49, was scheduled to return to her home in Mission Viejo Wednesday, but instead, has been missing in St. Maarten since Friday, Jan. 11. Cordes told her husband that night she was going to walk to a nearby casino.

Frank Cordes said he, his wife, and his mother had been drinking in a restaurant that night. Leta stayed in the car for about 30 minutes, then entered the couple's island home to tell him she wanted to go gamble at the Westin Hotel casino nearby.

Frank volunteered to drive her to the casino but told her she would have to get a cab ride back, he said. Leta decided to instead make the 10-minute walk to the casino through an unlit road that she and the couple's friends had frequently taken to the hotel.

Investigator Ricardo Henson of the St. Maarten Police said in an earlier interview that investigators verified that Leta Lynn Cordes made it to the casino that night. But in a written statement, the public relations firm representing the Westin St. Maarten casino said there was no trace of Cordes in surveillance tapes, and staff did not report seeing her.

"Upon review of the surveillance tapes from the evening of Friday, January 11, the resort security and surveillance staff found no footage of her entering the resort or casino. Additionally, the casino security director and staff reported not seeing her in the casino that evening," read the statement. "The Westin continues to cooperate fully with island authorities, who have the Westin's surveillance footage, and to implement its measures to ensure the safety of its guests, from a director of security, director of surveillance, security staff, security cameras, trained managers on duty and security gates manned by security officers."

Frank Cordes said he himself has been confused about whether Leta made it to the casino or not. About 15 minutes after she left that night, he drove wearing shorts and no shoes to make sure she arrived there. When he didn't see her on the road, he assumed she had. He did not enter the casino because of his attire, and because his mother was staying alone at the couple's home.

Cordes said he believes his wife might have been targeted by someone who had seen her gambling at the casino before. Police said they have found no sign of foul play, but have not ruled it out.

Since that night, police have searched the area with dogs but have found no trace of the Mission Viejo woman.

Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI, said the bureau has volunteered their help to the St. Maarten police, who are leading the investigation. The department frequently offers assistance in similar cases, although local departments lead the investigation. Eimiller was unable to confirm if the St. Maarten police accepted the assistance.

Cordes said he has tried to assist police by searching the island, although he feels he has been unfairly targeted as a suspect by the public and in some stories by the media on the case.

"I really don't want to tie myself up by trying to defend myself in the public eye," he said. "I need to focus on finding Leta."

Cordes said he and his wife have been happily married for more than 20 years. For the last seven, the couple regularly traveled to the island with their friends.

For now, he's arranged with their airline to reschedule Leta's flight in the hopes that she will be found.




Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361

Missing O.C. woman a no-show at resort

St. Maarten hotel-casino says the Mission Viejo resident was not seen on the night her husband says she was going there.

January 23, 2008
A Mission Viejo woman who disappeared this month while reportedly walking to a casino on the Caribbean island St. Maarten never arrived at the resort, a spokeswoman said.

Frank Cordes, 42, said his wife, Leta Lynn Cordes, 49, left their island vacation home -- where they had gone to spend the holidays -- about 11 p.m. Jan. 11 and walked to the Westin St. Maarten Hotel, about 10 minutes away.

But surveillance tapes from that evening show that she never entered the hotel or casino, said Westin spokeswoman Karen Gee-McAuley.

"She's a regular customer," Gee-McAuley said, adding that the hotel and casino staff "know what she looks like. She wasn't there that night."

None of the casino employees "reported seeing her that evening," she said. The surveillance tapes were turned over to local authorities after being reviewed by security personnel.

On Tuesday, Cordes said he had heard "conflicting accounts" about whether his wife had arrived at the casino. He said the local media reported that she was seen at the casino, but "this has not been 100% verified by police."

Cordes said he had been stymied in his efforts to obtain information from Westin officials because they refuse to talk to him. Gee-McAuley said he should be talking to police because they are in charge of the investigation.

St. Maarten police declined to comment Tuesday.

Cordes said, however, that he met Tuesday with a "special task force" of investigators who asked him "redundant questions" about his wife's disappearance. He said the investigators apparently were working independently of the police detectives investigating the case, but he was not sure if they were all from St. Maarten.

Last week, the FBI offered to assist local authorities, but Cordes said he had not met with any U.S. law enforcement officials.

Cordes said the task force buoyed his hopes that investigators "are in a search for a live wife" because he believes the probe by local police has turned into a search for a body.

Last year, Orange County sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic violence call at the couple's Mission Viejo home. Cordes said he called authorities when his wife became violent after they had argued. He said his wife chased him into his home office and was banging on the door with a hammer.

Cary Honstein, a friend of the missing woman, said Tuesday that Leta Lynn Cordes called her the night of the incident in January 2007 and said that Frank Cordes "had laid hands on her."

Cordes denied hitting his wife and said he had been slapped by her. He said she "went on a rampage" over a dispute about life insurance and threw household objects at him.

Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said deputies defused the situation and there were no arrests.

Cordes said he and his wife had enjoyed a "harmonious relationship" since the incident.

The couple built a vacation home in St. Maarten last year and had been vacationing there for seven years, he said.

Cordes said he arrived Dec. 3 and his wife eight days later to celebrate the holidays. The couple work as computer animators from an office in their home.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-missing23jan23,1,519740.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true

something strikes me odd about the husband...I don't know if I believe his story...why in hell would he leave his wife in the car possibly passed out?

St. Maarten officials unresponsive in FBI offer to search for missing woman.
FBI has offered assistance in the case of a missing Mission Viejo woman in St. Maarten.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008
St. Maarten police have not yet responded to an offer made by the FBI to help in the search of a missing Mission Viejo woman on the island, authorities said today.

Leta Lynn Cordes, of Mission Viejo, went missing on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten on Jan. 11 after authorities said she told her husband she was going to walk to a nearby casino to gamble.

Local police said they have found no trace of the 49-year-old woman.

Frank Cordes, her husband, remains on the island and said he fears his wife might have been the victim of foul play, although authorities have said they have not found evidence of that.

Earlier this week, the FBI volunteered to aid local authorities in the search for the woman. In a telephone interview today, St. Maarten's Public Prosecutor Taco Stein said investigators are reviewing the status of the case and have not decided whether to accept the bureau's offer.

"At this point, I heard the offer has been made, but we have not replied," Stein said.

The FBI frequently volunteers to aid foreign law enforcement agencies in cases involving missing Americans by providing resources and personnel, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. In those cases, the FBI provides assistance and local agencies remain in charge of the investigations.

St. Maarten police have combed the 37-square-mile island with search dogs but have not found a sign of Leta Lynn Cordes.

Frank Cordes said his wife left their island home after the couple returned from having dinner and drinks with his mother. The three had been drinking and Leta left on foot at about 11 p.m. for the Westin St. Maarten casino, about 10 minutes away.

The couple and their friends have visited the island regularly for the last seven years and frequently walked along an unlit road that leads to the casino, Cordes said.

Cordes volunteered to drive her to the casino, but his wife decided to walk instead, he said.

On Tuesday, investigators interviewed Cordes for the second time and asked him detailed questions about who the couple had come into contact since they arrived on the island in December.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/cordes-island-maarten-1965009-fbi-casino

St. Maarten police search beach for traces of missing U.S. tourist
The Associated Pres.
Published: January 24, 2008

 PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten: Police with search dogs combed a St. Maarten beach Thursday for signs of a U.S. tourist who disappeared nearly two weeks ago in the Dutch Caribbean territory.

Authorities concentrated the search along a 2-mile (3-kilometer) stretch of coastline near where Leta Lynn Cordes, 49, of Mission Viejo, California, was last seen by her husband, police spokesman Johan Leonard said.

The woman's husband told police she headed to the Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa the night of Jan. 11 to gamble in the casino. But the hotel says security cameras show she never went inside.

The investigation is not considered a criminal case and there is no evidence of a homicide, said Taco Stein, the territory's chief prosecutor. Authorities are considering an FBI offer to assist, he said.

Authorities in French St. Martin, which shares the Caribbean island with the Dutch territory, have also been helping with the case, he said.

