ALEXANDRIA LOWITZER - 16 yo(2010) - Spring (N of Houston) TX

Houston/Spring TX ---- Later today, volunteers will begin searching for a teen missing since
last week.
Alexandria Lowitzer, 16, was last seen last Monday returning home after
school.



Anybody wanting to help out with the search is asked to
report to
the Northwood Baptist Church in Spring. Teams will go out from
9am until 4:30pm.
Volunteers must be 18 or older and have picture ID. Remember to wear long pants and sturdy shoes.

Family and friends of Alexandria Lowitzer are stepping up their
efforts to find the 16-year-old girl with the help of the Laura Recovery
Center for Missing Children, handing out fliers and launching an
intensified search until 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, May 3.
Alexandria has been missing from Low Ridge Road for one week after she did not
return home from school last Monday. She is currently listed as a
runaway with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
The missing girl is a white female, measures 5-foot-2 in height and weighs 145 pounds.
Alexandria has hazel eyes and auburn hair, and is of fair complexion.
She wears braces on both her upper and lower teeth.
Alexandria has a faint chicken pox scar between her eyes.
She was last seen wearing a white spaghetti-strap top, a dark
hoodie, black and white checkered skinny jeans, and black tennis shoes.
She was carrying a blue slide cell phone and brown backpack.
Anyone with information regarding Alexandria’s whereabouts is asked to contact
the Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4 at 281-376-3472, and
refer to case number 57351. Information can also be called in to the
Laura Recovery Center at 281-482-LRCF(5723), or toll free at 866-898-5723.
To download and print a flier, go to http://www.LRCF.org.
Volunteers are welcome to participate in today’s search effort by checking in at
Northwoods Baptist Church, located near the corner of Treashwig and
Cypresswood, at 5808 Treashwig in Spring.

Spring, Texas

ALEXANDRIA JOY LOWITZER Missing Since: April 26, 2010 at 15:00 Age: 16 Missing From: Low Ridge Road Sex: female Height: 5 ft. 2 in. Weight: 145 lbs Eye Color: hazel Hair Color: Auburn Race: Caucasian Complexion: fair Birth Date: February 3, 1994 Braces on Upper Teeth Braces on Lower Teeth

Distinguishing Marks: Faint scar from chicken pox between her eyes
Clothing Description: Was wearing white t-shirt, dark
hoodie, black and white checkered skinny jeans,
and black tennis shoes. She had a blue slide cell
phone and checkered multicolored backpack.

Please call the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 at 281-376-3472 if you have any information about ALEXANDRIA JOY LOWITZER- Case number: 57351 Or call the Laura Recovery Center at 281-482-LRCF(5723) or (toll free) 866-898-5723; FAX: 281-482-5727; (RN: 1551)

Download
flyers from Recovery Effort Web Site:
http://www.LRCF.org

Recovery Effort E-mail: recovery@lrcf.net
PLEASE POST
Sign up for Wireless Amber Alerts at:
www.Amber-Plan.net, www.AmberAlert.com, www.WirelessAmberAlerts.org

Sixteen-year-old
Alexandria Lowitzer had big plans on her social calendar. Last weekend,
she was going to a friend's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed birthday party,
which she helped organize. And this week, the Spring High School student
was to play in a softball tournament as her team's catcher.

That's why her parents, John and JoAnn Lowitzer, are so worried and puzzled about her
April 26 disappearance.

Alexandria got off the school bus at Knotty Post and Low Ridge Road, three houses from her
home, about 3 p.m., and hasn't been seen or heard from since, her mother
said Tuesday as volunteers searched for the teenager.

Harris County Sheriff's officials are investigating the case as a runaway. But the
Lowitzers don't believe their daughter ran away. Neither does the Laura
Recovery Center for Missing Children, which began its own investigation
of her whereabouts on April 28 and continues to search for her.

Mom last to talk with her
The activities Alexandria was involved in “throw up some red flags,” said Dawn Davis, a
recovery center case manager. “Whether she left voluntarily or not,
there's a reason she's not back and that's a real concern.”

