Alexandria "Ali" Lowitzer 16, Spring, TX Last Seen 4/26/10

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6999075.html
Search for missing Spring girl 'in a holding pattern'
May 10, 2010

The ground search for a 16-year-old Spring girl who went missing two weeks ago has been suspended until more clues about her disappearance surface, said search organizers Monday.

“We just don't have a lot to go on right now,” said Bob Walcutt, executive director of the Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children. “We're in a holding pattern right now.”

Alexandria Lowitzer, a Spring High School student, has not been seen since April 26, when she got off the school bus near hear her home about 3 p.m., said her parents, John and JoAnn Lowitzer. She has a cell phone but has not called relatives or friends.

The Laura Recovery Center initiated a search last week, with volunteers combing areas near the Lowitzer home. The search was suspended Sunday evening. S heriff's officials said they have no new leads in the case, which is being investigated as a runaway case.

John Lowitzer's employer, Exel, held a fundraiser on Saturday . About $2,000 was raised, and the company gave a match of $3,000 . A Facebook page also has been set up to generate leads. John Lowitzer said the family is trying to remain hopeful.

[MuffyBee]

http://fatcatwebproductions.com/the_paper/432-information-needed-search-missing-spring-teen
Information needed in search for Missing Spring Teen
May 11, 2010


The parents of a Spring teenager are seeking help from the community to help locate their missing daughter  Alexandria Lowitzer, Ali to her friends, is an active 16-year-old who loves to text on her cell phone and play softball. She has been missing since April 26 after getting off the school bus near her home in Spring, TX.

 By STEFANIE THOMAS
Updated: 05.07.10

SPRING , TX  - Alexandria Lowitzer seems to have vanished without a trace.

No phone calls, no text messages, no good-bye letter to indicate she was upset and wanted to get away from things. No obvious reason, anyway, for her to be upset.

The last time anyone saw the 16-year-old teen from Spring, she was getting off the school bus April 26, only a few feet from her home on Low Ridge Road.

Since Saturday, May 1, the Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children, a non-profit organization based in Friendswood, has organized a massive onsite search effort that has so far drawn approximately 200 volunteers to comb the extensive wooded area behind the Lowitzer residence.
 
“We had a horse team out in the woods through the Greater Houston Search Dog Team, and they also brought a dog to do some tracking and trailing,” said Bob Walcutt, executive director of the Laura Recovery Center, which was contacted by Ali’s family. “So far we have nothing to hang our hat on. We had some tips, different leads, but nothing concrete.”

The Houston Police Mounted Patrol covered a large portion of the wooded expanse, assisting Precinct 4 Constable’s deputies and Harris County Sheriff’s officials in the recovery effort, Walcutt said, and two men volunteered to search the area on ATVs.

“We’re literally covering areas where someone could take a person, commit a crime and [leave] them - large wooded areas, ponds, creeks,” he said. “Around here, there are a lot of places like that and so far we have found nothing. We’re still no further along than we were on the first day.”

RUNAWAY - OR NOT?

Walcutt said his organization generally doesn’t get involved in runaway cases, which was still the current status assigned to Ali’s disappearance by law enforcement as of Friday.

“If we knew for sure this was a runaway, we would not be physically here right now,” he explained. “But Alexandria apparently lives on her phone, uses her text messaging all the time. When she left, everything stopped once she got off that bus. Everything. There has been no activity on that phone since then, which leads to the possibility that something may have happened to her at that point.”

Shaye Vaught is a friend of the Lowitzer family. Her own daughter and Ali are good friends, and over the years Ali had become a part of Vaught’s family as well.

“I love Ali to death; she’s like a third daughter to me,” she said. “She used to be in my Girl Scout troop, and it was nothing to have Ali come in the door behind my daughters after school and stay for dinner.”

Vaught, who volunteered at the Laura Recovery camp all week long, described Ali as a good kid, very sweet - a kid who would never run away to leave everything, and everyone, she loves behind. Those who know the teen say for her to miss her softball team’s season tournament and her best friend’s 16th birthday party is out of character.

“She’s a teenage girl, sure, but she’s not in any way a troublemaker,” she explained. “She was very excited about her job at Burger Barn. I think she really liked the work. She constantly called them to pick up extra shifts.”

In fact, officials believe Ali was on her way to pick up her paycheck from work, only half a mile from her home, after she got off the school bus.

Vaught said law enforcement could dedicate more resources to the search for Ali if her status were updated to “endangered.”