Oyster Pond: --- The husband of Leta Lynn Cordes is furious with the media, whom he is accusing of wanting to make money on the disappearance of his wife instead of wanting to help him locate the woman. Frank Cordes said that the media is distorting what he said to them and this creating media frenzy especially with bloggers in the United States of America.
On Sunday January 13 SMN News did an interview with Frank Cordes and he said that he is the one who dropped his wife to the casino, he said his wife was drunk at the time and that she wanted to drive there but because she was so drunk he did not give her keys to the car. Cordes said that he advised his wife to take a taxi home since he was not in the mood to go get her later that night. He went on to say that he had his wife passport, ticket and credit card which were not charged and the only thing he could not find is her driver license and felt that was the only identification she had on her.

He also said that when he returned from an all day adventure in Grand Case where they were eating and drinking he did leave his drunken wife in the car sleeping. Cordes said a neighbor who was walking his dog in the area opened the car door when the man noticed his wife was alone in the vehicle and his wife then went into the house and asked him for $200 to go and gamble at Westin but he only gave her $100. The man said when he went to look for his wife and could not find her he waited to see if she had checked in at the resort or to see if she met friends and decided to spend the night with them. Cordes went on to say he proceeded to the police station and police refused to take his complain because 24 hours had not elapsed.

He further claimed that someone from Westin had called him and said his wife had an argument that night while at the casino. Cordes explained that the caller gave him the name of the employee who had seen the fracas. He said he went more than once to see the employee and each time he was told the woman was not at work and finally he said someone told him that the caller had misinformed him about the argument. Cordes said on the night of January 11 2007 when he last saw his wife the security at Westin did not work something he finds strange. He also charged that management of Westin was trying to suppress information to protect their international image.

Yesterday SMN News contacted Cordes who was obviously angry with the media whom he said is not giving him any assistance. He complained about the bloggers in the United States of America. Cordes said his son contacted the FBI and they are going to be leading the investigation since police on St. Maarten is not making headway in the recovery of the 49-year old woman.

However, SMN News received information that Cordes and his wife had an argument on the beach in Grand Case that Friday and the woman threatened to divorce him. One witness told SMN News that Cordes is not telling the police what really happened and the Dutch police they say are allowing the man to get away with constant lies. SMN News confronted Cordes with this information and instead of answering the question he said the FBI will lead the investigation and hung up the phone.

Police on St. Maarten already determined that the man and his wife were having marital problems and they also know of the argument Cordes and his wife had on the day she disappeared. However, they are tightlipped about the investigation except to say they are looking for her and that they have no evidence to suggest a crime has been committed.


The Island Chief of Police, chief commissioner of police and chief prosecutor have been in constant meetings this week and they agreed to send out a prepared statement to the media, however, no one knows when that statement is going to be released.

Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein admitted to the meetings and said that his office will not intervene in the case until it is proven that a crime has been committed. Stein said that the FBI will be assisting with investigation starting in the United States of America. He did not say if and when the FBI will be coming to the island. Stein said that he does not know where the media is getting its conflicting information from because they already reviewed the tapes from Westin Resort and they confirmed that the woman did not visit Westin that night. Stein said the first thing police did was to review Westin tape and he also sanctioned the statement released by management of Westin Resort.

In the meantime, police on St. Maarten has been conducting an island wide search for the missing woman, on Thursday the police searched the Guana Bay area with the K-9 dog while yesterday they searched several areas in Pointe Blanche and they are expected to use both dogs to search Mullet Bay area today to see if they can find any traces of Leta Lynn Cordes. Police Spokesman Johan Janchi Leonard is calling on members of the public who may have seen Cordes to contact the police at 54-22222 or 911.

 

Martini - Welcome to Scared Monkeys.  Nice tattoo  ::MonkeyWink::

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/Cordes3.jpg)

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/Cordes.jpg)

Thanks! Front page of the local Today newspaper (not available online :( says that the family has put together $ 5,000.00 reward for any information regarding this case and it says "has the husband left the island?" The police dept. will issue a statement soon.

Thanks Martini - what is your take on the husband?

Frank Cordes has announced a US $5,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of his wife. He told The Daily Herald that he had plans to travel to California, USA, today, Wednesday, if there was a flight available. Cordes said that in California he would also be transferring a sum of money to an RBTT bank account that holds the reward money for any person who comes forward with information regarding Leta’s whereabouts.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k216/cordes216.html

Thanks for the headsup martini, here is the article. IMO if the guy had nothing to hide, then why would he care what anyone else thought about his reason(s) for doing what he is doing. Instead it speaks to a guilty conscience. "The lady doth protest to much......", only this time the one protesting is Frank Cordes.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

US $5,000 reward
for Leta Cordes


DAWN BEACH--Frank Cordes, husband of US citizen Leta Lynn Cordes who went missing on Saturday, January 12, has announced a US $5,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of his wife.

Cordes said media reports indicating he had left the island were untrue. He told The Daily Herald yesterday that he had plans to travel to California, USA, today, Wednesday, if there was a flight available. In California, he will be meeting with Leta’s family to discuss details of the case.

Cordes said that in California he would also be transferring a sum of money to an RBTT bank account that holds the reward money for any person who comes forward with information regarding Leta’s whereabouts.

Cordes stressed that his departure was in no way an attempt to flee from the ongoing investigation. He said the police authorities were fully aware of his trip and he would be returning to the island in about three to four weeks.

Leta Cordes has been missing now for two weeks and four days. She was vacationing here with her husband Frank, who last saw her on Friday, January 11, around 11:00pm when she left their home on foot to go to the casino at the nearby Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k216/cordes216.html

This is a snip from a blogger who overheard a conversion in St. Maarten~

On Sunday, Jan. 13th while in St. Maarten, the spousal unit and I supped at a delightful little outdoor pizza parlour called Mama Pizza. This place was very near our hotel and just on the French side of the island.

A trio at an adjacent table was engaged in an animated conversation. There was a man of German descent in his mid-to-late 40s, sporting a muscle shirt, camouflage cargos, and a rockin' Scorpions hairdo. A woman of about the same age had a wicked Long Island accent. The third member of the party was an elderly woman who spoke little.

As bits of their conversation drifted over we were able to determine that they were searching for someone. It sounded like a crime had been committed. Furthermore, they had been showing pictures around the hotel we were staying at, trying to locate a woman. Somebody said, "she's done this before". Then the woman kept saying that she wanted the police to use K9s. The man complained that the police were focusing too much on "building a case against him" and not enough on "finding her."

There is confirmation that the brunette woman in the pic above is the woman @ Mama's Pizza that night having dinner with Frank and his mother.

Here is another snip from zebrabot.com

snip<I don’t think there’s any comparison to the Holloway case in Aruba. People go missing for many reasons and as indicated, her husband being the last one to see her since her disappearance, is more in the “limelight” than anyone else.
Who says she was on her way to the Casino? Her Husband! Who said what time she left the house? Her Husband? Did anyone see her leave the house? No. Did she talk to anyone? No. Did anyone at the Westin Casino see her? No. The security cameras did not register her entering the hotel/casino.

Lots of different circumstances than the Holloway Case in Aruba but most importantly, in my humble opinion, is that if my wife was missing and I had enough money to own a vacation house on St. Maarten would I leave with “well I maybe back in 3 or 4 weeks”?

That is where I put the question… Hell no, If my wife was missing I would be searching day and night, cooperate, drum up support and plaster the island with pictures of her, fly her family. I would do everything in my power to solve this mystery.

And $5,000 leaving in a bank account for leads? This would set-off my alarm bells, including all my hair would stand up straight!!!

Frank Cordes would have a lot of explaining to do if I where the lead detective in this case!>snip


 

mmmmm....let me get this straight. A vacation home in the Caribbean, a home in  Mission Viejo, CA and only a $5,000 reward?   I guess he doesn't want her back very bad.   ::MonkeyWink::

Photo of Mission Viejo, CA

Nope, I don't think he does.  I think he has something to do with her missing.

If I were the Lead Detective in this case!

Let me say before my typing fingers get ahead of my thinking..this is IMHO~

Stay closer to the crime scene (oh! sorry it is not a crime scene)

Check if there is an opening in that God awful sewer container that Westin built

Search the house and car for God's sake

Check the drug known spot on naked boy hill
 
If there is a cistern in the house , check the cistern

I can go on and on but I will stop for now  ::MonkeyShocked::

That photo of Mission Viejo exaggerates things a bit  ::MonkeyWink::  Most of Mission Viejo doesn't look like that although it is near Saddleback Mountain which does sometimes get snow (but not that often).

The homes are expensive though simply because everything out here is expensive.  You would be lucky to find a single family home for under $700,000.

