Kerry Johnson's rally stop was hosted by CUE's Oregon State Coordinator Michelle Mounts. She had all the CUE paraphernalia already all set up when we arrived so we were pretty much good to go when we got there. It was a nice change not having to lug everything out of and back into the van. We were able to relax a little more than we usually can during a stop.
Kerry Johnson was 17 years old when she went missing 9-14-82. She had been alone and on her way to visit family. The 30th anniversary of her disappearance has just passed. Unimaginable, seriously... She is this year's tour honoree, an honor given to a case that maybe never got any press, or really needs some press. Although, all cases on the tour are usually like that. Every year the honoree is chosen first and then the route and the other stops are built around it.
4 other cases were highlighted at this event. Samuel Boehlke was 8 years old when he went missing on 10-14-06. He was on a trip with his father at Crater Lake National Park and vanished into the woods. Sammy was autistic and feared loud noises and bright lights which complicated search efforts since they could not use the customary air horns or whistles. John Hicks went missing from Oakridge on 9-7-08. He was 47 years old. He is mentally challenged and left his trailer with only his cell phone. His sister says that she knew something wasn't right when she learned that he had not taken his dog with him. Jesus Merino-Mendoza was 3 years old when he was abducted by his father. There was a restraining order in effect prohibiting contact with both his wife and son. A felony warrant has been issued. Deward Killion vanished from Umatilla on 8-15-07 at the age of 85. He was last seen at the Target Meadows Campground where he had been camping with his wife and some friends. Searches of the area have not provided any information.
Family members of Kerry Johnson in attendance included her father, big sister, aunt and a cousin. When we arrived they were all sitting in a row. As I walked over to look at her posters and visit with them I was struck by some thoughts that were different for me. Normally my perspective is that of the mother of a missing loved one. I tend to gravitate and identify with the parents, but Kerry is only a few years older than I and has been gone for so long. I think it also was the pictures of a teenage girl in those 80's clothes. I thought of my mom, my family...but then I started talking with her sister Connie, and became curious about her mother. It seems that she is unable to attend events like these. That she chooses to believe that Kerry is out there, alive, living somewhere. Connie said it is the only way she can cope and looked at me as if to either apologize for her mother or explain that no one else believes this. And the missing child's mom immediately came back. No one can tell you how to feel, what to believe, how you should cope or how you should behave. It is a journey that no one wants to be on, that most cannot fathom...and there is no correct path. Then she told me that when her father found out that Kerry was missing the first thing he said was that he was never going to see her again. Connie said I guess he was right.
Elisa Stirling
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