“It’s disheartening that she’s still listed as a runaway,” she said. “It would step things up a notch.”

Walcutt said law enforcement continues to conduct its investigation and at this time there is no hard evidence that foul play is involved. At the same time, he said, the complete lack of activity on Ali’s cell phone was enough to convince the Laura Recovery Center to get involved.

“My best hope is that she is a runaway,” he said. “In that case, she can come home and be safe and well. If she’s not a runaway, then all bets are off. In 99 out of 100 cases, everything turns out fine, but it’s that one percent that’s worrisome. Bad things do happen.”

>www.LRCF.org

There is also information on the Laura recovery site. http://www.facebook.com/l/5969b;www.LRCF.org and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) web site.

[MuffyBee]

Here's an older article, but it has a video and picture.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100505-search-resumes-for-missing-teen-girl?obref=obinsite
(video)
Search Resumes for Missing Teen Girl
May 5, 2010

[MuffyBee]

http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-missing-spring-teen-story,0,1214598.story
(video)
Missing Spring Teen, Parents Fear the Worst
Alexandria Lowitzer has been Missing since April
May 10, 2010

She vanished two weeks ago and investigators aren't sure if Alexandria Lowitzer ran away or if someone snatched her but her parents are fearing the worst.
The nights and days have come and gone for John and Joan Lowitzer. They last saw their sixteen year old daughter Alexandria last month.

The teen went missing on Monday, April the twenty six. She spoke to her mother just before getting off the school bus.

"She had a good day," said Joan Lowitzer. "Life was good that day."

Ali, as her family and friends called her, never made it home for dinner.

"This is a photo of Ali as she is getting off her school bus," said John Lowitzer, holding onto a picture taken from surveillance video on Ali's school bus.

Alexandria would of been walking down Treaschwig. She was headed to her job just a few blocks down the street but co-workers told authorities they never saw walk inside.

"She didn't take any of her makeup, she didn't take her cell phone charger, no clothes nothing that would be important to a sixteen year old girl," said John Lowitzer.

Missing flyers are taped throughout Spring businesses along Treaschwig and Cypress. Volunteers with the Laura Recovery Center have even organized search parties but the teen's whereabouts are still unknown.

Investigators are waiting to hear from eye witnesses who might have clues to suggest foul play. In the meantime, both parents remain optimistic.

"I can't fear the worst," said Joan Lowitzer with tears in her eyes. "I have to keep hope that she's (going to) come home."

They're hoping to see Ali walk through the door.

If you have any information that might help investigators find Alexandria Lowitzer call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-tips.

[klaasend]

An old Myspace of hers

http://www.myspace.com/165539511

(Edit-correct spelling of nickname in subject line-MB)

[klaasend]

Her Facebook - looks more current:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1008045124&ref=search&sid=1570897983.1450108316..1




(Edit-correct spelling of nickname in subject line-MB)

[klaasend]

BRING ALI LOWITZER HOME:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120051401346429

(Edit-correct spelling of nickname in subject line-MB)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7003397.html
Security video shows Spring teen day she went missing
May 13, 2010




Authorities today have released surveillance camera images for a 16-year-old Spring girl who went missing two weeks ago. Earlier this week the ground search for Alexandria Lowitzer was suspended until more clues about her disappearance surface, said search organizers.

Authorities today have released surveillance camera images for a 16-year-old Spring girl who went missing two weeks ago. Earlier this week the ground search for Alexandria Lowitzer was suspended until more clues about her disappearance surface, said search organizers on Monday.

The Spring High School student has not been seen since April 26, when she got off the school bus near her home about 3 p.m., said her parents, John and JoAnn Lowitzer. She has a cell phone but has not called relatives or friends.

Two of the newly released photos of Alexandria show her as she was getting on and off a school bus at about 3 p.m. A third photo shows her at about noon in a Spring High School hallway on the same day.

Sheriff's officials have said they have no new leads in the case, which is being investigated as a runaway case.

Family members, however, believe Alexandria didn't run away.

The Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children, a non-profit organization based in Friendswood, has organized a search effort for Alexandria that has combed the extensive wooded area behind the Lowitzer residence.

Bob Walcutt, executive director of the Laura Recovery Center, said his organization generally doesn't get involved in runaway cases.

“If we knew for sure this was a runaway, we would not be physically here right now,” he said. “But Alexandria apparently lives on her phone, uses her text messaging all the time. When she left, everything stopped once she got off that bus. Everything. There has been no activity on that phone since then, which leads to the possibility that something may have happened to her at that point.”