This house is listed at $719,000

http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=10760&mnp=35&mxp=34&typ=7&sid=f1d6acaee58c4293bd252c17d3f41202&lid=1090058433&lsn=10&srcnt=57#Detail

Volunteers to search for Leta Cordes on Sunday~
PHILIPSBURG--The Voluntary Corps St. Maarten VKS will be conducting an extensive search for missing US citizen Leta Lynn Cordes on Sunday. Residents are being encouraged to volunteer and join in the search.
Police spokesman Chief Inspector Johan “Janchi” Leonard said that as a concerned citizen and representative of the local Police Force, he had sent the search request to VKS Commander Jean Illidge, who had accepted and assigned VKS member Allan Richardson as coordinator of the search.

Serious volunteers are invited to show up at Sundial School in Philipsburg on Sunday, February 3, at 6:00am with appropriate hiking gear.

Leonard stressed that locating Cordes was very important, as this ongoing case could have severe international implications for the island.

Cordes has been missing since Saturday, January 12. In the meantime, her husband Frank Cordes has announced a US $5,000 reward for information about his wife’s whereabouts.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k217/search217.html

Here is a link to an exclusive interview in the "Today" newspaper

http://sxmliving.blogspot.com/2008/01/today-article-from-jan-30th.html

Thanks for the article martini. I can only read the top portion........and call me stupid but after reading that I am inclined to believe the husband. He sounds sincere IMO. I am now tending to think this woman is missing of her own accord. There are several comments I could make now but best refrain.

Leta's neighbor says that a week before Leta vanished at the bottom of her road an undocumented man was found dead in the bushes. No report or media information about it has been forthcoming.

There are other reports of robberies on the Westin road. Armed thugs on a scooter holding up tourists walking in the area.

To only point to Leta's husband would be a disservice to the whole community.

I'm afraid things don't look very good for this woman. Maybe it's just me, but I wonder why her husband wasn't concerned about an intoxicated woman walking alone in the dark. I would never see that as a good idea, no matter where I was, but especially not in a foreign country. It's just a very bad combination of risk factors, no matter how many times it's been done before without incident. And if she was carrying cash.....even worse.
I'm not blaming the victim, or her husband, but it does seem as though it might have occured to them at some point that they could be putting themselves in danger. I just don't understand their comfort level in walking that route often in the dark, and alone.

Saturday's issue of the Today newspaper states that a low level air search was conducted yesterday over Dawn beach and Guana Bay by helicopter. The search was organized by people known to to the friends of Leta Cordes and involved retired Special Forces personnel with experience in search and rescue techniques.The search highlighted certain areas that
are in need of more extensive searching on foot or with dogs.
The article goes on to say a friend of Leta said it is heartening to know that the Tourist Bureau, 2 security companies and the public have volunteered to help search tomorrow.
TDH article states that the low level air search was conducted with WI Helicopter Service and the Police department in order to analyze the terrain ad pinpoint the areas needing special attention during tomorrow's search.
Leta' husband states he will not participate in the search but is in the US meeting with his wife's family to discuss details of the case and transferring an additional sum of money to RBTT Bank, which presently hold the $5000 reward money.

In additon, an editorial , entitled "Unwelcome Intervention" in TODAY newspaper states that they have been in the forefront of finding out news about this case and as such were invited by the search organizers to be part of the search operation,,..by joining the helicopter ride as well as being allowed a close look at the efforts of dive teams searching for her.
However, the reporter and the photographer got bumped off the heliccotper yesterday and the Today newspaper is very upset, feeling that they were interfered with in doing their work and there is no excuse for that.
they didn't say who bumped them but I have to assume the police department.

IMO the top pic looks strange....looks photoshopped to me.

Volunteers Searching For Leta Lynn Cordes

Philipsburg: --- Despite the effort of Police Spokesman Johan Janchi Leonard and the search teams that gathered yesterday morning to search for Leta Lynn Cordes 49 of United States of America. The search he said proved futile as they found no traces of the woman who went missing since January 11 2008. Leonard said that several officers from Sheriff Security and well known members of the public including officials of the Tourism Office came out in large numbers to help find the woman who owns a vacation villa in Upper Princess Quarter. Among the participants were Regina Labega and Clara Reyes and many students. Leonard said.

Leonard said that Police along with members of the public searched the coast line of Guana Bay all the way to Dawn Beach while another group consisting mostly Sheriff Security searched the bushes in Dawn Beach all the way to Oyster Pond. Leonard said that even youths on the island came out showing their concern on the whereabouts of the missing woman. Meanwhile, Police questioned the woman husband Frank Cordes five times in a row since he is the last person to see his wife.  Frank Cordes told police that his wife a heavy drinker and gambler went to the Westin Casino on the night of January 11 by foot. Cordes said his wife, mother and himself spent most of the day in Grand Case eating and drinking and when he got home he left his drunken wife in the car sleeping. He said that the woman later entered the house when someone opened the door of the car and she asked him for money to go the casino to gamble. Ever since then the man said he has not seen or heard from his wife. In the meantime, SMN News received reliably information that the man and his wife had an argument the day she disappeared. Several US media houses who have been following the case reported the couple had trouble in their marriage over the years. While the Federal Bureau of Investigations has offered their help to assist local police in the case have been following leads in the US territory prior to coming on the island.

(http://www.foxnews.com/images/337681/0_61_011708_missing_maarten.jpg)

Police and Prosecutor Still To Decide on Recourse of Missing American  
Philipsburg: There is no word from the police department concerning the missing 49 year old American Leta Lynn Cordes who vanished on January 11 2008. Even though Chief Police Spokesman Johan Janchi Leonard initiated a search which took place on Sunday for the woman, police is still not releasing information as to what they have gathered during their investigation during the past three weeks.

In an invited comment Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein said that he has to discuss with the police sometime today to see what other recourse they would take since they still don’t know what happened to Leta Lynn Cordes. Frank Cordes who rarely speaks to local media was questioned on three occasions but so far the police have not declared the man a suspect into his wife disappearance since they said there is no evidence to suggest that a crime has been committed.

Cordes in an interview with SMN News yesterday said he has no news on his wife’s whereabouts. The man said he went to California last week where he intended to spend two weeks but returned to the island within three days time simply because he could not stand being away from the place his wife went missing.  He said he had to do business there and felt that he would feel at ease since he is stressed out on all that has been happening since his wife disappearance. He insisted that even though his wife disappeared he still does not feel St. Maarten is a bad island. “This is the reason Leta and I bought a house here a year ago, we strongly believe St. Maarten is a great island and even if some one took his wife that does not represent the entire island.” Cordes said that many things he said to the media never made it in the newspaper simply because media house concise information.

Cordes said that he never painted St. Maarten black neither does he think the island and its people are bad. Clearing up earlier statements made to SMN News Cordes said he did not drive his wife to Westin that night instead he said he offered to drop her there but Leta he said refused his offer, he said that this is not the first time his wife walked to the Westin because she did so in December along with another friend. Cordes said on that December night his wife had an altercation with a man who had five dogs. He said that he is bombarded with accusations that suggests that he is involved in the disappearance of his wife something he said is very distressing.

Frank Cordes expressed his appreciation to the island people for all they are doing to find his missing wife. Especially on Sunday when many volunteers went out in large numbers to search for the woman. In the meantime, the distraught husband has retained the services of a local law firm to seek the release of all statements he made to the police. He said he is also trying to see if he could get the surveillance tapes from Westin casino which police claim they reviewed. Cordes said all he wanted is to make sure he and other independent persons get the opportunity to review the tapes. The man said that he is concerned because he was told that his wife had an altercation while in the casino the night she went missing and that claim was later refuted by Westin management. Another concern for Cordes is that in earlier police releases they claim that Leta Lynn Cordes was seen entering the casino but after that the police changed their statements.

Friends of Cordes said that they know the woman well and acknowledged she was having problems in her marriage and may have left her home, but these people who are speaking anonymously said that the woman would never stay away this long without contacting her sons or close friends whom she has a good relationship with.

While the police are not saying anything about their investigations Police Spokesman Johan Janchi Leonard said that the search is continuing on a daily basis. He said that every day the police canine dogs are being used to search several locations but to no avail.

New video of updates on the missing Leta case~

Video can be found @ http://www.zebrabot.com/zbvideo/?p=73  ::MonkeyEek::

Cordes insists not involved
in his wife’s disappearance


~ Curious about Westin’s statements ~

BUSH ROAD--Frank Cordes, husband of missing US citizen Leta Lynn Cordes, lashed out Monday at suggestions that he might have been involved in his wife’s disappearance.

