CHYENNE KIRCHER - 14 yo/ Accused: Stepfather; Terry Abbas - East Dubuque IL

EAST DUBUQUE- Chief of Police Steve O'Connell says 14-year-old East Dubuque High School freshman Chyenne Kircher told her parents she was going to a friend's house between 3-4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12.



Later that evening, about 11 p.m. a note, that appears to have been written by Kircher, was found in a car. The note indicated she was not coming home.

O'Connell says there have been several reports that Kircher was seen at locations in Dubuque, including a HyVee Store.

Kircher is 5'2" and about 145 pounds. She was wearing a black vest when she left her home.

Anyone who has seen Kircher or has information on her whereabouts is asked to call the East Dubuque Police Department at 815-747-3913.

http://galenagazette.com/main.asp?SectionID=142&SubSectionID=344&ArticleID=17023

Police in East Dubuque, Illinois  are concerned for the safety of a missing teenaged girl.

It’s been about nine weeks since 14-year-old Chyenne Kircher left a note, telling her family she ran away.

Her mom says Chyenne functions below grade level and isn’t the type to do something like this.

It seems everyone in the small community of East Dubuque wants to find Chyenne Kircher.

Police Chief Steve O’Connell said, “There’s a very large percentageof people in this community who  know Chyenne. We describe her as asocial butterfly. She’s out and about  and she can be anywhere in town.”

Kathy Stierman is an art teacher in the East Dubuque School district, she’s known Chyenne for seven years.

Teachers say they’re very worried about the missing teen.

Stierman said, “it seems like sometimes kids slip through the cracksand we have  to make sure the whole community, the whole tri-state areaknows we are  still looking for Chyenne.”

Police say people who’ve seen her picture say they’ve spotted her in Dubuque. A recent k-9 unit search suggested the same thing.

O’Connell said, “we believe we were following some of her activities in town and some of those actually led us to Dubuque.  ”

Police say they are investigating all possibilities , including if it was actually Chyenne who wrote the runaway note.

O’Connell said, “we sent her note along with numerous samples of herhandwriting  to the state police lab. A handwriting specialist who compared her  homework along with the note and they’re written by thesame person.”

Earlier this month Lamar Advertising in Dubuque put up a missing child alert on some of its digital billboards.

That included a picture of Chyenne.

Those digital billboards ran for about a week, free of charge.

http://easterniowanewsnow.com/2011/11/23/missing-teen-concerns-east-dubuque-police/

nothing new found 4-10-12

The clear blue sky over East Dubuque HighSchool filled with hundreds of bright yellow balloons Tuesday as students remembered one of their own who is not with them.

Chyenne Kircher, 14, has notbeen seen or heard from since after the school day ended on Oct. 13. Shewas in the East Dubuque freshman class, but the entire high school turned out for the brief ceremony Tuesday at the end of the school day.

http://www.thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_e80f90f4-a45a-11e1-9178-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=story

Stepfather Accused of Killing East Dubuque Teenager Missing Since Oct. 2011

Story Created: Sep 18, 2013 at 6:44 PM CDT
Story Updated: Sep 20, 2013 at 1:13 AM CDT

EAST DUBUQUE, Illinois - An East Dubuque man is charged with murder, accused of killing his stepdaughter who disappeared nearly two years ago.

Illinois court records show 40-year-old Terry Abbas was arrested and charged with two counts of murder this morning in Jo Daviess County. According to the records, Abbas is accused of strangling a minor identified only as "C.K." with his hand "with the intent to kill."

The filing references an offense date of October 13, 2011. That is the same day 14 year-old Chyenne Kircher disappeared from her East Dubuque home. Abbas made an inital appearance in Jo Daviess County Court Thursday, his bond was set at $1 million.

During a press conference Thursday afternoon, law enforcement announced that Abbas was arrested on Wednesday as part of their investigation into Chyenne's disappearance. Abbas was under investigation by a Critical Incident Response Team from the state of Illinois. The C.I.R.T. began their investigation six months ago.

During the press conference, a spokesperson said officials believed Chyenne body is located in an area behind her family home, an excavation of the scene is under way.

Officials from the East Dubuque Police, Jo Daviess County Sheriff's Office, the Illinois State Police and the FBI are at the excavation site.

In October 2012, East Dubuque Police Chief Steve O'Connell said samples of Chyenne's handwriting were sent to the state crime lab to find out if it matched the runaway note. O'Connell said the results did not lead them to believe there was foul play involved.

The Jo Daviess County Sheriff's Department has scheduled a press conference for 8 a.m. Friday.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Chyenne-Kircher-224322761.html

Human Remains Found Behind Home Of Missing East Dubuque Teen

Story Created: Sep 20, 2013 at 1:15 AM CDT
Story Updated: Sep 20, 2013 at 4:16 PM CDT

EAST DUBUQUE, Illinois - Human remains have been found in a wooded area behind the East Dubuque home where missing teenager Chyenne Kircher is believed to be buried, investigators said in a news conference Friday morning.

Officials were searching for the body of Kircher, who disappeared in October 2011. The search focused on a wooded area behind the home where her mother and stepfather live. Her stepfather, Terry Abbas, is accused of strangling Chyenne. Abbas, 40, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of murder.

"At this time, we have no reason to believe anyone but Terry Abbas was involved in this homicide," Jo Daviess County Sheriff's Deputy Dave Hachmeister said at Friday's news conference.

Investigators would not say that the remains were Chyenne's, and continue to work with the remains at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, Hachmeister said.

Other charges may be filed in the case as the investigation unfolds, Hachmeister said.

Chyenne disappeared in October 2011, and her case was originally treated as a missing persons case. At the time, officials said Chyenne had left a note indicating she was running away from home.

The case was re-evaluated in March at the request of East Dubuque Police Chief Steve O'Connell, and since then, investigators have pursued numerous tips nationwide, including leads from Texas, Wisconsin, Alaska, Florida and Iowa, Hachmeister said.

More than a dozen law enforcement officers were at the home Thursday participating in search and excavation efforts.

"We have reason to believe that her body is located at a location right in town by her home,” Jo Daviess County Sheriff's Deputy Dave Hachmeister said. "We are, at this point, doing some excavation with Illinois State Police and FBI evidence technicians."

Hachmeister said that the process was "running a bit slow and behind schedule." Storms Thursday afternoon and evening also slowed the search.

“Part of the reason it’s taking so long is because it’s very methodical, painstaking work,” said an FBI agent involved in the search. “We want to make sure that we do it thoroughly, properly and cover all of our policies and procedures."

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Investigators-Continue-Search-for-Remains-of-Missing-Teenager-Stepfather-Charged-with-Murder-224523811.html