33 yo Leanne Hecht Bearden Missing Since 1/17/14

[texasmom]

http://www.woai.com/pages/michaelboard.html?article=12002765

Friday, January 24, 2014
Leanne Bearden, One Week Later

 

Here's the latest:  The 33 year old may have been carrying a backpack.  We have learned that her family noticed that a backpack was missing from the home.  It's black on the sides and orange on the front.

That orange may be a clue.  Bearden was last seen walking towards 3009, which is a major route across Garden Ridge.  Maybe a Texas Longhorns fan saw the orange.  Maybe a hunter saw the orange.

The rest of the clothing description is the same.  Merrill hiking shoes.  Jeans.  Dark colored t-shirt.

 

[texasmom]

I think the older man with glasses that speaks in the video is Josh Bearden's dad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfcS_fWwqvw

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cfcS_fWwqvw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/cfcS_fWwqvw</a>

Search for Missing Woman Last Seen in Garden Ridge
FOX San Antonio 2,611 videos

Published on Jan 22, 2014

By: Ted Garcia
Family and friends of Leanne Bearden were out in force this morning with their own army of volunteers.They're frustrated with authorities' efforts to find Bearden, who was last seen at her in laws Garden Ridge home around 1:00 p.m. last Friday.About 50 people -- including friends and family -- combed a 5 mile radius, searching for clues.Will Bearden, Leanne's father-in-law, says the volunteers ruled out places she might have been and says searchers may have found a few new leads.The Garden Ridge Police Department says it is also still looking for leads.

[texasmom]

Links to video, Will Bearden speaks about his daughter in law.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8zSLSCf4dg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gTmPF1L5_w


Leanne's brother, Michael Hecht speaks to HLN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2teyPZUcU44

[grace-land]

Impressive...

http://www.linkedin.com/in/joshbearden

Josh Bearden 

Experienced Senior Account Executive
Greater Denver Area    Information Technology and Services

 
 
Josh Bearden's Summary

Experienced sales professional with history of exceeding quotas, increasing revenue and growth, and penetrating new territories. Results-driven technology sales professional with over 12 years of successful sales and business development experience.

Josh Bearden's Experience

World Traveler - Blogger

Goexplore365.com 

March 2012 – January 2014 (1 year 11 months) Earth

Completed an “Around the World” journey spanning twenty-three months, March 2012 – January 2013, during which I visited fifty-eight countries across six continents. This personal goal was achieved with diligent advance planning and budgeting. The experiences have resulted in a tremendous amount of personal development, genuine appreciation for other cultures, enhanced and strategic decision-making processes and an increased sense of independence and confidence.
 

[texasmom]

http://www.woai.com/articles/woai-local-news-119078/can-drones-help-find-leanne-bearden-12008053/


Can Drones Help Find Leanne Bearden?

Posted Monday, January 27th 2014 @ 1pm  by Jim Forsyth

Drones may be the next step in the frustrating search for Leanne Bearden, who left her in laws home in Garden Ridge January 17th and has not been seen since.

Following a massive search Saturday using trained search teams, helicopters and hundreds of volunteers and led by the Texas Rangers, Garden Ridge Police said since there is no evidence that a crime was committed, police will not lead any more searches, although they will continue to receive and follow up on any leads they receive.

But Frank Black of Texas EquiSearch, a respected search and rescue group, says drones may be the answer.

“We have offered them the use of an unmanned aircraft to photograph the areas and see if she might be out in any of those areas,” Black told 1200 WOAI news.

 

“We have a gentleman, one of our members who live not far from there, and he is very successful in locating people with his drone,” Black said.

A drone could fly into areas which are generally inaccessible to human searchers, like tiny caves where some people think Bearden may have gotten stuck which exploring during her search.