Cordes told The Daily Herald the suggestions had been made and continued to be made on the Internet and apparently were based on a domestic disturbance call he had made a year ago when he and his wife had been engaged in a scuffle over medical insurance (not life insurance as had been reported by some sections of the media).

He said his wife had come after him with a knife and he had reported the situation.

He said Leta Cordes’ family would be releasing an advertisement countering the allegations.

Cordes insisted he was not a violent person. He admitted Leta had issues, as she had been taking anti-depressants that would make her “psychotic” and “temperamental” if not taken regularly. However, he said, in response to her behaviour on occasion he had never felt it appropriate to argue with her, as sometimes she would be drunk as well.

Cordes strongly believes something happened to his wife in the vicinity of The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa. His belief is based on what he considers inconsistent statements by the resort’s management and employees who, he said, had indicated the day after Leta went missing that she had been seen entering the Westin casino, but then had stated otherwise 12 days later.

Cordes said he did not hold the resort liable for his wife’s disappearance, but believed that, as the security system at the casino was in its infant stage and employees might be pressured by management, previous statements were being denied based on uncertainty. Additionally, he said, to his knowledge one of the security officers at the casino is a police officer and apparently had only released security camera footage of that night to one other police officer.

He said Leta could or could not have been seen on the specific footage, but all areas around the casino were not equipped with cameras. Therefore, he assumes Leta could have had an altercation in the bathrooms or could have met someone, gone back to their room and left with them, although she did not have her passport with her.

In an invited comment, the manager on duty at the resort stated that the resort’s statement remained that she had never made it to the resort’s vicinity.

Cordes said his mother had arrived from Germany in the afternoon of the night his wife had disappeared, and could account for the 10 minutes he had taken to drive to and from the resort after Leta had left on foot for the casino. He said he had not gone past the resort’s gate, as he had assumed Leta was safe once in the vicinity of the resort.

He said no statements had been taken from his mother, because she could only speak German. However, his mother was there when Leta, who was intoxicated and had been sleeping in the car, entered the house demanding US $200 to go to the casino. He said he had refused to give her the money as he did not want her to leave the house in the state she was in. Leta, he said, became upset and went upstairs. After 10 to 15 minutes he went upstairs and discovered that she was gone.

As police authorities are now targeting him, Cordes said it had ruined his reputation. He said assumptions were being formalised based on opinions instead of facts. He said that as a result, Leta’s family, who did not suspect his involvement, was looking into having the FBI investigate The Westin and demand that the security tapes of the night be revealed.

In the meantime, the US $5,000 reward is still being offered to anyone coming forward with valid information on her disappearance.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k221/cordes221.html

http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/12212   ::MonkeyCool::

The Orange County Register (California)
 
February 15, 2008 Friday
 
Several sightings of woman missing on Caribbean island, but no leads;
Meanwhile, her husband and family increase reward to $25,000.
 

Family of missing Mission Viejo woman increases reward to $25,000.



Several people in St. Maarten said they have seen the missing American woman with a "777" tattoo in hotels and stores, but all tips have led to dead ends, authorities said.

Pictures of Leta Lynn Cordes have been posted around the 37-square-mile Caribbean island and news of her disappearance on Jan. 11 has been reported in local media. Since then, several people have reported seeing the 49-year-old Mission Viejo woman, but all tips have turned up to be unfounded, said Taco Stein, public prosecutor in St. Maarten.

Meanwhile, Cordes' husband and family increased a reward of $5,000 to $25,000 for information leading to finding her or prosecution of anyone who may have done her harm.

Police have said they have found no evidence that Cordes was the victim of foul play, but family and friends believe something may have happened to her while she was walking to a nearby casino late at night.

Stein said this week that police are still actively searching for Cordes on the Dutch and French side of the island, which is divided between the two governments.

The FBI has offered to assist St. Maarten police in their search, but investigators have decided not to take the offer at this time, Stein said.

"We're not at the end of our wits yet," Stein said.

Investigators are still following other options, he said.

Frank Cordes said he last saw his wife after they returned from having dinner with his mother. The three had been drinking at a restaurant that night, and when they arrived at their island home, she told him she wanted to gamble.

Cordes asked Frank for a ride to the Westin Hotel casino and he said he would drive her, although she would have to walk back. She decided to make the 10- to 15-minute walk to the casino instead.

Minutes later, Frank said he drove to the casino to make sure she made it to there. He assumed she was inside when he didn't see her on the road. The next morning, his wife didn't return.

Frank said he is not sure if his wife made it to the casino that night, where she was a regular patron. Police told him previously that they had verified she was at the hotel that night, then told him they could not confirm that information.

In a previous interview, a spokesman for the St. Maarten police said investigators confirmed that she had entered the casino that night.

In a phone interview Wednesday, Stein said the spokesman may have been misquoted. According to video obtained from the hotel, the missing woman was never there that day.

Investigators are working to piece together the couple's last days together on the island, Stein said. They have also requested information from the FBI, although Stein would not specify what.

Authorities might also request heat-sensing equipment from the FBI to help in the search, Stein said.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:745496109&start=7

Dawn Beach- Friends have set up a website for Leta Cordes, the American woman who disappeared on January 12th from her vacation home in Ocean view terrace. The site address is letacordes.com The site shows her photograph, basic details of her disappearance together with news concerning the $25,000.00 reward. The website also coincides with plans to distribute posters and flyers seeking the help of SXM residents to bring closure to this case. The site also invites comments and information.

I can understand that perhaps one's comfort zone might be expanded if one were drunk.  If this is their second home, perhaps they were pretty comfortable.  Would you buy a second home someplace where you were uncomfortable?  Of course not.  I agree there is more afoot here but I don't know that I'm ready to blame the husband just yet.  I think there are probably more likely suspects out there.  You know, the kind who prey on female tourists. Crime of opportunity. 

Pic of Leta on Westin property~

http://letacordes.com/wp-content/gallery/leta-cordes/dsc01334.jpg

http://www.zebrabot.com/stmaarten-blog/2008/02/27/frank-cordes-still-claiming-his-innocence/

Leta Cordes family cries foul over missing reward money


~ We used money for research, says Honstein ~

PHILIPSBURG--The family of missing American tourist Leta Cordes (49) demanded on Wednesday the return of thousands of dollars withdrawn recently from a joint bank account established to pay out a reward for the missing woman’s rescue.

US $7,000 was withdrawn just days ago from a US bank account opened soon after Cordes disappeared on January 11 somewhere near Dawn Beach. The woman’s family blamed two former friends of the family for taking the money, leaking confidential information to the media, and “smearing” her husband’s name.

The Arrowhead Credit Union account in Corona, California, was left with $200 following the withdrawal.

Ousted family friend Cary Honstein admitted yesterday to withdrawing the funds, saying the money had been needed to pay for “research”

“We shifted the funds out for research,” Honstein told The Daily Herald in a telephone interview Wednesday, but he refused to give details about the research. He referred this newspaper to another ousted friend, Elaine Karas and said, “… if Frank wants his [portion of the money] back, we will give it to him.”

This newspaper was suddenly disconnected from a telephone interview with Honstein in the U.S. while requesting Karas’ contact information, and was greeted with an answering machine when attempting to resume the interview.

Cordes’ son Rory Bryant told this newspaper he had not been told about the withdrawal in advance. He also said recent media reports about a sudden spike in the reward being offered to US $25,000, citing a source R.B. as a relative, had been incorrect. “They never contacted me [in any way],” he said from his office in the U.S.

According to Cordes’ husband Frank, Karas had become Windward Islands Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein’s contact person to the family and, apparently, the source feeding “confidential information” to sections of the media.

“They are smearing me with leading headlines like “Has he left island?” Cordes said about the women he blamed for trying to vilify him.

Stein confirmed that he had been in contact with Karas about the investigation, but said he knew nothing about Honstein, whom the family considers the mouthpiece of the ongoing investigation.

Bryant explained that the joint account had been devised “very early on” at a time when they all wanted to share involvement in the stakes of the reward. “[It was a joint account] because none of us wanted full responsibility [over the funds],” Bryant said, adding that they had all been very close at the start.

“We were a support group for each other,” he added.

The relationship fell apart, he said, when Frank was being demonised and the women began speaking out of turn and without the approval of the family.

