TANIA GUZMAN - 15 yo - Jackson TN

Another Missing Girl in Tennessee

June 17, 2011 07:05 PM EDT

A teenage girl is missing in Tennessee and the police are
seeking help from anyone who has details on her whereabouts. This case
adds to the growing number of disappearances of women and young girls in
Tennessee. Will anyone come forward and help the police find her, or
will this end up on the list of increasing cold cases in the state?



Tania Guzman, 15, disappeared sometime in April. Her story has only made it to the
media recently, which goes to show that some cases are just not of the
utmost priority.Tania isn't a blonde-haired, blue eyed coed, but
she is equally as important as a missing person in the state of
Tennessee. The Jackson Police department describes her as Hispanic,
standing at 5'3" and 150 lbs.Police claim that there is evidence
that she may have run away from home on her own free-will, but until she
is found this will not be certain. Also, being a runaway doesn't put
her in any less danger than women like Holly Bobo, who was allegedly led
from her home into the woods by a man in camouflage. This alleged
kidnapping occurred a little less than an hour away from where Tania
Guzman went missing.If anyone has any information about Tania, please contact the Jackson Police Department.
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979465073

Missing Jackson teen’s family desperate to find her; police say she’s a runaway
June 22, 2011

JACKSON, Tennessee (Isabelle Zehnder reporting) -- Fifteen-year-old
Tania Guzman allegedly ran away over two months ago and her family is
desperate to find her; last week police reached out to local media
asking for the public's help.
Asked how police have classified Tania's case, Jackson Police
Investigator Chris Chestnut said during a phone call Wednesday
afternoon, “She's classified a runaway.”
According to the scant news reports available, there were no signs or indications of abduction or foul play in Tania's case.
Chestnut said that their department has received multiple
communications from Tania’s frantic mother who is asking police for
their help.
According to Chestnut Tania has made telephone contact with her
mother. The problem, Chestnut said, is that Tania calls her mom but
blocks the number. They have not yet been able to identify Tania’s
location.
So, Chestnut says, as far as they know Tania is a runaway and until
they receive further information that indicates otherwise, her
classification will remain a runaway.
Investigator Chestnut said he is reviewing a long, 4-page email he
recieved in the case. He said he will gather more information and will
contact me with further details. Once he does I will provide my readers
with an update. If, in the meantime, Tania's family reads this article
and wishes to contact me they can do so at isabelle@seattleheadlinesexaminer.com.
The Jackson Sun reported on this case on June 16, asking people to
notify Jackson Police, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) or
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Asked if the TBI is involved in Tania's case Kristin Helm,
spokeswoman for the TBI, responded to an email Tuesday saying, "TBI has
not heard anything about her [Tania's] case from the locals."
Why does it matter if Tania is classified a “runaway” or “missing”?
There are a number of concerns when a missing teen’s case remains
classified a “runaway” after they’ve been gone for an extended period of
time.
The main concerns are that one, she could have left of her own free
will and encountered danger along the way, and two, classifying a teen a
“runaway” eliminates the family’s chances of getting outside help to
find her, including from search and rescue teams and missing persons’
agencies. Police also tend to not take “runaway” cases seriously.
Anytime a teen is missing this long there is cause for concern.
Questions arise such as who is she with, does she have money for food,
has she put herself in harm’s way without realizing it? Does she want to
come home, and is she afraid of the consequences?
Teens often don’t realize how desperate their parents are to have them home. Most parents are worried, not angry.
Albert Kingsbury, whose daughter Ashley went missing earlier this
year, said all he wanted was his daughter home safe and that whatever
went wrong could be dealt with as a family once he got his daughter
back. Read: Missing AZ teen Ashley Kingsbury found in TX with UT man she met online.
In Ashley’s case she met an 18-year-old Utah man online. The two had
been communicating and arranged to meet at her home in Arizona.
Ashley’s parents felt something was wrong when they saw their
daughter’s room in disarray. They found glass on the floor from a
picture frame that had fallen off the wall, her cell phone on the floor,
and the back door ajar. All of her personal belongings remained in her
room including her purse, hair brush, and makeup – all things important
to teen girls. Ashley was only 13 at the time.