[MuffyBee]

http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/News/Your_News/THE_SEARCH_CONTINUES_FOR_LOCAL_MISSING_TEEN_ALEXANDRIA_JOY_LOWITZER/30081
THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR LOCAL MISSING TEEN ALEXANDRIA JOY LOWITZER
May 13, 2010
Alexandria Lowitzer, Ali to her friends, is an active 16-year-old who loves to text on her cell phone and play softball. She has been missing since April 26 after getting off the school bus near her home in Spring, TX.

SPRING , TX - Alexandria Lowitzer seems to have vanished without a trace.

No phone calls, no text messages, no good-bye letter to indicate she was upset and wanted to get away from things. No obvious reason, anyway, for her to be upset.

The last time anyone saw the 16-year-old teen from Spring, she was getting off the school bus April 26, only a few feet from her home on Low Ridge Road.

Since Saturday, May 1, the Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children, a non-profit organization based in Friendswood, has organized a massive onsite search effort that has so far drawn approximately 200 volunteers to comb the extensive wooded area behind the Lowitzer residence.

“We had a horse team out in the woods through the Greater Houston Search Dog Team, and they also brought a dog to do some tracking and trailing,” said Bob Walcutt, executive director of the Laura Recovery Center, which was contacted by Ali’s family. “So far we have nothing to hang our hat on. We had some tips, different leads, but nothing concrete.”

The Houston Police Mounted Patrol covered a large portion of the wooded expanse, assisting Precinct 4 Constable’s deputies and Harris County Sheriff’s officials in the recovery effort, Walcutt said, and two men volunteered to search the area on ATVs.

“We’re literally covering areas where someone could take a person, commit a crime and [leave] them - large wooded areas, ponds, creeks,” he said. “Around here, there are a lot of places like that and so far we have found nothing. We’re still no further along than we were on the first day.”

RUNAWAY - OR NOT?

Walcutt said his organization generally doesn’t get involved in runaway cases, which was still the current status assigned to Ali’s disappearance by law enforcement as of Friday.

“If we knew for sure this was a runaway, we would not be physically here right now,” he explained. “But Alexandria apparently lives on her phone, uses her text messaging all the time. When she left, everything stopped once she got off that bus. Everything. There has been no activity on that phone since then, which leads to the possibility that something may have happened to her at that point.”

Shaye Vaught is a friend of the Lowitzer family. Her own daughter and Ali are good friends, and over the years Ali had become a part of Vaught’s family as well.

“I love Ali to death; she’s like a third daughter to me,” she said. “She used to be in my Girl Scout troop, and it was nothing to have Ali come in the door behind my daughters after school and stay for dinner.”

Vaught, who volunteered at the Laura Recovery camp all week long, described Ali as a good kid, very sweet - a kid who would never run away to leave everything, and everyone, she loves behind. Those who know the teen say for her to miss her softball team’s season tournament and her best friend’s 16th birthday party is out of character.

“She’s a teenage girl, sure, but she’s not in any way a troublemaker,” she explained. “She was very excited about her job at Burger Barn. I think she really liked the work. She constantly called them to pick up extra shifts.”

In fact, officials believe Ali was on her way to pick up her paycheck from work, only half a mile from her home, after she got off the school bus.

Vaught said law enforcement could dedicate more resources to the search for Ali if her status were updated to “endangered.”

“It’s disheartening that she’s still listed as a runaway,” she said. “It would step things up a notch.”

Walcutt said law enforcement continues to conduct its investigation and at this time there is no hard evidence that foul play is involved. At the same time, he said, the complete lack of activity on Ali’s cell phone was enough to convince the Laura Recovery Center to get involved.

“My best hope is that she is a runaway,” he said. “In that case, she can come home and be safe and well. If she’s not a runaway, then all bets are off. In 99 out of 100 cases, everything turns out fine, but it’s that one percent that’s worrisome. Bad things do happen.”

www.LRCF.org

There is also information on the Laura recovery site. http://www.facebook.com/l/5969b;www.LRCF.org and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) web site.