About 40 volunteers searched areas near the family's home on Tuesday. A team from the
Greater Houston Search Dogs also has joined the ground search.

Alexandria, called “Ali” by family and friends, has not made any calls or text messages
from her cell phone and she has not made any new entries on her Facebook
or MySpace pages, said JoAnn Lowitzer. Her friends also said they have
not had any communication with her, she said. Davis believes her cell
phone battery might be dead.

“I was the last
person to talk to her,” said her mother, who waited at the search
command center at the Northwood Baptist Church in Spring. “She called me
before getting on the bus. She said she might walk to work.”

Didn't show up at job
Alexandria works at a nearby burger joint as a cook, her mother said. The teenager also is
active in school, where she is a member of the choir. She plays the
flute and loves to draw. Her art teacher made arrangements for her to
take an art class this summer, she said.

Alexandria is 5-foot-2 and weighs about 145 pounds. She wears braces with pink banding
and was last seen wearing black-and-white checkered pants, a dark
hoodie and a checkered backpack.

JoAnn Lowitzer said she sends a text to her daughter's cell phone every night just in case
her cell phone comes on.

“I love her,” she said, crying. “I want her to come home.”

mgfrogs79

5/5/10 1:53 AM EDT

The search is going to be going on again 5/5/10 at the same
location. They will be at 9am. They are still in need of volunteers to
help in the search. I hope that the media will pick this story back up
and show the information again. They need donations, gatorade, anything
that you can help with. If you would like to make a donation please do
so in Ali's name. Thank you for your support. Her family is ever so
thankful for all of the wonderful volunteers

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7419146

i don't understand why they can't ping her cell phone before the battery died to help try to locate her.

The Laura Recovery Center is helping a family search for a Spring high
school student who went missing two weeks ago.
They are looking for Alexandria Lowitzer, 16. She was last seen April
26, when she got off her school bus and started walking to work.
Yesterday, volunteers organized in north Harris County to search for
her. Lowitzer's parents held a barbecue benefit to raise money for the
Laura Recovery Center. That benefit was held next door to the search
team's mobile unit. "She didn't take any clothes. She didn't take
any makeup, anything that would be important to a 16-year-old girl if
they were going to run away. She didn't take any of that," said John
Lowitzer, Alexandria's father. "She has her cell phone, but no cell
phone charger." Please call the police or the Laura Recovery
Center at 281-482-5723 if you have any information.

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.”

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.

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.

Authorities released surveillance camera footage Thursday showing the last time
a missing 16-year-old Spring girl was seen in public more than two weeks
ago. Spring High School student Alexandria Lowitzer has been missing since April 26 when
she got off a school bus near her home, said her parents, John and
JoAnn Lowitzer. She has a cell phone but has not called relatives or friends.
Two of the newly released security camera images show Alexandria as she was
getting on and off the school bus at about 3 p.m.
A third photo shows her at about noon in a Spring High hallway on the same day.





Earlier this week, the ground search for Alexandria was suspended until more clues about her disappearance
surface, said search organizers. The Harris County Sheriff's Office has been investigating the case as a runaway.
Family members, however, don't believe Alexandria ran away.

Phone silence worrying
The Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children 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.”

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.

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.

	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 longer that 16 year old Alexandria Lowitzer remains away from her
family, the more concerned her community becomes.
Uncharacteristically, no one has heard from the avid texter and Girl
Scout since she disappeared after getting off her school bus a few feet
from her home on April 26, 2010.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has recently assigned detectives from
the homicide division to assist with the on-going investigation of the
missing person division reflecting their increasing concern for Ali's
safety.

Team Adam, a program of the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children, has assisted in the
search and they are frustrated as well.

Ali has simply disappeared without a trace and without a clue.

The Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children will expand the volunteer
ground search for Ali this weekend, May 22 and May 23, using their
Mobile Recovery Center. The search will be organized from the parking
lot of the Northwood Baptist Church, 5803 Treaschwig Road, Spring,
Texas 77373 (281-443-2002).