 

[texasmom]

Video from this morning's GMA

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/missing-texas-woman-leanne-beardens-husband-pleads-22194468

Missing Woman's Husband Pleads for Help
Police are asking for the public's help in the search for Leanne Bearden in Texas.
01/27/2014


Transcript for Missing Woman's Husband Pleads for Help

We begin with the mysterious disappearance of a woman in Texas. Leanne Bearden disappeared while out on a walk. Reena ninan joins us.

Reporter: Right now, police say they have no reason to suspect foul play. Her husband ruled out as a potential suspect. They're asking for the public's help.

They had just fulfilled a dream traveling the world together for two years. Now, her husband living a nightmare. It's been nine nights.

It feels like a thousand years. It's like you fell off a cliff. Because my best friend is gone.

Reporter: About a month after returning from their trip around the world, she went missing. Last seen Friday January 17th after going for a walk near her in-laws home in Texas.

Landscapers saw her leave and head north.

From there, we have zero clues. Reporter: Law enforcement agencies have scoured the area. No sign of the missing marketing graduate.

We've exhausted the area surrounding our city. Reporter: So far, police have rule out foul play. Josh says his 33-year-old wife left the house with only her wallet.

He's handed over his laptop to police an he says he's constantly checking his wife's credit card for any activity. Nothing has changed.

We're kind of at a loss.

We don't know what to do for now.

Reporter: Perhaps for heart breaking, they were preparing for their next stop, Denver. And the next adventure.

The next phase of life was to start a family.

Reporter: He has one desperate plea for the woman he loves more than anything else in the world.

If somebody has you, then -- just hang in there.

We'll find you. But a lot of people are looking for you. We're never, ever going to stop looking for you ever.

Reporter: The family believes Leanne might be beyond the area searched. Let's get Dan Abrams in on this now. A big step by the police ruling out the husband.

For now, they're ruling him out. That tells you they have investigated already. They talked to him, the friends.

They read the blog. The fact at the they have his laptop. I thing this is all very helpful to him in allowing them to look at other things.

Meaning, from his perspective, it's let the authorities focus attention where it ought to be, not on me. The best way to do that is be cooperative, give them everything they want. Help them rule you out.

This landscaper eyewitness could be key. It's important in corroborating his account. In a lot of cases, a family member is missing, someone is suspected, no one has ever seen the person leave the house.

No one is able to corroborate the account. In this case, this landscaper is saying, I saw her leave the house alone. Exactly as the husband lays it out.

So I think now the authorities really want to look around in that area, scour the area. Hope, hope, hope that maybe there was an accident and she fell. She's in desperate need of help.

Critical. They are treating this as a search. They have to for now.

There's no reason not to. And remember, there's also no reason to suspect the husband. The only reason I'm talking about this so much is because that's what's going on in the mind of the investigators.

SEE LESS

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

[texasmom]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/27/colorado-woman-vanishes-after-returning-home-from-trek-around-world/

Family exploring all options after woman vanishes in Texas following trip around the world

By Greg Norman
Published January 27, 2014
FoxNews.com

The family of a Colorado woman who vanished after she returned home from traveling around the world says they are exploring all possibilities behind her disappearance, including whether or not she was abducted.

Leanne Bearden, 33, vanished on January 17 after she left a relative’s home in Garden Ridge, Texas, to go for a walk. She returned to the U.S. recently after a two-year-trek across several continents with her husband, Josh, which was chronicled in a blog she wrote.

Garrett Stethens, a friend of the family and their spokesman, told FoxNews.com that Leanne said to Josh that she would only be gone for an hour, but she never returned.

“There are no clues as to where she went,” Stethens said about her disappearance. “It was completely out of the blue. It was mysterious. It’s baffling.”

Since Leanne vanished, her family and friends have launched all-out searches for her, going on day hikes, hiring private helicopters and using a bloodhound to try to track her scent.

A missing-persons poster on a website created by the family says she was last seen wearing a dark T-shirt, jeans and hiking boots, and might have been carrying a backpack.

 

Stethens said more hikes were scheduled for Monday and there have been searches for Leanne every day since January 17.