Contact Information:

LAURA RECOVERY CENTER
906 Anna Lane Friendswood, TX 77546
Toll Free Phone : 866-898-5723
Phone : 281-482-LRCF(5723)
Toll Free Fax : 888-268-0573
Fax : 281-482-5727
   

Missing Since: April 26, 2010 at 15:00
Missing From: Low Ridge Road
Sex: Female
Height: 5 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 145 lbs
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Auburn
Race: Caucasian
Birth Date: February 3, 1994 Age: 16
Braces on Upper & Lower Teeth
Distinguishing Marks: Faint scar from chicken pox between her eyes

[MuffyBee]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7440934
Search continues for missing Spring teen
May 14, 2010

SPRING, TX (KTRK) -- It's been 17 days since anyone's seen or heard from 16-year-old Alexandria, or Ali, Lowitzer.
She was last seen on April 26 getting off the bus at Knotty Post Lane and Low Ridge Drive in Spring. That's about 30 feet from her home.


She has just disappeared, and what worries her parents more is that a few months ago, in their neighborhood, another girl who is the same age was almost kidnapped.

"It's been very exhausting in the past two and a half weeks," her father said.

Lowitzer is a gifted artist. Her art adorns the family's dining room, but what her parents are now hoping for is a better portrait into her disappearance.

School bus security camera photos show Lowitzer exiting the bus on April 26.

Her home is a two-minute walk away, but she never made it home, and just about all of her belongings remain in her bedroom.

"She left her cell phone charger, where it's always put in; she had cash in her purse on the floor, and she loves to wear makeup, but none of her makeup is gone," her mother said.

And what worries her parents even more is that just a few months ago, a girl around Lowitzer's age was almost abducted.

"A car pulled up next to her and a guy got out and he tried to grab her around the neck and she bit him," Lowitzer's dad said, "so he backed off and tried to get her around the waist and she was able to get away."

And as the family prepares to head into another weekend without Lowitzer, her family is stockpiling supplies for another search.

Food and fliers fill their dining room, along with their best of hopes.

"We try to stay positive," her mother said.

Lowitzer is 5 feet 2 inches tall, 145 pounds, has hazel eyes and auburn hair. She has braces on both her upper and lower teeth.

At 9am Saturday, the Laura Recovery Center will stage another search for Lowitzer at the Northwood Baptist Church.

[MuffyBee]

http://fatcatwebproductions.com/the_paper/449-search-ali-lowitzer-resume-weekend
Search for Ali Lowitzer to Resume this Weekend
May 14, 2010

16-year-old Alexandria Lowitzer disappeared after getting off her school bus a few feet from her home on April 26, 2010.

Ali is a Girl Scout and an avid texter.  Uncharacteristically, no one has heard from her since she disappeared.  She has missed several team and personal events that she was looking forward to, leading to increasing concern about her safety.

Volunteers are needed to search for Ali this weekend, May 15-16, 2010.

Volunteers must be 18 years old or older and have a picture ID with them. Volunteers are asked to report to the Northwood Baptist Church, 5803 Treaschwig Road, Spring, Texas 77373 (281-443-2002) starting at 9AM.  Volunteers are asked to dress for searching through rugged terrain.  The last search teams will be sent out no later than 5PM.  Look for the LRC Mobile Recovery Center in the Church parking lot.

The Laura Recovery Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, that was founded in Laura Smither's memory. The Center focuses on Education, Search, and Prevention in the area of missing children, has offered free abduction prevention programs to over 200,000 children throughout the greater Houston area, worked with approximately 1,450 families with missing loved ones, and has organized 95 community searches for abducted children nationwide. The Center trains law enforcement at the Houston Police Department training academy and other agencies in Texas, and distributes educational materials and child ID kits.

[Nut44x4]

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=1146491&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100514-missing-spring-teenager-galvanizes-community
(with video)
Missing Spring Teenager Galvanizes Community
May 14, 2010


SPRING, Texas - Inside a home where contentment once reigned, there is now torture in the passage of time.

The light of the Lowizter family's once happy life is missing. 19 days have come and gone since 16-year-old Alexandria stepped off a school bus near her parent's house in Spring and simply vanished.

"Just not knowing is the worst feeling I've ever had in my life," says Alexandria's mother, Joann Lowitzer.

A common run away? Not likely.

Allie, as she's known to her friends, seemed to love everything about her busy teenage life - art, choir, softball and especially her new job at the Burger Barn just down the road from her home.

"That's my baby girl," says her father John Lowitzer, barely able to contain his emotion.

John says his daughter has always maintained constant contact with friends, averaging 4,000 text messages a month, but since the day she went missing not a single word has come through to anyone.

It's why search parties continue to scour the thousands of wooded acres surrounding Spring.

"To be out there beating the bush and to come across something is the worst fear and the fear that we don't want to focus on. We want to have the hope that she's out there and she's okay and that she's going to come home safe," he added.