If you would like to help in
the search for Ali please contact:Contact: Dawn Davis -
Laura Recovery Center at 906 Anna Lane, Friendswood, Texas 77546
- DawnDavis@lrcf.net
- 281-785-1268 - or 281-482-5723,www.LRCF.org

Search teams will be sent out from the search center from 9AM to 4PM both
days. Volunteers must present a state issued ID (Drivers license, for
example), be 18 years old or older, and be dressed prepared to search
through rugged terrain.

Ali's flyer can be distributed from http://www.LRCF.NET/missing/1551

The father of a Spring girl missing for nearly a month said Sunday he is troubled that
his daughter is still being classified as a runaway by the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

“I'm not angry, but I'm frustrated,” said John Lowitzer, whose 16-year-old daughter
Alexandria — Ali — vanished April 26 and has had no contact with friends
or family since. “I know they are chasing leads and doing what they can
do. But they still think she ran away. If they change her status, we
can get more resources.”

Lowitzer said officials have indicated that if the case were classified as a
kidnapping, for instance, the search for his daughter could potentially
include specialized teams, forensics experts and high-tech aerial
photography from the FBI and the Texas Rangers.

Amber Alerts aren't issued for runaways and Crime Stoppers isn't involved in missing persons cases.

Lowitzer said he believes investigators think Ali ran off because entries in a journal
found in her bedroom indicated she had contemplated running away. But
Lowitzer maintains that the journal Ali wrote such comments in could have been written as
many as three years ago.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office, which pulled its homicide division into the case early
last week as a “fresh pair of eyes” on the case, is “looking into it
non-stop,” said Christina Garza, manager of media relations.

The sheriff's office considers the teen's disappearance a missing person's case because
investigators lack evidence to classify it otherwise, she said.

“I understand the father's frustration, in the sense that she's missing,” Garza said. “But
both units, missing persons and the homicide unit, have put and will
not stop putting all their resources into finding this girl. We hope
she's found alive, and soon.”

More resources

Ali's father said he was pleased when the homicide division joined the case last week
because more resources are now being used to find Ali. The division, he
said, searched various areas in far north Harris County on Sunday.

Lowitzer said he visited with homicide investigators for hours Friday, even taking a
polygraph test, which he passed “with flying colors.”

Ali's father reasons the teen must have been abducted or is otherwise being held against her will.

Remaining in her bedroom are about $30 in cash, her purse, clothing and phone charger,
which she regularly used to support her 3,000-plus monthly text message
usage. Her cell phone hasn't been used since she vanished.

“It doesn't make sense to me. I ran away at 16 and took everything with me,” he said.

Ali's mother further pointed out that Ali missed her best friend's 16th birthday party about
three weeks ago.

“She would never have missed that party,” JoAnn Lowitzer said. “She would never stay gone
this long on her own.”

That Monday afternoon before she vanished, Ali called her mother and said she didn't
have a key to their home in the Postwood subdivision and was going to
walk to the Burger Barn on Cypresswood about a quarter-mile away to pick
up her paycheck.

That was odd because Ali had never trekked the distance before.

Trouble sleeping

Ali's mother told her the house was unlocked, but Ali indicated she was nonetheless going
to pick up her paycheck. She never arrived at the eatery and never
picked up her check, they said.

The Lowitzers are having trouble sleeping and fighting off horrific images about the
possible fate of their daughter, who isn't at all street savvy, her father said.

Her parents think there probably isn't any online connection because Ali had limited
access to her Facebook and MySpace pages because the computer at home
crashed from viruses and Ali's cell phone did not have Internet access services.

Ali's father pleadedwith anyone who might have his daughter.

“To whoever has her:If this was your loved one, you'd want them back. So please let her go.
Please call and let someone know where she is.”

I feel that this is not going to turn out good. I cant imagine what these parents are going thru. I think that LE should have stepped it up since her phone has not been used. I hope it turns out that she just ran away but we see too many horrific cases like this every day on this blog. I hope she comes homes.

“Someone out there knows something and I just simply ask that they contact someone, anyone.” –
John Lowitzer.