“We’re not going to stop just because they did,” Stethens told FoxNews.com.

Leanne left the house without her cellphone and there has been no activity on her credit cards.

Authorities are not considering Josh Bearden as a suspect in her disappearance.

“While we are very concerned for Ms. Bearden’s welfare, there is no indication at this time that this is criminal in nature,” the Garden Ridge Police Department said in a statement.

Asked if Leanne could have ventured off to a far-away place, based on her experience with traveling, Stethens said it was a possibility.

“She was a seasoned traveler,” he said. “The possibility is that maybe she did.”

Stethens added that the family is considering every possible scenario, including an abduction.

 

Anyone with information about Leanne Bearden’s whereabouts is urged to call the Garden Ridge Police Department at 210-651-6441 or the Heidi Search Center at 210-650-0428.

[texasmom]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Private-investigator-now-on-missing-woman-case-5179817.php

Private investigator now on missing woman case
By Zeke MacCormack : January 27, 2014

The family of a Colorado woman who went missing from a Garden Ridge home Jan. 17 has hired a private investigator to supplement police efforts to find her.

“He's going to start taking a closer look, and perhaps look into different areas,” Will Bearden, the missing woman's father-in-law, said Monday of investigator Charlie Parker.

 

Parker said his first step is to learn everything he can about Leanne Bearden, who'd recently completed an around-the-world trip with her husband and was preparing to return home to Denver.

“She could have fallen in harm's way or she could have run away. We just don't know,” Parker said. “We'll be checking airports, train stations, bus stations and truck stops.”

Will Bearden said a thorough search by authorities Saturday around his neighborhood has convinced the family that his daughter-in-law is not there.

“We're searching in areas moving out from there,” he said Monday. “We're also asking people who have property in this area to just look around their property and see if there's anything unusual.”

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Parker at 210-826-4052 or Garden Ridge police at 210-651-6441.

[texasmom]

Scroll down the page for the Video

http://www.webpronews.com/missing-woman-husband-vows-to-keep-searching-2014-01

Missing Woman: Husband Vows To Keep Searching
By Amanda Crum · 3 hours ago

A woman who went missing during a walk near her in-laws’ Texas home is no longer part of a police search, but her husband says he will never stop looking.

 

“She said she was going to go for a walk, and I said, ‘How long are you going to be gone?’ and she said an hour,” said Josh Bearden. “I said, ‘OK babe, take your time.’ That’s the last thing I said to her.”

Officials in Garden Ridge, Texas searched an area of over 23 miles for Leanne but came up with no clues as to her whereabouts. Now, they’ve called off the search after saying they have been over every area Leanne could have reached on foot, but Josh says he will never stop the search.

“There’s still a lot of area that needs to be covered that I feel that Leanne could have walked,” Bearden said.

 

“It’s been nine nights and feels like 1,000 years, and everything is going through my head … every single thing you can think of is going through my head,” Josh said. “There’s not one scenario that I have not thought about. The hardest part of all of this, besides not sleeping, has been keeping my hope…The second I lose my hope, Leanne is gone, and my biggest fear is I will lose my hope.”

Speaking to his wife in the hopes that she’s somewhere in the range of his voice, Bearden said, “If somebody has you just hang in there. We’re going to keep looking for you. We’re never ever going to stop looking for you.”

Anyone with information about Leanne’s whereabouts are asked to call the Comal County Sheriff’s Dispatch line at (830) 620 – 3400.

[texasmom]

http://findleannebearden.com/images/leannebeardenposter.pdf

[New Monkey]

Has anyone heard if the dogs picked up her scent?  It seems like they would have quite a trail to follow if she was on foot, doesn't it? 

The part where the husband says he's not ready to search for employment seems bizarre to me.  Of course he's not.   

[Green Eyes]

Has anyone heard if the dogs picked up her scent?  It seems like they would have quite a trail to follow if she was on foot, doesn't it? 

