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Push for tips in missing persons cases in Orange County
Detectives are reigniting the push for tips in missing persons cold case in Orange County.
ORLANDO, fla. - Members of six families stood teary-eyed in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Thursday, hoping their words will help bring closure to a long list of families looking for missing loved ones in the county.
Each of the six told the stories of their long-lost loved ones. Some like Junior Tima’s father Desira only disappeared last August, others like Lolita Rowe’s sister Latonya have been gone since 1994.
"Just not knowing where she is or what happened to her, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy,” said Rowe.
Latonya Roberts went missing 25 years ago; the only trace of her was her car parked outside a, now gone Eatonville nightclub.
Rowe said she was thrilled to get the call from the Sheriff’s Office saying they wanted to renew the search for her.
"It's hard to believe that someone cannot know anything,” she said.
Others speaking included the mother of Ryan Gaddy – missing since last August, the sister of Cullen Leith – disappeared April 2016, and the aunt of Tamara Elbertson, unseen since 2011.
"The hardest thing is when it's cold when it's raining, you wonder: is he out there, you know, hungry?" said the sister of Joel Fernandez, missing since November 2012.
Sheriff John Mina hosted the 6 Thursday in an attempt to bring some of the county’s outstanding missing person cases back into the public light.
“Right now we have roughly 100,” said one Orange County detective speaking to the media. "These cases: they've run cold. We have nothing."
The Sheriff reassured those families, and all of the families with missing loved ones in the county that his detectives continue to look into leads on these old cases and try to bring closure to each.
However, he said most need someone who saw something to come forward and speak up.
"Each one of these cases there's a $5000 reward for any information that leads to some answers,” Mina said.
Anyone with information in these cases or any open missing person cases in the area is asked to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.