Ali Lowitzer disappeared on the afternoon of April 26, 2010 shortly after getting off of her
school bus in Spring. No one has heard from her
since. Ali’s family will join together with the Laura Recovery Center and the Mayor’s Crime Victims office for a
prayer vigil on Thursday, June 17, 2010.
The prayer vigil will be held in front of Houston City Hall beginning at 7:00 pm on the 17^th.
The purpose of the vigil is to heighten
community awareness and to build support for the efforts to find 16 year old Ali.
The vigil will feature several keynote speakers including local Pastors, Andy Kahan from the
Mayor’s Crime Victim’s office, Harris County Constable for Precinct 6; Victor
Trevino and a representative from the Laura Recovery Center.

To learn more about Ali visit the Bring Home Ali Lowitzer Facebook page.

Ali’s father, John Lowitzer added the following post on Facebook today:

"Somebody out there
knows something and I just simply
ask that they contact someone, anyone and give information. Don't be
afraid. This is not about who did it,
it's about the safety and well being of a 16 year old girl. It's about
having comfort in knowing. At least let someone know if she's ok. Please allow
us to begin the road to healing. We're anxious to hear something. Anything.
If it were your family member I would think you'd want the same. Please, I beg you.
If you are out there and have knowledge of her whereabouts or any information,
please tell someone.” – John Lowitzer

The Laura Recovery Center exists to prevent abductions and
runaways and to recover missing children by fostering a Triangle of
Trust among law enforcement, community and a missing child's family.

On the steps of Houston's City Hall tonight will be a prayer vigil for a
missing teenager.
Alexandria Lowitzer, 16, vanished on April 26. She was last seen exiting
a school bus just a few blocks from her home. Her parents don't think
she ran away because most of her belongings were left at home, including
a purse with money inside. With the vigil tonight, Lowitzer's
parents hope to bring more attention to their plight. They will be
joined by members of the Laura Recovery Center, the head of the mayor's
crime victim's office, and Precinct 6 Constable Victor Trevino. That
vigil starts at 7pm.

Someone, somewhere, knows something.

At a prayer vigil for
missing children in front of Houston City Hall June 17, John Lowitzer,
father of missing Spring girl Alexandria Lowitzer, 16, implored anyone
who may have any information about what happened to his daughter, or
where she may be, to step forward.

“This is my baby girl. If
anybody out there knows anything, please speak up, say something,” he
pleaded. “You don’t have to give your name - just tell us where Ali is.”

Alexandria
disappeared after stepping off her school bus April 26, leaving behind a
paycheck from her job, her purse with money inside and her constant
companion, her cell phone. Authorities still have no leads regarding her
whereabouts.


Andy Kahan, the mayor’s crime victims assistance director for
the city of Houston, said statistics form the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children showed that 28 children went missing from
Texas in 2009, and 81 over a 5-year period.

“According to the
U.S. Department of Justice, 797,500 children under the age of 18 were
reported missing in a one-year-period [nationwide] - that’s an average
of 2,185 each day,” he added. “Yet we hold out hope. With perseverance,
persistence and law enforcement assistance we can bring these [children]
back home to their families.”

The Laura Recovery Center, a
non-profit organization launched in Friendswood by Bob and Gaye Smither
after the abduction and murder of their 12-year-old daughter Laura in
1997, has spent the weeks since Ali’s disappearance organizing volunteer
search parties to comb acres of woods near the Lowitzer home and
distribute fliers with Ali’s picture.

“We are here tonight in
hope - hope that a young girl will return home safely; hope that she’s
alive and well; hope that her family, friends and community will
continue to search until she is found,” said Bob Walcutt, executive
director at Laura Recovery Center. “ Hope is a fragile thing. It is
built on love, time and faith, but it can be destroyed by gossip, rumors
and flat-out lies. Families dealing with a missing child face many
hurdles. They must first face the fact that their child is missing. They
must convince the authorities of the seriousness of the situation, and
finally, they must work hard, day and night, to bring their child home.
And sometimes the only thing they have is hope.”

Precinct 6
Constable Victor Trevino, whose office is not investigating the Ali
Lowitzer case in an official capacity but who offered his assistance and
support to the family, said a review of law enforcement policies
regarding missing and runaway children may be in order to ensure all
children, regardless of the reason or circumstances of their
disappearance, are brought home safely.

