Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
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Thursday, July 27-August 2, 2023 www.shelbyinfo.com 704/484-1047 - shelby shopper & info - Page 11 Kiwanis Club of Shelby 0HPEHUVKLS,QIRUPDWLRQ If you're interested in making an impact, becoming a leader, helping children and meeting new people, we would love to meet you. This club meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at Noon at Cleveland Country Club (DVW0DULRQ6WUHHW6KHOE\1& One evening social a month at area restaurants 0HPEHUVKLSGXHVDUHSHUTXDUWHU ZKLFKLQFOXGHVPHPEHUVKLSDQGPHDOV )RUPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQRUWRMRLQSOHDVHFRQWDFW -DPLH5LFKDUGPresident MDPLHULFKDUG#HGZDUGMRQHVFRP 7+(.,:$1,60,66,21 .LZDQLVLVDJOREDORUJDQL]DWLRQRIYROXQWHHUVGHGLFDWHGWR LPSURYLQJWKHZRUOGRQHFKLOGDQGRQHFRPPXQLW\DWDWLPH ANSWER KEY COMMUNITY PAPER WORD SEARCH ADVERTISEMENT ARTICLES CLASSIFIEDS COMMUNITY DELIVERY EDITOR EXPOSURE FEATURE INFORMATION JOURNALIST LEARN LOCAL NEWS NEWSPAPER ONLINE OPINION PAGES PRINTED READING REGIONAL REPORT RESOURCE SUBSCRIPTION TABLOID SUDOKU SUDOKU Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column, and each 3 by 3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9 using logic. Answers ? ? ? ? By Loretta Cozart On November 23, 2022, Madalina Cojocari was last seen getting off her school bus in Cornelius. She didn't return to school and her par- ents did not report her miss- ing for about a month, until December 15. They have since been charged with failure to report their miss- ing child. This story of this missing Cornelius girl brings the re- ality of exploited children to our doorsteps. Last week, unsealed search warrants revealed the young girl was likely spotted on sur- veillance videos in Beach Mountain, NC on December 16, the day after her parents reported her missing. Madalina is now 12-years old, and she is not the only missing child from our area. A prominent case in Cleve- land County is the story of Asha Degree, the 9-year-old Shelby girl who disappeared in 2000. But there are more children missing. On Octo- ber 11, 2022, Kamiya Hunt went missing in Shelby. And Jontrey Thompson of Belmont disappeared on December 1, 2022. In the United States, each year there are more than 400,000 children reported missing. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, since it was formed , 2,050 cases have been reported in NC. Of those, 5,986 vic- tims were identified. In 2021 alone, 223 cases were re- ported, and 340 victims were involved. Cases can involve multiple victims. According to NC Cen- ter for Missing Persons, in Cleveland County there are currently 168 missing persons reported. Of those, 111 are juveniles and 57 are adults. The report does not show active cases, just cases reported. As of July 23, the NC Missing Madalina Cojocari brings child exploitation to our doorsteps MADALINA COJOCARI Center for missing persons reports the total of missing persons across our state of 8,605. Of those, 7,928 cases have been closed. And of those 7,928 cases reported, 5,495 involved ju- veniles. There are now 677 active cases of missing per- sons across the state, but those numbers are not bro- ken down by age. Here are the numbers of reported missing juveniles in NC between 2015 and 2022: • 2022 9,039 • 2021 8,419 • 2020 9,135 • 2019 9,204 • 2018 9,142 • 2017 10,684 • 2016 10,575 • 2015 10,475 The N.C. Center for Missing Persons serves as the clearinghouse for infor- mation regarding missing children and adults; and since its creation in 1985, the Center has worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to as- sist in locating missing per- sons and reunite them with their families. If a child is missing, fam- ily and friends should im- mediately notify local law enforcement. If a child is abducted, time is valuable. Go to The National Cen- ter for Missing and Exploited Children more tips on what to do if your child is missing. • File a police or sher- iff's report. Include informa- tion on where the child was last known to be, as well as names of the individual's family and friends. • Provide officers with a recent photo as soon as possible. Law enforcement can immediately enter child abduction cases into the FBI's National Crime Infor- mation Center. The center allows officers nationwide to share information about en- dangered children, increas- ing the chance that the child will be found. • Request that law en- forcement put out a Be On the Look Out (BOLO) Bul- letin. • Ask for an organized search with the use of track- ing dogs if possible. • Limit access to your home until law enforcement investigators arrive and have collected evidence. Do not touch or remove any- thing from your child's room or your home. There may be clues to the whereabouts of your child. • Give the investigator all facts and circumstances related to disappearance including what efforts have already been made. • Write a detailed de- scription of clothing worn by the child and any personal items your child had at the time of his or her disappear- ance. Note any birthmarks, scars, tattoos, or manner- isms, and supply any photo that may show the marks. Give this information to the investigator. • Make copies of recent photos for law enforcement, news media, the N.C. Cen- ter for Missing Persons, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and any volunteer groups aiding in the search. • Designate one person to answer your telephone. Keep a pad of paper by the phone to jot down names, telephone numbers, date and time of calls and the purpose of the call. You may want to get law enforce- ment to put a tracer on your phone and get an answering machine that will tape calls. You may also want to add a caller ID. If you do not have a cell phone, you may want to get one so that you can be reached at any time. For cases that are older than 30 days, help officers locate dental and medical records. Be aware of goings on in the community. Have you noticed a homeless child or a child asking for food or showing signs of abuse? Have you noticed odd be- haviors between a child and an adult? If you see some- thing, say something. Con- tact local law enforcement and let them investigate. It only takes one person to notice and make that call.