In a written statement to this newspaper delivered through Frank Cordes, Leta Cordes’ brother James McLondon said, “There are actually no family members in the group and they do not work on behalf of the family.”

The announcement that the reward had been stepped up from $5,000 to $25,000 was made without the approval of the family, Bryant said, adding that they “are misrepresenting who they are.”

Cordes went missing on a Friday night when reportedly on her way to the casino at The Westin Dawn Beach St. Maarten Resort and Spa.

On Wednesday Frank Cordes again flatly denied any involvement in her disappearance and dismissed as laughable reports that he owned a pistol and silencer.

The police are investigating.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k253/reward253.html

This story is taking an ugly turn, isn't it?

Meanwhile....where is Leta?

Missing women case, Leta Lynn Cordes, turning into bizarre story over reward money.

The family of missing 49 year old Leta Lynn Cordes, is turning into a very strange story about missing funds withdrawn by “former friends” of the Family. It appeared that Honstein, one of the friends withdraw recently $7,000 from the joint US bank account that was established as a reward money account. Honstein claims he withdrew the funds to pay for research. The family now claims that the “former friends” were leaking confidential information to the media and “smearing” her husband’s name, they told SXMpages.

Honstein the ousted “friend” admitted that he withdrew the funds for research but did not want to disclose the purpose for the “research moneys”.

Cordes’ son Rory Bryant said he had not been told of the withdrawal in advance and stated the “sudden spike” in the reward being offered from $5,000 to $25,000 had been incorrect. Honstein mentioned another “ousted friend” Elaine Karas who is according Frank Cordes, the husband, had become the contact person for the family to Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein in St. Maarten.

What started out as a support group now seems to have fallen apart since Honstein and Karas began vilifying him, according to Frank Cordes. It get’s even more confusing that, although the family put up a reward money account to which Honstein and Karas had signing rights to, now declared that the support group was not working on behalf of the family and “are misrepresenting who they are” according to Son Bryant in a telephone interview with SXMpages.

To this day there s no trace of Leta Lynn Cordes, who went missing since January 11 while on her way to the Casino at Westin Resort in Dawn Beach.

comment #1Son Rory thinks he is the only RB who is involved. They also think no other family members are in the new group. Well. Perhaps things will all become clear eventually.
This other group working without the husband have put up $50000 reward and are working to find Leta or her remains. Perhaps the family group is more restricted.

Michael Sheldon the attorney is speaking for the group now. This group seems to be actually doing stuff towards finding out what happened to Leta.
Seems a shame they are falling out but I guess they need to be doing something that others are not.

http://www.sxmpages.com/index.php/Latest/Cordes-Reward-Money.html

Chief  Prosecutor, Taco Stein, said that a review of the Leta Lynn Cordes case is under way.

Taco Stein said, “This is a standard procedure and a new team is conducting a review of the case. This is something that can have benefits when a new pair of eyes look at things and it can make sure nothing has been missed.” He declined, however, to state who these new detectives were or their origin. At this point in time, she is still regarded as a missing person. “In civil law there are many years before a person who is missing can be considered dead. Only when there is a trace of evidence that indicate a murder, can we suggest this becomes a murder case.”

Leta Lynn Cordes has now been missing for more than two and a half months. Since the report their has been no trace of Leta. Rewards up to $50,000 have been put up for any leads that will help in finding Leta Lynn or the persons involved in her disappearance. A website has also been created for people to post information on her whereabouts. So far no information has been posted, but comments had been left on the site with people posting their sympathy to the family, and also have been attacking Frank Cordes, Leta’s husband.

 www.letacordes.com

Family and friends of Leta Lynn have also resisted pressure from the media and TV journalist Larry Garrison who wrote “Aruba: the tragic untold story of Natalee Holloway and corruption in paradise”. Though the group of friends are in touch with Beth Holloway, they do not want to involve St. Maarten in any adverse publicity.

Two posters on the letacordes.com website are making comments...

Leta was a former girlfriend of mine and I’ve been following this situation since I heard about it on TV. While there doesn’t seem to be any GUILT involved in this case, it is time for every innocent person attempt to bring a close to this situation. Just front-up; man-up and give all they can in the way of supportive assistance instead of fighting demons that do not really exist! Just do it! Cooperation can only be good! Lack of cooperation certainly justifies suspicions.

Leta was a former girlfriend of mine too, and I have been following this case closely as well. It’s my opinion her husband is responsible for this. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.

http://letacordes.com/?p=1

Martini - thanks!  I'm a bit suspicious of the husband as well.

snipped from a letter from a tourist to a local news source...


http://www.smn-news.com/Letters/  ::MonkeyNoNo::

May 15, 2008 Husband takes charge of the search...
Dawn Beach:---- The family of Leta Lynn Cordes is now conducting water searches in certain areas to see if they can find anything that would match Leta Lynn Cordes who disappeared on January 11 2008. Her husband Frank Cordes told SMN News that he knows the efforts to search murky waters is like looking for a needle in a hay stack especially since there is no special beach area to search. However, the immediate family of this woman wants to make sure they do everything possible that would shed light on her disappearance and they the family can find closer.
The team he said consists mostly locals including the coast guards are assisting with information and they would be looking in the Dawn Beach area first before moving on to other locations; already they conducted seven searches in the Dawn Beach which will continue.
The distraught husband who is struggling to keep  up with his wife’s disappearance said that the immediate family of Leta Lynn Cordes has submitted a petition to the Prosecutor’s office requesting that no information be released to the Today Newspaper. Reasons Cordes said is that newspaper does not write based on facts, instead they are writing on hearsay and are using quotes to save them from being sued. Frank Cordes explained that it is normal for people to suspect him of doing something bad to his wife because he is the husband of Leta Lynn, but what is bad is when people start using their suspicion as accusation. He said that the Today Newspaper have been printing erroneous information concerning the disappearance of his wife.

Frank Cordes also explained that the team of friends who came to St. Maarten while he was away saying they were searching for the missing woman with conniver dogs did not receive any permission from the families of Leta Lynn Cordes.  Cordes said that the family of Leta Lynn was excluded from the search and that they could not see any proof that the $75,000 reward  money existed. He said that the family did not even know where the money was coming from and as such they did not support the search. “These people opened a limited liability company and they can always declare that company went bankrupt if someone decided to provide real information which would lead them to the whereabouts of Leta” Frank said.
In the meantime Cary Honstein and Elaine  former friends of the Cordes have decided to remove all negative comments they made against Frank Cordes on their website. In an email to Frank Cordes yesterday said they have decided to remove all contents on their site because that was not their initial plan and they have lost focus. Frank Cordes also sent a warning to the administrator of the  Leta Cordes website indicating to them that they are not operating with the families consent neither under the authority of the local police force. The site administrator was advised that they are not legally authorized to collect any information concerning his missing wife. And that the only reference in this investigation is the local police on St. Maarten.
 The warning also indicated that the family members of Leta Lynn Cordes is requesting that the Today Entertainment Paper be excluded as well as Elaine Karas, J. Michael Sheldon and their representatives or associates from receiving any further official news regarding the case.
Frank Cordes said he is very happy with the cooperation he is receiving from the Prosecutor’s office especially Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein. Stein confirmed that the Cordes family made a request at his office concerning the Today Newspaper. He said that he would try his best to honor their request.

Thanks for the update Martini, I have been wondering about this case.

This is a stange case. I also have suspicions about Frank Cordes.

People Magazine~ August 18th edition it's the double issue with Brad & Angelina & the twins on the cover~ has an article of Leta Lynn Cordes~  on page 75, the title is Missing in Paradise, Mystery in St. Maarten...

Leading People Magazine this week opens up a 2 page story under the title “Mystery in St. Maarten” Missing in Paradise, the 7 month old story about Leta Cordes going missing.
Full of hidden innuendos 43 year old Frank Cordes, a German immigrant into the US who met Leta Cordes (49) more than 20 years ago, claims that St. Maarten has become “his own Vietnam”. Beautiful but deadly. In my opinion a strange analogy for a man who was about 10 years old when the Vietnam War was over.

The story does not unfold any new facts except that the reward money totals now a respectable $100,000 of which $75,000 was put up by friends and $25,000 by Frank Cordes. In the interview he readily admits that the relationship was shaky, with affairs on both sides, alcohol abuse and anti-depressants.

Frank further elaborates that he got worried a while after his wife had left for the Westin Resort Casino on the evening of her disappearance, and he went after her with the explanation that she might have fallen on the rough road down to the resort.