“Sometimes it’s not about
pointing fingers, or being judgmental, or critical. Sometimes we just
have to be part of the solution and try to help each other out. There
will be time for an assessment, an analysis, an evaluation - later,” he
said. “In law enforcement, we try to do the best we can but sometimes we
fall short. maybe we do have to re-evaluate how we look at each child
as a runaway or as being abducted. Even if it is a runaway, that child
might still be endangered. Whether the child went willingly or not, that
child still needs us - it’s a child. Someone may have coerced or conned
that child. We need to reevaluate our priorities and do a better job.”

Kahan
appealed to parents, challenging them to become more involved in their
children’s lives and monitor their activities, friends and emotional
states.

“Stop being their friend - be their parent,” he urged.
“Be nosy. Check into what they’re doing. Let them know whose homes they
can visit, let them know whose vehicles they can ride in. Tell them to
stay away from pools, creeks, or any large body of water unless there’s
an adult present. Parents, don’t use the mall as a babysitter. Malls are
dangerous. Make sure your kids know what their curfew is and check in
with you when they’re going to be late. Child safety is important
year-round, but right now, during the summer months, it is especially
important. Practice simple, basic parenting skills.”

Community
involvement in missing person cases is critical, Trevino said. Law
enforcement, with its limited resources, cannot do the job alone. He
asked that area residents assist police by being “the eyes and ears” of
law enforcement.

Kahan commended Kingwood resident Ira
Kettles-Lemiska, who started a Facebook group page to help educate the
community about the missing children issue, for taking a proactive role
in promoting awareness.

“Here is someone who saw what was going
on, and instead of yelling and screaming about the injustices of the
world, she took action,” he said. “I loved one of her comments [on
Facebook] - she said parents are in denial, and they must be educated to
minimize the risk and the opportunity to become a victim. She’s a great
example of someone who’s making a difference in the lives of others.
What we do in life echoes in eternity. Never doubt that a small group of
people can make a difference.”

With community involvement and
dogged persistence, Walcutt said, missing children can be found - even
years after their disappearance, when all hope seems to be lost.

“[Tuesday
night] about midnight I got a call from a family that had been waiting
three years to hear from a missing girl. For them, the ordeal is over.
For others, it is just beginning,” he said. “Tonight I ask that you do
your part to help keep hope alive. Go to the Laura Recovery Center
website and e-mail all your friends a flier of a missing child. Ask them
to e-mail it to all their friends. By doing this, maybe, in 24 hours,
we can bring another missing child home. Do your part. Keep hope alive.”

John
Lowitzer expressed his appreciation to law enforcement, the Laura
Recovery Center, friends and family for their support. In a special
message to his daughter - and all the other missing children whose
parents so desperately are waiting for news - he choked on tears as he
begged her to come home.

“We want our baby girl back. Ali, if
you’re out there, baby, come home,” he said. “I love you. We all love
you. You have a lot of love and support behind you. It’s time to come
home. Chasity, it’s time to come home. Everybody, it’s time to come
home.”

For more information about Laura Recovery Center, please
visit www.lrcf.org.

Anyone with
information regarding a missing child is asked to call Crime Stoppers
at 713-222-TIPS.

:O( Still no updates.

Alexandria is still missing. Her parents are very actively organizing volunteer searches etc. Keep up to date on their facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120051401346429&ref=search

Parents of Missing Teen Hold Fundraiser


Updated: Wednesday, 15 Sep 2010, 5:29 PM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 15 Sep 2010, 4:31 PM CDT

• 
  FORD ATKINSON
  Reporter
  

SPRING, Texas - The parents of a missing Spring teenager are holding a fundraiser this weekend to help them bring attention to the case. Alexandria Lowitzer, 16, vanished last April after getting off a school bus. The Spring High School student was walking to her job at a restaurant when she disappeared, her father, John Lowitzer, says. The Harris County Sheriff's Department considers the teen a probable runaway because there's no evidence of foul play. But her father insists Alexandria did not runaway. "She had a good home life," John Lowitzer says. The Sheriff's Department has assigned only one investigator to the case because there is no evidence to pursue. "It' frustrating," Lowitzer says. The fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, September 18th, at the Spring Tavern, 24401 Aldine Westfield Road in Spring.http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100915-parents-of-missing-teen-hold-fundraiser

Alexandria Lowitzer, a resident of Northwest Houston, has been described by many as a typical 16-year-old.