The part where the husband says he's not ready to search for employment seems bizarre to me.  Of course he's not.   

I haven't read any thing about what the dogs might have found. Yes you would think since the used dogs they would have picked up something. I just don't know what to think. How does someone just vanish ;ole this?  I know it happens every day.

[texasmom]

https://twitter.com/JBWeather/status/426016711783874560

Jeremy Baker ‏@JBWeather

Bloodhounds are now involved in the search for #LeanneBearden who has been missing since last Friday. @KENS5 pic.twitter.com/fpmeHrFon1



7:41 AM - 22 Jan 2014




I've read that dogs lost her scent nearby, but I've seen no official confirmation of that.

Saw this comment, no idea if he knows this for a fact or not.


https://www.facebook.com/ourfriendleannehechtbearden/posts/220237371501256?comment_id=453370&reply_comment_id=453376&total_comments=11

Tommy Vincent There are traffic signal cams to both the east and west of Sumac along 3009... these are on 30-day recording loops and are owned by the City of Garden Ridge. These cameras, based on information from the tree trimmer and the end-of-scent from canine searches, indicate that she was last on 3009 at Teakwood, one street over from Sumac. If this is the case, there is no way that Leanne could have travelled, either by foot or vehicle, past those signal cams without being captured. EVERY vehicle caught on video cam in that four hour span should be investigated.
January 25 at 11:23pm · Edited

[texasmom]

A lot of information in the audio links about the search that took place on Saturday.  The audio links are from a Press Conference before the search.

Live scent and cadaver dogs were used in the search.

http://www.woai.com/pages/michaelboard.html?article=12008201

Monday, January 27, 2014

Leanne Bearden Press Conference

Here is the audio of the press conference from saturday.  It starts off with the police chief.

I know there is always distrust of the media.  Here is a way to hear exactly what the people in charge of the search for Leanne Bearden are saying.

4:25 is interesting, because they talk about all the agencies involved in the search.

Click here to listen
http://media.ccomrcdn.com/media/station_content/1229/2014/01/mp3/default/police_in_garden_ridge_texas_d_0_1390829805.mp3

And here is Garden Ridge Police Chief Donna O'Conner answering questions about why it took more than one week to organize the search

Click here to listen
http://media.ccomrcdn.com/media/station_content/1229/2014/01/mp3/default/leanne_bearden:_missing_0_1390830228.mp3

As you can hear, there was an EXTENSIVE search for Leanne, despite what some have reported.

[texasmom]

If you've listened to the audio of the Press Conference from before the search on Saturday, it was stated that the FBI was involved in the search.

https://www.facebook.com/ourfriendleannehechtbearden/posts/220237371501256?comment_id=453279&offset=0&total_comments=73

Larissa Lindberg I am speechless, yet still so hopeful for leannes return..I hope the FBI is staying involved, this case needs attention and needs attention now!
Like · Reply · 6 · January 25 at 10:17pm

https://www.facebook.com/ourfriendleannehechtbearden/posts/220237371501256?comment_id=453279&reply_comment_id=453312&total_comments=3

Josh Bearden Unfortunately, the FBI has never been involved. Not sure where that came from but it's not accurate.
January 25 at 10:39pm

 

https://www.facebook.com/ourfriendleannehechtbearden/posts/220237371501256?comment_id=453279&reply_comment_id=454193&total_comments=3

Karen Edwards Reynolds I thought the police chief said it... MySan Antonio post.
Yesterday at 11:48am

[texasmom]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Private-investigator-now-on-missing-woman-case-5179817.php

“He's going to start taking a closer look, and perhaps look into different areas,” Will Bearden, the missing woman's father-in-law, said Monday of investigator Charlie Parker.

https://twitter.com/charliepi



Charlie Parker
@charliepi

Private Investigator Married to Carole Parker a criminal mitigation specialist.

San antonio,Texas · find-anyone.com

Recent interview...

