VANESSA SMITH - 15 yo (1997) - Winton (NW of Merced) CA

Thirteen years after Vanessa Smith disappeared, her mother is
urging the public to remember the missing Winton resident on the
anniversary of her disappearance.Beverly Smith recently visited a
truck stop in Livingston and passed out 75 interstate posters about her
missing daughter to truckers traveling the country as far east as
Maryland.Vanessa Smith disappeared on the evening of May 31, 1997
near her home in Winton. She took a walk about 7 p.m., which her mother
said Vanessa regularly did. The teen was 15 when she disappeared, and
had just graduated from the eighth grade.



An age-enhanced image of Vanessa Smith




"(The walk) was a regular thing," Beverly Smith said. "I usually
walked with her. There's always that one time when you don't do
something you're supposed to. I always checked on her, but this time I
didn't."Vanessa's walking stick was found along the path she
normally took. She was last seen wearing a light blue dress with an
elastic waist and metal buttons.Beverly Smith is asking the
public to light a candle in Vanessa's honor on Monday, and say a prayer."Our
missing loved ones don't always get the right attention," she said.
"They need to be kept out on the forefront. I believe she's alive with
all my heart."Another missing young girl, Jaycee Dugard, was
found more than 18 years after she was abducted in 1991 at the age of 11
from her hometown of South Lake Tahoe. She was found with her kidnapper
in 2009 in Antioch and was reunited with her family. Closer to
home, Steven Stayner was abducted from a Merced street in December of
1972, when he was 7 years old. He escaped his kidnapper, Kenneth
Parnell, in 1980, with another boy who had been kidnapped by Parnell.Since
Vanessa's disappearance, there have been only empty leads. The case is
being handled by Merced County Sheriff's Department Detective Corey
Gibson of the major crimes unit. Anyone with information can contact the
department at (209) 385-7472, ext. 4994.A $50,000 reward is
being offered by the California Governor's Office for anyone supplying
information that leads to the whereabouts of Vanessa and the
apprehension of any abductor.Donations that will be used for
laminated posters and other resources can be made at Travis Credit Union
in Merced in Vanessa's name.

A motorcycle run dedicated to the ongoing search for
Vanessa Dawn Smith is scheduled to take place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
at Courthouse Park, located at 21st and N streets in Merced.The event, presented by Family and Friends of Vanessa Dawn
Smith, is geared to raise money and awareness for Smith's case. She's
been missing since May 31, 1997, and the Merced County Sheriff's
Department has an open investigation into the case. Smith was 15 at the
time of her disappearance.Any money raised from the ceremony will
be used to acquire billboards to profile Smith's case in hopes someone
will come forward with information on her whereabouts.The family-oriented event will also included free fingerprinting, food booths, raffle prizes, cotton candy, clown-face painting, games, DJ music and snow cones.

Meals at the event are $5 and participants are asked to bring their
own lawn chairs. Public speakers will include representatives from the
Polly Klaas Foundation and the Merced County Sheriff's Major Crimes
Unit.Smith vanished from near her Mercedes Avenue home in Winton
about 7 p.m. while on her nightly walk. Her walking stick was found
about 200 yards east of her Winton home but no other physical evidence
was discovered.At the time of her disappearance, Vanessa had
strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. She has a freckled complexion and a
scar on her left ear, along with a birthmark on her right arm
stretching from her shoulder to her elbow.Vanessa, who was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 130 pounds when she disappeared, has Duane syndrome and her right eye drifts to the inside.For additional information about the event, call (209) 358-6389 or visit www.MercedSheriff.com.To
report any information about Vanessa Smith, call the Merced County
Sheriff's Major Crimes Unit at (209) 385-7472 or the Polly Klaas
Foundation at (800) 587-4357.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/21/3786629/motorcycle-run-dedicated-to-missing.html#ixzz1SpMICv6V