It's the kind of hope and pain that's touching deeply all who've parented and many who haven't.

"She's a wonderful person," says Joann Lowitzer, unable to hold back her tears.

A beloved person her parents pray is still living and capable of being set free.

Allie's father extended an urgent message to anyone who may know of his daughter's whereabouts.

"Let her go. Let her come home. We love her and we want her back."

Saturday morning, volunteers led by the Laura Recovery Center, plan to gather at Spring's North Wood Baptist Church and continue the search.

[cartfly]

I am so upset that an Amber alert was not issued for this child. Just one street over, there are TWO sex offenders living at the same address. (23303  BRIGHT STAR) and another 5 or so in the immediate area!

Perp# 1 (additional pictures at link below)



   
Date:5/15/2010
User:
LUCAS,WAYNE DAVE JR
Description
SID   05351568
Risk Level   MODERATE
Ending Registration Date   NON-EXPIRE
Verification Requirement   ANNUALLY
Sex   MALE
Race   WHITE
Ethnicity   NON-HISPANIC
Height   6'1"
Weight   210 lbs
Hair Color   BROWN
Eye Color   BLUE
Shoe Size   13
Shoe Width   UNKNOWN
ICO   
   
Current Photo
Current Record
Photo Reported - 1/25/2010
Names

    * LUCAS,WAYNE DAVE JR (PRIMARY)
    * LUCAS,BUDDY
    * LUCAS,DAVE
    * LUCAS,WAYNE
    * LUCAS,WAYNE DAVE
    * LUCAS,WAYNE DAVID

Birthdates

    * 12/31/1972 (PRIMARY)

Registration/Verification Information
Date   Event Type   Agency
01/25/10   VERIFICATION   HARRIS CO SO HOUSTON
02/27/09   REGISTRATION   DEPT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE HUNTSVILLE
Address Information
Date   Address   
01/25/10   23303  BRIGHT STAR
SPRING ,TX  77373
HARRIS   Display on Map
Occupation Information
Date   Employer   Address
01/25/10   UNEMPLOYED
Education Information
Date   School   Employee   Student
01/25/10   NONE
Occupational License Information
Date   Occupational License Issuer
01/25/10   NONE
Offenses
TX:36010001 INDECENCY W/CHILD SEXUAL CONTACT
Victim
Sex    Victim
Age    GOC   Time   Disposition Date   Discharge   Status
FEMALE     9          2Y     2/7/2003     YES   TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Citation
TEXAS PENAL CODE  §21.11 (A)(1)

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DPS_WEB/SorNew/PublicSite/index.aspx?PageIndex=Individual&IND_IDN=6721172

[cartfly]

Perp #2

HERNANDEZ,MATTHEW B
Description
SID   06209015
Risk Level   NOT REPORTED
Ending Registration Date   4/4/2013
Verification Requirement   ANNUALLY
Sex   MALE
Race   WHITE
Ethnicity   HISPANIC
Height   5'6"
Weight   165 lbs
Hair Color   BLACK
Eye Color   BROWN
Shoe Size   10
Shoe Width   D
ICO   
   

Current Record
Photo Reported - 4/7/2010
Names

    * HERNANDEZ,MATTHEW B (PRIMARY)
    * HERNANDEZ,MATHEW BRYAN
    * HERNANDEZ,MATTHEW
    * HERNANDEZ,MATTHEW BRYAN

Birthdates

    * 4/4/1985 (PRIMARY)

Registration/Verification Information
Date   Event Type   Agency
04/07/10   VERIFICATION   HARRIS CO SO HOUSTON
03/23/00   REGISTRATION   HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Address Information
Date   Address   
04/07/10   23303  BRIGHT STAR
SPRING ,TX  77373
HARRIS   Display on Map
Occupation Information
Date   Employer   Address
04/07/10   UNEMPLOYED
Education Information
Date   School   Employee   Student
04/07/10   NONE
Occupational License Information
Date   Occupational License Issuer
04/07/10   NONE
Offenses
TX:11990004 AGG SEXUAL ASSAULT CHILD
Victim
Sex    Victim
Age    GOC   Time   Disposition Date   Discharge   Status
FEMALE     10          4Y     4/1/1999     YES   UNKNOWN
Citation
TEXAS PENAL CODE  §22.021(A)(2)(B)

[cartfly]