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/01/23/newday-intv-investigator-charlie-parker-imposter-orig-cnn-films.cnn.html

Clips from "The Imposter"

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/01/23/the-imposter-pereira-newday.cnn.html

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/01/20/orig-cnn-films-the-imposter-more-than-meets-the-eye.cnn.html


Klaas will like this one...he nabs the "imposter" by comparing his ear to the missing boy...   

Hoping he can help find Leanne! 

[texasmom]

https://twitter.com/charliepi/status/427936817355055104/photo/1

Charlie Parker ‏@charliepi

Help needed. pic.twitter.com/5oOaNtmygk



2:51 PM - 27 Jan 2014

[klaasend]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Private-investigator-now-on-missing-woman-case-5179817.php

“He's going to start taking a closer look, and perhaps look into different areas,” Will Bearden, the missing woman's father-in-law, said Monday of investigator Charlie Parker.

https://twitter.com/charliepi



Charlie Parker
@charliepi

Private Investigator Married to Carole Parker a criminal mitigation specialist.

San antonio,Texas · find-anyone.com

Recent interview...

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/01/23/newday-intv-investigator-charlie-parker-imposter-orig-cnn-films.cnn.html

Clips from "The Imposter"

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/01/23/the-imposter-pereira-newday.cnn.html

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/01/20/orig-cnn-films-the-imposter-more-than-meets-the-eye.cnn.html


Klaas will like this one...he nabs the "imposter" by comparing his ear to the missing boy...   

Hoping he can help find Leanne! 

   Hope he can help find Leanne as well!

[texasmom]

https://www.facebook.com/ourfriendleannehechtbearden/posts/221903391334654

Chris Busch
This email is from the UT Houston Police Department. If the reports are accurate, which seems likely as she was reported as seen three times in Houston yesterday, then this is good news!

MISSING PERSON

UT Police is requesting your help and be on the look out for Ms. Leanne
Bearden. Ms. Bearden has been the subject of a nation wide missing person
search since 1/17/2014. Ms. Bearden was reported missing from Garden
Ridge, TX just outside San Antonio. A Texas Medical Center employee
reported seeing Ms. Bearden on TMC property at approximately 5:30pm
yesterday (01-27-2014). It was also reported to the missing persons’ hotline
on two other occassions yesterday that Ms. Bearden was sighted on
Richmond Ave, and along Westheimer. There is a good possibility she is in
the area and her welfare may be at risk. She may be seeking shelter or
medical help.

If you see Ms. Bearden or have knowledge of her whereabouts please contact
UT Police immediately at 713.792.2890.

ALERT
From The University
of Texas Police at
Houston
713-792-2890

7 minutes ago

[klaasend]

https://www.facebook.com/ourfriendleannehechtbearden/posts/221903391334654

Chris Busch
This email is from the UT Houston Police Department. If the reports are accurate, which seems likely as she was reported as seen three times in Houston yesterday, then this is good news!

MISSING PERSON

UT Police is requesting your help and be on the look out for Ms. Leanne
Bearden. Ms. Bearden has been the subject of a nation wide missing person
search since 1/17/2014. Ms. Bearden was reported missing from Garden
Ridge, TX just outside San Antonio. A Texas Medical Center employee
reported seeing Ms. Bearden on TMC property at approximately 5:30pm
yesterday (01-27-2014). It was also reported to the missing persons’ hotline
on two other occassions yesterday that Ms. Bearden was sighted on
Richmond Ave, and along Westheimer. There is a good possibility she is in
the area and her welfare may be at risk. She may be seeking shelter or
medical help.

If you see Ms. Bearden or have knowledge of her whereabouts please contact
UT Police immediately at 713.792.2890.

ALERT
From The University
of Texas Police at
Houston
713-792-2890

7 minutes ago

FWIW  - I did find the same alert on the UT Houston Twitter page:

https://twitter.com/UTPoliceHouston