March 23, 2006

The Lost and Found

The lost...

MILWAUKEE — Police expanded their search for two missing boys to a 100-square-block area and announced a $17,000 reward as they began a fifth day with no substantial leads into the youngsters' disappearance.

"We absolutely don't have any information about where they would be and why they would leave of their own accord," police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said at a news conference late Thursday morning. "We just simply don't know where they are."

Purvis Virginia Parker, 11, and his 12-year-old pal Quadrevion Henning aren't the type to have wandered away, their families said. Purvis is a quiet boy who dreams of becoming an artist, and Quadrevion has a stack of honors from his school for good behavior and attendance.

These boys sure don't seem to fit the profile of runaways. I hope no harm has come to them!

The Found...

SELMER, Tenn. — The family of a slain Tennessee minister was found safe Thursday night in Orange Beach, Ala., the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

Authorities were looking for Mary Winkler and her three children — Breanna, 1; Mary Alice, 6; and Patricia, 8 — who had been missing since church members found her husband, 31-year-old Matthew Winkler, shot to death in his parsonage.

Orange Beach police spotted the family's Toyota van stopped on the side of the road and pulled over to help around 7:30 p.m. CST.

Mary Winkler and her daughters were in the van and in good physical condition, and no one else was with them when they were stopped, said TBI spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson. Authorities started questioning her Thursday night.

The mom is being questioned, but she is not under arrest. I hope, for the sake of the children, that the mom isn't involved. Losing one parent is hard enough, but to lose one to the other would be unthinkable. There will certainly be more to come in this story. I'm happy they were found safe! From what I've read of Minister Winkler, he will be sorely missed by many. What a tragedy for his family and the community.

UPDATE: So the wife/mom confessed to killing her husband/father of the children. Wow....what a shame.