He says when he didn’t see her, he turned back assuming she had made it to the hotel. Now mind you, I lived right above that road for more than 15 years. Now I wonder if Frank took his vehicle or went on foot. Reason why, is that the road is not wide enough to turn on, unless he went all the way down to the resort. The road is actually a private road, not government maintained, which is the reason why it’s small and full of potholes. It’s also avoided by many because of this. Criminality in all the years I lived there (until 2005) was minimal because “Naked Boy Hill” the very steep access road, is not very welcoming for locals and tourists alike.

Not saying that nothing could have happened to Leta Cordes on that road on that evening, but I’m still more interested in explanations from Frank Cordes.

Somehow I cannot imagine that his parting words in the People Magazine article “I hope she’s okay, but I know the reality of the situation” ring real concern.

At least the article states that St. Maarten is considered quite safe. With the Holloway Mystery in Aruba, the disgusting double murder in Antigua, the Leta Lynn Cordes mystery is undoubtedly going to stir up emotions that will hurt tourism. But like I mentioned in a related article when the Leta Cordes story just unfolded, many visitors like the island lifestyle and more than just a couple don’t return to the “real” world after a taste of the islands. Frank has not managed to convince me that he knows a lot more then he’s letting on.

In any case, be prepared St. Maarten for another tidal wave of potential negative publicity.

http://www.zebrabot.com/2008/08/10/st-maarten-get-ready-for-a-new-wave-of-leta-lynn-cordes-attention/#more-1540

On October 1st, 2008, the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office released an official statement citing the discovery of “new evidence” related to the disappearance of Leta Cordes. Officials have not stated what this evidence is exactly, but they have revealed they are now working with nearly a half a dozen different agencies including the French St. Martin Authorities, the Royal Dutch Marechaussees, the Kingdom Cooperation Detective Team RST, the Police Force, the FBI, and California homicide detectives.

“The fact that we have sent out a press release should state the fact that we are not going to be saying anymore more about it at the moment,” Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein recently told The Daily Herald newspaper on the island.

According to The Daily Herald, the case still remains in the hands of Dutch Authorities even with the cooperation of other agencies.

The Daily Herald also states that Leta Corde’s U.S. and St. Maarten homes we’re both searched within the last few weeks raising suspicions of Frank Cordes, Leta’s husband.

This news has brought reaffirmed hope to Friends of Leta~

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!   ::MonkeyNoNo::  the Dutch......  ::MonkeyNoNo::

Leta Cordes Disappearance Now Appears To Be A Murder Investigation Citing “New Evidence” PHILIPSBURG: The police have now arrested the husband of Leta Lynn Cordes in the Dawn Beach area. Public procecutor Taco Stein confirmed the arrest stating that it was time for the arrest to take place. He would not confirm what brought about the arrest in this stage of the investigation, He only ventured to say that the investigation is now halfway and it was time to carry out the arrest.

martini..... I need a link. I am super busy right now and can't seem to find any news on this. Link please?? Thanks.

Here you go... ::cartwheel::

http://www.sxmislandtime.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3517:arrest-made-in-cordes-case-Tuesday=31:general&Itemid=76

Los Angeles Times
 
October 16, 2008 Thursday
 
Missing woman's husband arrested in the Caribbean;
St. Maarten police hold a Mission Viejo man in disappearance of his wife from their island home.
 
The husband of a Mission Viejo woman missing since January on the Caribbean island St. Maarten has been arrested by local authorities as a suspect in her disappearance, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Frank Cordes was arrested Tuesday at his island home by detectives, said St. Maarten police spokesman Ricardo Henson.

Cordes' wife, Leta Lynn, 49, left the couple's vacation home Jan. 11, reportedly telling her husband she was walking to a nearby casino. She has not been seen since.

"Right now, he is being held in connection with his wife's disappearance," Henson said. He said prosecutors announced that they had uncovered new evidence, but declined to elaborate.

The Daily Herald, an island newspaper, reported Wednesday that prosecutors alerted local media two weeks ago that there was new evidence in the case but offered no further details.

The paper said detectives removed bags of clothing and other personal items from Cordes' home when he was arrested.

The arrest was confirmed by Orange County Sheriff's Department homicide Det. Brian Sutton.

He said the department assisted St. Maarten police by interviewing associates, friends and relatives of the couple in Southern California.

"My understanding of their legal system is that they can keep Cordes for 48 hours and then show a judge that they have good reason to hold him longer," Sutton said.

In an interview about a week after his wife's disappearance, Cordes said they had spent the night drinking with friends and returned home by car. Cordes said he went inside the house and fell asleep but his wife remained in the vehicle, asleep in the back seat.

According to Cordes, his wife awakened him shortly before 11 p.m. and asked for money for gambling and the car keys. He said he tried to persuade her to stay home, but that she left on foot for the Westin St. Maarten Hotel, about a 10-minute walk.

A hotel spokeswoman said surveillance tapes from that evening show that she never entered the hotel or casino.

An Orange County sheriff's spokesman said deputies responded to a domestic violence call at the Cordes' Mission Viejo home in January 2007, but no arrests were made.

Cordes said he called authorities when his wife became violent after arguing over life insurance. He said she chased him into his home office with a hammer.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:868975388&start=5

Cordes Remains in Custody - Suspected in Wife Disappearance http://www.smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/207-cordes-remains-in-custody-suspected-in-wife-disappearance.html
Philipsburg: --- The judge of instruction has granted police an eight day extension to further keep Frank Cordes in custody as they investigate the disappearance of his wife Leta Lynn Cordes...

(http://www.amigoe.com/artman/uploads/01-antillen-voor.gif)
Frank Cordes werd gisteren voor de derde voorgeleid.


‘Nog hoop Leta Cordes te vinden’

1 Nov, 2008, 15:20 (GMT -04:00)
PHILIPSBURG — Het Openbaar Ministerie hoopt nog steeds de vermiste Amerikaanse toeriste Leta Lynn Cordes te vinden, maar na tien maanden ‘zal er waarschijnlijk weinig over zijn’ van de 49-jarige vrouw.

Haar echtgenoot Frank Cordes zit vast op verdenking van betrokkenheid bij haar verdwijning. Cordes werd ruim twee weken terug aangehouden en zit sindsdien in voorarrest. Gisteren verscheen hij voor de derde maal voor de rechter-commissaris. Hij heeft niet bekend iets met de vermissing te maken te hebben, aldus hoofdofficier van justitie Taco Stein.
De autoriteiten verwachten niet veel terug te vinden van Leta Cordes, na zoveel tijd. De vrouw verdween begin januari. Stein zei dat de zaak als een vermissing wordt behandeld tot bewijsmateriaal zou leiden tot de conclusie dat het moord betreft.

Written by Samuel Allen     
Friday, 07 November 2008 02:32 
www.sxmislandtime.com
PHILIPSBURG - The detention of suspect Frank Cordes has once again been extended. The investigating Judge in Philipsburg Friday morning saw it fit to extend the detention of Frank Cordes for up to 60 days.

Prosecutor Taco Stein in an earlier comment stated that the arrest of Frank Cordes was based on newly discovered circumstances that have heightened the suspicion that he had something to do with the disappearance of his wife Leta Lynn Cordes since the 11th of January 2008.

This latest extension of the detention by the Judge, is being seen as a positive indication that more evidence in the Cordes case has been discovered than has being revealed by the authorities.

Cordes detention can now be extended for another 30 days and in a worse case senario, the Judge can extend the detention again for another 30 days before going to trial.

The suspect can be held for questioning with the approval of the judge from between 106 to 136 days. This is the first 60 day extension of Cordes detention and the third extension of his detention since he was arrested on the 14th of October at his home. 

Frank Cordes Released In Leta Lynn’s Disappearance
January 28, 2009 by MissionViejoDispatch.com

    A St Maarten neighbor of Frank Cordes informed the MV Dispatch today that Frank was released from jail yesterday. The Mission Viejo resident had been arrested on October 14 as a suspect in the disppearance of his wife, Leta Lynn. 

    Windward Islands Prosecutor Taco Stein told the St Martin News that Frank remains a suspect in the case.  Although the court approved the extended three-month pre-trial detention, Stein still does not have enough evidence to make a case.

    Sheriff’s deputies responded to a domestic dispute between Frank and Leta Lynn at their Mission Viejo home in 2007, but no arrests were made.  Frank said the relationship was harmonious since that time.