She was involved in a softball team, held down a job at the Burger Barn, balanced her time between school and a social life and talked of plans for the future.

On April 26 2010, the teenager called her mother before getting on the school bus and said she was going to collect her paycheck from her job.

Six months later, the pay stub has yet to be retrieved.

“I got home from work and we usually text by then. After not hearing from her I went up, just before 9 (p.m.), to the Burger Barn and it was closed,” Lowitzer’s mother, Jo Ann Lowitzer, said. “That’s when I started to panic.”

The mother of two said she tried to locate Alexandria frantically without no avail. She contacted her daughter’s father and friends; however, no one had heard from the teen, according to Jo Ann Lowitzer.

She finally went over to Alexandria’s boyfriend’s house only to discover that he had been suffering the same road block, she said.

According to a study by the United States Department of Justice, 797,500 children (younger than 18-years-old) were reported missing in the span of one year which correlates to 2,185 children being absent from home each day.

Local families continue to be torn a part as 206 Texas adolescents can be found on the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) database.

“It’s been terrible. Not knowing is the worse feeling for me,” Jo Ann Lowitzer said in between sobs. “I have to have hope and keep doing anything and everything I can do to find her.”

She has remained true to her word and has enlisted 100 volunteers for ground searches, hosted local benefits, kayaked through Cypress Creek, made calendars and even devoted a page to her daughter’s discovery on Facebook.

With the help of friends and neighbors, the Lowitzer family has been able to raise and offer a $10,000 reward in Alexandria’s honor.

“She spoke her mind and was very outgoing,” Sharon Sligh, a resident who has been active in the fundraising efforts, said. “The weekend before her disappearance she was at Girl Scout camp. She was just a good girl.”

Surveillance footage, which has recently been obtained, shows that Alexandria did in fact board the school bus; however, all evidence ends there as the fellow bus riders don’t recall her whereabouts, according to reports.

Contrary to Jo Ann Lowitzer’s beliefs, the case is being categorized as a runaway due to no signs of foul play, she said.

“The criteria we look for to differentiate between a runaway and an abduction is evidence, history of the children and if there’s any foul play involved,” Sgt. Doug Thomas of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit.

The fact that Alexandria’s home was only three houses down from the bus stop, which was only a quarter of a mile away from the burger shop, has left many in the community wary of their surroundings.

“I have two teenage girls of my own so I worry about them,” Sligh said. “I’m very adamant that they’re not walking around because it doesn’t matter where it is. Alli just got off a school bus and then vanished.”

NCMCE’s national lost hotline has managed more than 2.5 million calls, according to the organization. However, Thomas said many residents are still unaware that they can report a missing individual at anytime.

“Do not wait. Call us immediately,” he said. “There is no waiting period for missing persons. It’s very important that people know that.”

For Alexandria’s mother, not a day goes by that she doesn’t long to see her daughter, Jo Ann Lowitzer said.

“I think somebody took her. If she ran away she would’ve contacted me by now.

“For her to take off on her own free will without anything of her own is just not like her,” she said. “I know something is wrong. A mom just knows.”

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Six months ago Tuesday was the last time anyone saw 16-year-old Ali Lowitzer. Related Content

Story: Prayer vigil tonight for missing Spring teenMore: Help find Alexandria LowitzerStory: Group to search again for missing teenStory: Laura Recovery Center joins in search for missing teenStory: Search to begin for teen missing since last weekStory: Six months later, Spring teen still missingMore: Got a story idea? Let us know!
Investigators say she got off the bus three doors down from her house and was supposed to walk to work, but never made it there. So far, all leads in this case have lead to dead ends. Related Photos

Spring High School student Alexandria LowitzerView all 4 photos
Her family is now offering a $10,000 reward for any information that will lead them to her.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7747818