Perp # 3 living on a cross street

   
Date:5/15/2010
User:
ADAMS,CODY LAUGHNTON
Description
SID   06269036
Risk Level   MODERATE
Ending Registration Date   2/28/2016
Verification Requirement   ANNUALLY
Sex   MALE
Race   BLACK
Ethnicity   NON-HISPANIC
Height   6'3"
Weight   205 lbs
Hair Color   BROWN
Eye Color   BROWN
Shoe Size   13
Shoe Width   UNKNOWN
ICO   
   
Current Photo
Current Record
Photo Reported - 6/26/2008
Names

    * ADAMS,CODY LAUGHNTON (PRIMARY)

Birthdates

    * 5/18/1976 (PRIMARY)

Registration/Verification Information
Date   Event Type   Agency
05/10/10   VERIFICATION   HARRIS CO SO HOUSTON
02/28/06   REGISTRATION   DEPT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE HUNTSVILLE
Address Information
Date   Address   
05/10/10   5802  CROOKED POST RD
SPRING ,TX  77373
HARRIS   Display on Map
Occupation Information
Date   Employer   Address
05/10/10   BRONCO   12502  MOSIELEE
HOUSTON
TX  77086
Education Information
Date   School   Employee   Student
05/10/10   NONE
Occupational License Information
Date   Occupational License Issuer
05/10/10   NONE
Offenses
TX:36990013 INDECENCY W/A CHILD EXPOSES
Victim
Sex    Victim
Age    GOC   Time   Disposition Date   Discharge   Status
FEMALE     14          2Y     2/18/2000     YES   UNKNOWN

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DPS_WEB/SorNew/PublicSite/index.aspx?PageIndex=Individual&IND_IDN=5352821

[cartfly]

Alex was dropped off at the corner of Knotty Post Lane and Low Ridge Drive by the school bus 30 feet from her home. The red push pins indicate the 3 sex offenders posted above

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7011578.html
Spring parents still waiting for their missing teen to call
May 18, 2010


John and JoAnn Lowitzer are surrounded by “missing” posters and photos of their 16-year-old daughter, Alexandria, known as Ali.

Sometimes while driving, John Lowitzer becomes so consumed with thoughts about his missing daughter that he mutters to himself, “Where are you?”

Then, before his emotions overwhelm him, he hears a little voice that says, “Daddy, I'm OK.”

“Those are the hard things,” said Lowitzer as he tried to hold back his tears. His wife, JoAnn Lowitzer, sitting next to him in their Spring home this week, reached for his hand.

Three weeks have passed since their 16-year-old daughter, Alexandria, went missing. She was last seen April 26, getting off a school bus at Knotting Post and Low Ridge Road about 3 p.m.

Alexandria, also known as Ali, hasn't made a call or sent a text from her cell phone, and no one has reported seeing anything suspicious that day, her parents said.

An exhaustive search over the weekend turned up no clues.

Ali's disappearance has left the Lowitzers feeling numb. Frustration has also settled in because law enforcement is not treating Ali as a missing person case.

The parents struggle each day to drown out fears of what might have happened to her and try to concentrate on what's most important — finding Ali unharmed.

“Yesterday, I was feeling a little down,” John said. “Every day that goes by is one day closer to finding her, but it's also one more day we're farther behind.”

The outpouring of community support and assistance from the Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children, which has organized ground searches, has helped them get through the long days. Hundreds of people have volunteered for searches and to pass out fliers. More than 3,000 people have befriended a Facebook page dedicated to locating Ali.

“If not for the Laura Recovery Center and the volunteers, I'd be lost,” John said. “They've been like a cornerstone.”
‘She's going to call'

Harris County sheriff's officials are investigating Ali's disappearance as a runaway case, but the Lowitzers do not believe she ran away. It wasn't her nature, they said.

“We know our daughter,” John said. “She's going to call someone.”

The Spring High School student did not take anything from her room. All she has with her is her multicolored checked backpack and the clothes she wore to school, he said.

The budding artist also had a lot of activities going on in her life. She had a softball tournament the week she went missing and a friend's birthday party, which she helped plan, that she was going to attend that weekend, her mother said.

But sheriff's officials said that without any evidence of foul play, there is no reason to believe that Ali did not leave on her own free will. The department does not have criteria to determine if a case is a runaway or missing person, said Harris County sheriff's spokeswoman Christina Garza.

“Each case is different and unique, especially when dealing with children,” Garza said. “It's even more challenging.”

John said he understands that police have to follow protocol, but if she was a missing person, her case would receive more attention.