    Leta Lynn, 49, left the couple’s hotel alone on January 11, 2008 to walk to the Westin Casino, where she was a regular customer.  She was never seen again.  The couple visited the island each year and were purchasing a vacation home there.

    A year after the disappearance friends of Leta Lynn are organizing a new search for her with the assistance of volunteers and local authorities, according to the St Maarten Private Eye.  They plan to bring cadaver dogs from the U.S. to aid the effort.  Friends have appealed to Frank to bring closure to the matter if he was involved.

http://missionviejodispatch.com/2009/01/28/frank-cordes-released-in-leta-lynns-death/

 ::MonkeyEek:: ::MonkeyEek:: ::MonkeyNoNo::

Great Bay, St. Martin (January 30, 2009)-AVS News spoke with Public Prosecutor Taco Stein regarding the recent release of Frank Cordes,
who was arrested on October 14 as a suspect in the disappearance of his wife Leta Lynn Cordes over a year ago. The judge of instruction found that there was insufficient evidence to hold Cordes any longer and ordered his release.

“Cordes’ movements will be restricted, as he might be needed for further information, because the investigation is ongoing,” Stein told AVS News. “He will remain a suspect, at the moment no body has been found, so it is difficult, to make a case

http://www.avsnewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2685&Itemid=54

Great Bay, St. Martin (February 12, 2009) - There will be a massive search on February 16th and 17th on the French side of Saint Martin for missing American woman Leta Lynn Cordes. .
According to reports reaching AVS News, family members of Leta along with reporters from two major American news networks will also form part of this search. The advanced search team includes professionals from Dutch Law Enforcement, French Gendarme, VKS, Checkmate and Sheriff Security as well as an expertly trained search team from the United States. It is believed that Leta’s remains are buried on the island, and family and friends intend to find her. Their goal is to simply bring peace to Leta’s family and friends, as well as bring Leta back to California for a proper burial.

The husband of Leta Cordes, Frank Cordes was released from pre-trial detention on January 26th, 2009, but he still remains a suspect in his wife Leta Cordes disappearance. Public Prosecutor Taco Stein said that the prosecution has requested from the judge of instruction a suspension of Frank Cordes detention since they do not have enough evidence to move the case to court. He was arrested on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 as a suspect in his missing wife disappearance.

Leta Lynn Cordes disappeared on the night of January 11, 2008 when she allegedly left by foot to go the Westin Casino to gamble. The last person that saw the 49 year old Mission Viejo, California woman alive was her husband Frank Cordes who filed an official police report one day later

http://www.avsnewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2759&Itemid=54

update on new search~

http://www.smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/1264-massive-search-for-leta-lynn-cordes-on-french-side-of-island-friends-of-cordes-want-to-give-her-proper-burial-said-investigators-are-acting-smartly.html

www.sxmislandtime.com

Frank Cordes speaks..

It was about midday on Tuesday, February 17. Hip-hop music played off speakers connected to a MacBook laptop as Frank Cordes welcomed reporters into his Dawn Beach home, offering water and sodas to the four media representatives and then sitting down for his first interview since local authorities released him from detention.

About 45 minutes later, Cordes had talked about investigators apparently prolonging his detention on a whim, lashed out at Today newspaper's coverage in the early weeks of the disappearance, and complained that authorities had not done enough, in his opinion.

Cordes' only stipulation to reporters was that they not record or film him having the conversation.

The Germany-born animator told local media reps that the 13 months since Leta went missing had left him desensitised to the investigation. “It's just a case. … The more that time goes on, the more bizarre it (the case) gets,” he responded to questions about his feelings about the work being done to locate his wife.

While Cordes readily acknowledged the turmoil in his two-decade marriage, he maintained his innocence, telling reporters the local authorities, Leta's friends and Today newspaper (which he called Today magazine) were looking for any excuse to paint him the killer.

Searches of Cordes' home and vehicle several months after Leta's disappearance turned up nothing but ketchup and transmission fluid, according to him. Independent searches have also turned up nothing.

Frank Cordes insisted he would have joined Karas and Honstein's search, but “I was not invited,” likening his participation in the search efforts to attending a party uninvited. “If you're in school, and a group of girls are having a party, do you crash it?”

Dressed in jeans and a buttoned-down shirt he had put on after reporters knocked on his door looking for an interview, Cordes maintained that ties with Leta's friends had dissolved last year following a debacle involving the reward money, and had never recovered.

However, the family's relationships are solid, Cordes said, slipping in and out of his German accent.

The couple's marriage was on the rocks for a long time before Leta vanished. Leta was a drinker and a partier who had often gone gambling until late in the morning, he said. He said it would not have been unlike her to vanish on her own. “You would have to know Leta,” Cordes said.

Cordes willingly revealed the evidence authorities had found that had led to his detention: a slip of paper with scratched out dates detailing the night's event, conversation excerpts from a four-month wiretap and some chemical residue in the back of a rental car he had once used.

A June 2008 burglary forced Cordes, already removed from island life by mounting allegations, to remove a window leading to his condo overlooking Oyster Pond.

Cordes holds a grudge against the “overzealous” attitudes of local prosecutors, saying they had been quicker to find reasons to keep him detained than they had been to disprove theories against his having killed his wife.

He is upset that investigators took almost eight months to question his mother, who only speaks German, the only other person in the Cordes home the night Leta vanished. Friends and neighbours reportedly corroborated his story.

He asserts to being US $100,000 in debt and needing to fly to California, where his animation studio is located, for longer stints to recoup the losses in the past few months.

Archery is a pastime for Cordes now. He escorted reporters out past a bundle of arrows piled on top of each other and two scope-mounted bows. He readied one of the bows, placed a practice tip on one arrow, and noted that since the battery was dead he had little control over its path. Aiming and letting the arrow fly at a target several feet away, Cordes told reporters, “(Archery) relaxes me.”
 ::MonkeyEek::

http://sxmislandtime.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5166:leta-search-day-2-turns-up-nothing-&catid=31:general&Itemid=76
 

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/l233/rstl233.html

http://www.avsnewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2786&Itemid=1

(http://www.avsnewsonline.com/images/stories/localnewsphoto12/frank_cordes.jpg)



Frank Cordes speaks out, while close friend of Leta focuses on search
             

Great Bay, St. Martin (February 17, 2009)-AVS News had the privilege of speaking with Frank Cordes, husband of missing Californian woman Leta Lynn Cordes, and Elaine Haras, Leta’s best friend for 35 years.

AVS News asked Frank if he was part of the search party that is currently searching for Leta in the area of La Galion, and he told AVS News that he does not go where he is not invited. According to Elaine, Frank knows about the search. “It is his choice not to be present, he knows where we are,” said Elaine.

Frank on the other hand thinks that as time goes by things keep getting more bizarre, with all the rumours and speculations since the disappearance of Leta over a year ago. People are speculating that Frank has a girlfriend, something he denies. Speculations have also been arising that Leta had a boyfriend, and on the night of her disappearance she had asked Frank for a divorce. Frank told AVS News that on the night of her disappearance he had left her on the back seat of the car passed out after they had returned from dinner.

“I am not sure if she ran away or if she was kidnapped, and I am not sure what she took with her,” said Frank.

According to Frank, Leta’s friends have been trying to destroy the relationship he has with Leta’s family. He tod AVS News that after Leta had disappeared and he was told by the neighbour that he had spoken to Leta on the back seat of the car, he (Frank) started to sketch out a time line as to when she could have left the home. “Elaine came to the house the following day and found the paper with the time line in the garbage and immediately started speculating that I had planned Leta’s disappearance and went to the media with that and many more speculations.

“Nasty stories started appearing in the “TODAY,” her friends reported that I was on vacation in Germany, whereas I was not, all to give the perception that I am a very cold person,” said Frank.

Frank states that from the beginning of Leta’s disappearance he has been very cooperative with the prosecutor’s office. “I told Taco Stein early in the investigation that I don’t know what kind of investigation you are doing, as you never searched my house, nor my car or my body for scratch marks,” said Frank.

But friends of Leta have not lost hope as they are currently searching Le Galion for any signs of remains of Leta. “We started the search at 6AM today Tuesday with volunteer teams comprising of Sheriff Security, Checkmate Security and the VKS here in the Le Galion area, because of tips/leads that we have received that she might be buried on the island, and possibly in this area,” said Elaine.