Police refused to issue an Amber Alert saying the case didn’t warrant one.
Fortunately Ashley was found alive and brought home to her family.
Her father was told by police that the man she’d met online was harmless
but he quickly learned that wasn’t the case. The man took Ashley clear
across the country before the two were identified by a bank teller who
had seen their photos online.
Again, classifying a child or teen’s case a “runaway” eliminates the
possibility that her family can get outside help to find her. Outside
agencies, including search and rescue teams and missing persons’
organizations, typically won’t touch runaway cases. The child has to be
classified missing or endangered missing first. Read: Elizabeth Ennen: Runaway status impedes family's efforts.
Media often won’t report on runaway cases, either. And often police don’t take runaway cases as seriously as they should.
Elizabeth Ennen’s case is a classic example. She went missing last
January and it wasn’t until 16 days later that police, after receiving
an anonymous tip as a result of community efforts, would view
surveillance video that showed her abduction. Her abductor was arrested
later that day and two days later he led police to her body. Read:
Elizabeth Ennen: The missing link.
Elizabeth’s mother begged police to change her classification but
they refused. The video was there all along, and according to
Elizabeth's family, police knew all along that she’d babysat at the
motel. In her case, police knew the motel was a hotbed for drugs and
prostitution.
It is crucial that police take these runaway cases seriously when the
case goes from a typical runaway case to one that clearly shows cause
for concern.
Teens run away and police can’t chase after them all. But most teens
who run away return within 24 to 48 hours. Once they’re gone longer than
that there’s no telling what is happening, where they are, or who
they’re with. As mentioned above, there’s no way to know if they’ve met
up with danger.
Anyone with information on Tania’s whereabouts are asked to call
Jackson Police at 731-425-8400 or the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children at 800-THE-LOST.
Description (from NCMEC):
Name: Tania Guzman
DOB: 4/7/1996
Date Missing: 4/20/2011
Age Now: 15
Missing from: Jackson, TN
Race: Hispanic
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 140 lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
Details: Tania left her grandfather’s home on
Montclair in Jackson on or about April 20, 2011. She may be in the
company of a juvenile female, and according to the NCMEC, she could
still be in the local area.
Source: Jackson Sun, wnws.com, NCMEC

Tania Guzman missing Jackson Tennessee


Continue reading on Examiner.com Missing Jackson teen’s family desperate to find her; police say she’s a runaway - National missing persons | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/missing-persons-in-national/missing-jackson-teen-s-family-desperate-to-find-her-police-say-she-s-a-runaway#ixzz1Q5ZxlHzQ

Family: Missing Jackson girl seen in Hardeman Co.

12th July, 2011

Police and family members are still searching for a 15-year-old girl who has
been missing since April. Tania Guzman recently has been sighted in the
Bolivar and Toone areas, said her grandfather, Bob Hallay of Jackson.
The Jackson Police Department has asked to public to help locate Guzman.
She is described as a Hispanic girl with black eyes and brown hair, and
she is about 5 feet 3 inches tall and 150 pounds.
Guzman left her grandfather's home on Montclair in Jackson on April 20. Police
said indications are that she ran away. There are no signs of abduction
or foul play, according to police.
Guzman's grandfather said she also has been going by the name of Regina Brown or
Tania Brown and may be in the company of another teenage girl.
"I have cancer in my kidney, and they won't operate," Hallay said. "I have
a few months and would like to get Tania home to her mom and three
brothers."
If you have seen Guzman or have any information about her whereabouts, please
call JPD Investigator Aubrey Richardson at 425-8400, the Tennessee
Bureau of Investigation at (800) TBI-FIND or the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children at (800) THE-LOST.
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110712/NEWS01/107120319

Nothing new 4-9-12