“It's just a little frustrating,” said John, who wore a green and black ribbon pinned to his shirt. Green was Ali's favorite color.
Taking the bus home

On the morning of April 26, Ali appeared to be her normal self, JoAnn said. She was a little grouchy when she got up at her usual time about 6 a.m. She then rushed to dress, put on her black eyeliner, ate breakfast and got to the bus stop by 6:15 a.m.

JoAnn said she called Ali at school around 2:30 p.m. to check on her plans after school. Ali said she would catch the bus home and walk to her job at a burger joint near her home to get her paycheck.

JoAnn said she grew concerned when she had not heard from Ali later that evening. She sent her a couple of text messages but never received a reply.

“As it got closer to 9 p.m., the more curious I got about why she had not answered me,” she said.

She drove to the burger restaurant about 9:10 p.m., only to find it closed and empty. She called John, shouting hysterically, “She's gone! She's gone!”

“I didn't know what to think,” John said. “We both felt she would come home. We didn't know what to do.”

JoAnn called police about 11 p.m., and was told to wait a little while longer, she would come home.

“They never told me what to do if she didn't come home,” she said.
First week ‘was horrific'

By morning, they said they were in a panic and realized something was terribly wrong. Cell phone records show that Ali received her last call from her mother and sent her last text at 2:57 p.m., to a male friend, her mother said. The boy, who was later contacted by John, said he didn't know anything about her whereabouts, she said.

The first week of her disappearance was nearly unbearable, the Lowitzers said.

“It was horrific for me,” John said. “I had a huge knot in my stomach. I couldn't eat or sleep. As a parent all the fears go through your mind. All the what-ifs would tear me up.”

The Lowitzers have had to do a lot of detective work and publicity on their own. John hastily made a handwritten flier the day after she disappeared and later secured video camera footage from her school. They both also knocked on doors and posted information on social websites.

The Lowitzers are working on establishing a trust fund in Ali's name and a reward for information.

The parents are also each sending Ali a text message every night.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/News/Local_News/UPDATE_SEARCH_FOR_ALI_LOWITZER_TO_RESUME_THIS_WEEKEND/30133
(Slide show)
UPDATE: SEARCH FOR ALI LOWITZER TO RESUME THIS WEEKEND
May 17, 2010



UPDATE: A REWARD HAS BEEN POSTED...John and JoAnn Lowitzer have issued a $5000.00 reward for Ali's safe return.

16 year old Alexandria Lowitzer disappeared after getting off her school bus a few feet from her home on April 26, 2010.

Ali is a Girl Scout and an avid texter. Uncharacteristically, no one has heard from her since she disappeared. She has missed several team and personal events that she was looking forward to, leading to increasing concern about her safety.

Volunteers are needed to search for Ali this weekend, May 15-16, 2010.

Contact: Dawn Davis
LAURA RECOVERY CENTER
906 Anna Lane
Friendswood, Texas 77546
281-482-5723
www.LRCF.org
281-785-1268
info@lrcf.net

Volunteers must be 18 years old or older and have a picture ID with them. Volunteers are asked to report to the Northwood Baptist Church, 5803 Treaschwig Road, Spring, Texas 77373 (281-443-2002) starting at 9AM. Volunteers are asked to dress for searching through rugged terrain. The last search teams will be sent out no later than 5PM. Look for the LRC Mobile Recovery Center in the Church parking lot.
   

Missing Since: April 26, 2010 at 15:00
Missing From: Low Ridge Road
Sex: Female
Height: 5 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 145 lbs
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Auburn
Race: Caucasian
Birth Date: February 3, 1994 Age: 16
Braces on Upper & Lower Teeth
Distinguishing Marks: Faint scar from chicken pox between her eyes

The Laura Recovery Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, that was founded in Laura Smither's memory. The Center focuses on Education, Search, and Prevention in the area of missing children, has offered free abduction prevention programs to over 200,000 children throughout the greater Houston area, worked with approximately 1,450 families with missing loved ones, and has organized 95 community searches for abducted children nationwide. The Center trains law enforcement at the Houston Police Department training academy and other agencies in Texas, and distributes educational materials and child ID kits.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/News/Local_News/HELP_US_FIND_MISSING_TEXAS_TEEN_ALEXANDRIA_LOWITZER/30250
HELP US FIND MISSING TEXAS TEEN ALEXANDRIA LOWITZER
May 19, 2010


Missing Since: April 26, 2010 at 15:00
Missing From: Low Ridge Road
Sex: Female
Height: 5 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 145 lbs
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Auburn
Race: Caucasian
Birth Date: February 3, 1994 Age: 16
Braces on Upper & Lower Teeth
Distinguishing Marks: Faint scar from chicken pox between her eyes

Alexandria Lowitzer, Ali to her friends, is an active 16-year-old who loves to text on her cell phone and play softball. She has been missing since April 26 after getting off the school bus near her home in Spring, TX.