“I have known Leta for 35 years, and she would not just disappear on her own, she has a son, and a mother with Alzheimer’s who is dying,” said Elaine.

Man power along with cadaver dogs has been able to notice things that were not noticed before. The search team has been guided to come to the Le Galion area with the goal of finding Leta’s remains and giving her a proper burial.

Elaine got a bit emotional when she was conveying her gratitude to the people of St. Maarten. She is very grateful to the local authorities, and all those that have been very helpful, caring and supportive, and to them all they owe their thanks.
 

***Nut changed the title/added Leta's name

The Party's Over... Elaine was Frank's girlfriend. She was on the island the next day after leta disappeared. I don't think she left and came back. She rented a rental car and frank and her used it on January 12th, 2008. They were spotted at mamas pizza near his villa.

Martini - good to see you.  This guy is a dirtbag and I hope they can get him. 

Frank was in the villa on the computer when Leta woke up and she entered the villa and called "Bobbie" her boyfriend but Frank and Leta used Skype and Frank saw that she was on the phone with Bobbie. He knew it was over. They were not swingers they did not learn the lifestyle! 

Dateline http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30625972// aired a hour long coverage about Missing Leta~ Transcript from a reporter can be found at the link above.  ::MonkeyEek::  ::MonkeyNoNo::

There is an archive of all the news on the missing Leta case here...

http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/12212  ::MonkeyWink::

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2009-05-19 12:40.
on SXM Private Eye
Hi Flipper,

How are you? First of all I would like to thank you for your concern about the well being of Leta Cordes, it is very much appreciated. Leta is a very dear friend and all of us that know her and love her miss her terribly. The pain her disappearance has caused her family and friends is more than I can even begin to describe.

The RST has been diligent in their efforts to locate Mrs. Cordes. They do indeed feel she is deceased. Search efforts are continuing to locate her remains. The investigation is OPEN and we hope and pray for JUSTICE.

Dateline aired some information that was distorted and disturbing to say the least. For the RECORD...I am NOT Frank Cordes 'girlfriend". The implication is wrong. Lets all keep focused and find our dear friend. Mr. Cordes distractions and allegations WILL NOT STOP US from searching for the truth.

We are determined to bring Leta home for a proper burial so she can rest peacefully along side her family. We are equally determined to get this perpetrator behind bars for committing this horrific crime against an innocent woman.

The citizens of Sint Maarten / Saint Martin have been incredible, caring and more helpful than we could have ever asked for. THANK YOU so much to EVERYONE that continues to reach out and give us a hand. Our GRATITUDE to ALL of YOU is in our hearts every moment of every day.

If ANYONE in Sint Maarten knows ANYTHING at all that can help us locate Leta Cordes PLEASE contact the RST at 599-542-8761.

My best to all of you,

Elaine Karas
Friends of Leta Cordes

http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/16425#comments  ::MonkeyCool::

Thank You So much Martini
Thank really puts everything back into perspective.

I still have my suspicion against Elaine, I feel she controls all the searches and her partner is neck deep in her attack against her friend????

Frank Cordes said that he is the one who dropped his wife to the casino, he said his wife was drunk at the time and that she wanted to drive there but because she was so drunk he did not give her keys to the car. Cordes said that he advised his wife to take a taxi home since he was not in the mood to go get her later that night...
He further claimed that someone from Westin had called him and said his wife had an argument (verbal attack, Elaine was sleeping w/Frank) that night while at the casino...

Also, I gleaned that she was staying with Frank and that he was letting her stay in the room that he had been sleeping in while he moved to another room in the house.
http://kerpupples.blogspot.com/2008/01/wheres-leta-lynn.html

Massive Search for Leta Lynn Cordes To Take Place---Divers searching French Quarter Fish Pond...

Searchers to use sonar
to look for Leta Cordes
PHILIPSBURG--Dutch and French authorities plan to resume the search for missing American woman Leta Lynn Cordes, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Search teams led by Kingdom Detective Cooperation Team RST officers “will make use of advanced sonar equipment” as they try to find the 49-year-old woman’s remains, said Prosecutor Rienk Mud in a terse press statement.

It has been a little more than 17 months since Cordes went missing. Mud said they would start the search “shortly.”

Searchers will be acting on “new information” that might lead to the recovery of the woman’s body. Searchers tried in vain to locate her in shallow pools near Le Galion Beach and Coconut Grove in French St. Martin in February. Months earlier, Dutch-side searches had turned up nothing new.

Mud said searchers would be going high-tech to find the woman. “The search team will make use of advanced sonar equipment that can be applied in deep as well as in shallow waters,” said Mud.

Leta Cordes’ husband Frank Cordes was arrested in mid-October 2008. Authorities held him until the end of January, but had to release him for lack of evidence. 

resource: St. Maarten Daily Herald

Thanks for the update Martini ..

FYI
Out research of murders committed on the islands in the area and South America shows that most of the time bodies are disposed of on land by locals.
This man is not a local ..So who knows..
We did this study over a 4 year period during the Natalee Holloway investigation..

Search for Cordes will continue,
but authorities not saying much

PHILIPSBURG--Searchers gathered enough information while diving in French St. Martin waters in search of American Leta Cordes’ corpse this week that they plan to do it again in the vicinity of Etang de Poisson, prosecutors said Thursday.

But that is all authorities were willing to say, for fear of hurting the investigation into Cordes’ 18-month-old disappearance. Dutch, French and U.S. teams have swum the French Quarter pond since Monday looking for the 49-year-old woman’s remains. She is presumed dead.

Dutch-side prosecutors offered a terse press statement about the search, assuring that they would be more informative when possible. Prosecutor Rienk Mud said, “My hands are tied” in revealing information about the case. “It is all I can say at the moment,” Mud said about his statement to media houses. “In the interest of the investigation, this is all we can do now.”

The press release confirmed that 15 divers had made “extensive searches” in the area this week, including within mangroves that shade the pond. “The whole area was divided into sectors and thoroughly searched,” the statement read. “In some cases, waters were very shallow and could be searched on foot.”

Findings there were promising enough to warrant more searches, according to the statement. “Based on information gathered during these searches it was decided to execute another search attempt in the vicinity of Etang de Poisson,” the statement said.

Authorities on both sides of the island have searched for Cordes since she went missing on January 11, 2008. Her husband, Frank Cordes was arrested and released, and international media houses have flocked to St. Maarten/St. Martin to cover the story.

Mud could not say when teams would resume searching. “Not even that, because it could well be that it [will be] something different than diving,” Mud said. “Rest assured, the minute I can … tell you what the situation is, I will do so.”

Earlier searches near Cordes’ Dawn Beach home in Oyster Pond and in Le Galion and Coconut Grove had revealed nothing.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/m040/cordesm040.html


Mud: Cordes search
over, nothing found

PHILIPSBURG--Authorities ended a fourth round of searches for missing American woman Leta Cordes on Friday. “We are no closer to finding her,” prosecutors said.

Divers searched waters in French St. Martin every day last week looking for Cordes, who disappeared on January 11, 2008. Acting on “new information” about the possible location of her remains, 15 Dutch, French and U.S. searchers swam ponds in French Quarter and navigated mangroves alongside the water.

Prosecutor Rienk Mud said Sunday that the searches had revealed no trace of Cordes. It was the fourth large-scale search for the woman since she went missing and the second since the start of this year. “That was the last hope we had,” said Mud. “There will be no more searches and we have to wait for new things to pop up.”

Authorities were tight-lipped about the searches until Thursday, hoping to find Cordes’ remains. Mud said they wouldn’t start searches again until they had reason to do so. “We have to wait and see if anything comes up before revitalising the search,” Mud told The Daily Herald.

Searchers have used dinghies and boats and helicopters looking for Cordes. Investigators held Frank Cordes, Leta’s husband, as the main suspect. The courts kept him jailed for nearly four months while prosecutors tried to prove he was involved, but they couldn’t keep him in custody any longer for lack of evidence.

A search at Le Galion Beach and Coconut Grove in February turned up nothing.

Authorities stopped believing Cordes was alive several months ago. Mud would not say what new information had prompted the renewed search. “I’m not going to tell you that,” he said tersely.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/m042/mudm042.html

They don't date the articles but they are July 3rd and July 6th, 2009.

Authorities stopped believing Cordes was alive several months ago. Mud would not say what new information had prompted the renewed search. “I’m not going to tell you that,”  he said tersely.


They know everything.
jmho