SPRING , TX - Alexandria Lowitzer seems to have vanished without a trace.

No phone calls, no text messages, no good-bye letter to indicate she was upset and wanted to get away from things. No obvious reason, anyway, for her to be upset.

The last time anyone saw the 16-year-old teen from Spring, she was getting off the school bus April 26, only a few feet from her home on Low Ridge Road.

Since Saturday, May 1, the Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children, a non-profit organization based in Friendswood, has organized a massive onsite search effort that has so far drawn approximately 200 volunteers to comb the extensive wooded area behind the Lowitzer residence.

"We had a horse team out in the woods through the Greater Houston Search Dog Team, and they also brought a dog to do some tracking and trailing," said Bob Walcutt, executive director of the Laura Recovery Center, which was contacted by Ali's family. "So far we have nothing to hang our hat on. We had some tips, different leads, but nothing concrete."

The Houston Police Mounted Patrol covered a large portion of the wooded expanse, assisting Precinct 4 Constable's deputies and Harris County Sheriff's officials in the recovery effort, Walcutt said, and two men volunteered to search the area on ATVs.

"We're literally covering areas where someone could take a person, commit a crime and [leave] them - large wooded areas, ponds, creeks," he said. "Around here, there are a lot of places like that and so far we have found nothing. We're still no further along than we were on the first day."

RUNAWAY - OR NOT?

Walcutt said his organization generally doesn't get involved in runaway cases, which was still the current status assigned to Ali's disappearance by law enforcement as of Friday.

"If we knew for sure this was a runaway, we would not be physically here right now," he explained. "But Alexandria apparently lives on her phone, uses her text messaging all the time. When she left, everything stopped once she got off that bus. Everything. There has been no activity on that phone since then, which leads to the possibility that something may have happened to her at that point."

Shaye Vaught is a friend of the Lowitzer family. Her own daughter and Ali are good friends, and over the years Ali had become a part of Vaught's family as well.

"I love Ali to death; she's like a third daughter to me," she said. "She used to be in my Girl Scout troop, and it was nothing to have Ali come in the door behind my daughters after school and stay for dinner."

Vaught, who volunteered at the Laura Recovery camp all week long, described Ali as a good kid, very sweet - a kid who would never run away to leave everything, and everyone, she loves behind. Those who know the teen say for her to miss her softball team's season tournament and her best friend's 16th birthday party is out of character.

"She's a teenage girl, sure, but she's not in any way a troublemaker," she explained. "She was very excited about her job at Burger Barn. I think she really liked the work. She constantly called them to pick up extra shifts."

In fact, officials believe Ali was on her way to pick up her paycheck from work, only half a mile from her home, after she got off the school bus.

Vaught said law enforcement could dedicate more resources to the search for Ali if her status were updated to "endangered."

"It's disheartening that she's still listed as a runaway," she said. "It would step things up a notch."

Walcutt said law enforcement continues to conduct its investigation and at this time there is no hard evidence that foul play is involved. At the same time, he said, the complete lack of activity on Ali's cell phone was enough to convince the Laura Recovery Center to get involved.

"My best hope is that she is a runaway," he said. "In that case, she can come home and be safe and well. If she's not a runaway, then all bets are off. In 99 out of 100 cases, everything turns out fine, but it's that one percent that's worrisome. Bad things do happen."
If you have any information please contact the Houston Police Department or Dawn Davis at the Laura Recovery Center.

Contact: Dawn Davis
LAURA RECOVERY CENTER
906 Anna Lane
Friendswood, Texas 77546
281-482-5723
www.LRCF.org
281-785-1268
info@lrcf.net

The Laura Recovery Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, that was founded in Laura Smither's memory. The Center focuses on Education, Search, and Prevention in the area of missing children, has offered free abduction prevention programs to over 200,000 children throughout the greater Houston area, worked with approximately 1,450 families with missing loved ones, and has organized 95 community searches for abducted children nationwide. The Center trains law enforcement at the Houston Police Department training academy and other agencies in Texas, and distributes educational materials and child ID kits.