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Family Keeping Search Alive for Missing Camper Laura Vogel

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Family Keeping Search Alive for Missing Camper Laura Vogel Empty Family Keeping Search Alive for Missing Camper Laura Vogel

Post by Wrapitup Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:58 pm

A group of volunteer divers on the Hawaiian island of Maui are planning to search today for hiker Laura Vogel, who has been missing for nearly three weeks after telling friends she was going to camp out near a picturesque spot on the islands' north shore.

The family of missing hiker Laura Vogel is offering a $10,000 reward for information on her...

"The big problem here, this place is a spectacular, picturesque place during the day," Jessica said about the birthing pools location. "But apparently it turns into a not good place at night," she said.

The location Vogel went missing has her family fearing for the worse.

"We're very certain it was foul play. The fact alone she disappeared and her van was found in a dangerous place at night," Jessica said.

According to Jessica, after Vogel's last text, her friend, who has not been identified, replied but never heard back from Vogel.

Laura had a tutoring job the next day and when she didn't show up, it immediately set off alarms for those who knew her.

"She is super responsible, she didn't show up at 9 a.m. for a tutoring job and right away people started panicking because she is that reliable," Jessica said.

According to Jessica and the Maui police, her friends went looking for her that next morning and found her van near the birthing pool and camp. The passenger door was open, the keys in the ignition, but her phone and wallet were missing.

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Police say the fire department found the back of a cell phone, suspected to be Vogel's, on the ground near the transient camp, yet nobody came forward claiming to have seen her. Police have ruled it a "suspicious" case.

A check of Vogel's cell phone records show later the night after her last text, two phone calls were made to a number not in her contacts list.


However according to police the person the number was traced back to, claimed to no longer use that number.

"Supposedly the phone was a prepaid cell phone and the person who purchased the phone initially claimed to not have it, police believe someone else now has that phone [number] now," Jessica said.

Vogel has been missing for three weeks now, and although the Maui police are involved and helping the family, they have suspended much of their search until more leads develop.

"For the most part, the family is out there searching. We have nine divers lined up just waiting for the seas to mellow out enough to go looking, and we're trying to cover ground not yet searched," Jessica Vogel said.

By all accounts Vogel was an experienced outdoor enthusiast. She was last heard from Feb. 21, while exploring the Maui coast near the Pauwela Lighthouse and what are called the birthing pools. Vogel sent a text message that night to a friend that read "I'm camped down the way from birthing pools and meeting all the locals."

According to Police they are still investigating, but have reportedly suspended actively searching for Vogel until more leads turn up.

"We know that Laura was with people the night she disappeared and we have yet to talk to those people. Biggest thing is to get information about her disappearance, we know people know what happened or at least who she was with and what she was doing," her sister-in–law Jessica Vogel said in an interview with ABC News.

Vogel had been in Maui for six months, working as a tutor and enjoying the outdoors, she told friends. Prior to moving to Hawaii she was a science teacher in her home state of New Mexico.

She "went out to Hawaii to spend time out there, she just loved it out there," Jessica said.

With a master's degree in wildlife biology, Vogel was known as an avid and experienced hiker and camper.

"She was just this very fun, loving person. She was a nature lover and all about good things," Jessica said.

The area where she disappeared from is a place she had visited many times before, but friends believe she had never camped overnight there.

According to investigators, near the area where Vogel had parked her car was a transient camp leading those searching for her to wonder if people in the camp were the "locals" she was referring to.

Police say the fire department found the back of a cell phone, suspected to be Vogel's, on the ground near the transient camp, yet nobody came forward claiming to have seen her. Police have ruled it a "suspicious" case.

A check of Vogel's cell phone records show later the night after her last text, two phone calls were made to a number not in her contacts list.

However according to police the person the number was traced back to, claimed to no longer use that number.

"Supposedly the phone was a prepaid cell phone and the person who purchased the phone initially claimed to not have it, police believe someone else now has that phone [number] now," Jessica said.

Vogel has been missing for three weeks now, and although the Maui police are involved and helping the family, they have suspended much of their search until more leads develop.

"For the most part, the family is out there searching. We have nine divers lined up just waiting for the seas to mellow out enough to go looking, and we're trying to cover ground not yet searched," Jessica Vogel said.

"The police are still investigating, if they find something that leads them to do more searching they will but at this point it is family and friends on ground," she said.

Jessica said her husband has been taking shifts with Laura's other siblings traveling to the island to head up the search teams.

"They haven't stopped for weeks," Jessica said.

According to Jessica, right now Laura's friends and family desperately hope someone will come forward with information.

"It's a small, tight-knit community on Maui and the information is there," she said.

Jessica just hopes whoever does know something will bring it to them before it is too late.

"The family just wants to get information on Laura that night, whoever was with her. We've put together a reward of $10,000 through fundraising and there is absolutely reward money for any information leading police to Laura," she said.

For more information on the case, or how to support the effort visit their Website.

People can also contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 808-242-6966, or the Private Tip Line at 888-524-0218.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/laura-vogels-family-keeping-search-alive-missing-camper/story?id=10085052&page=3
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Post by Guest Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:33 pm

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Post by Nama Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:00 pm

Missing in Maui: Where is Laura Vogel?
June 06, 2010

Three months ago, Laura Vogel disappeared while camping in Maui, Hawaii. Since that time, few leads have developed in the case and her disappearance remains a mystery.

On the weekend of Feb. 19, Laura, a 43-year-old former schoolteacher from New Mexico, went camping on Maui's North Shore. Her last communication was a text message to a friend, indicating she was "camped down the way from birthing pools and meeting all the locals." Laura's friend texted her back but did not get a response.

Laura's van was found on Feb. 22 near a homeless camp by friends who went looking for her when she failed to show up for a tutoring job. The driver's side door was unlocked and the key was in the ignition, but Laura was nowhere to be found.

When investigators checked Laura's cell phone records, they discovered she had made two calls after sending the text message to her friend. Those calls were successfully traced back to the owner of the number; however, police are not saying what, if anything, was learned when they spoke with the individual.

Family, friends and volunteers have conducted massive searches of the Pauwela Lighthouse area, where Laura was last known to be. Trained divers and tracking dogs were also brought in, but no sign of her was found.

According to a report by mauiweekly.com, Laura's family members suspect foul play, but investigators are hesitant to call her disappearance suspicious.

"Right now, there's nothing that we have come across that would indicate something suspicious," said MPD Criminal Investigation Division Lt. Jakubczak, in a statement obtained by the website. "By no means is the case closed. But the active search in that area has been suspended until any new developments come up."

Laura is described as approximately 5-foot, 8-inches tall and 140 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing dark gray sweatpants and a blue T-shirt. Her family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads police to her discovery.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Maui Police at 808-244-6400 (case #10-14126) or Maui Crime Stoppers at 808-242-6966.

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2010/06/laura-vogel.html
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Post by NiteSpinR Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:43 am

http://findlauravogel.blogspot.com/2010/03/update-from-maui-police-department.html

Family Keeping Search Alive for Missing Camper Laura Vogel L110 Family Keeping Search Alive for Missing Camper Laura Vogel L210 Family Keeping Search Alive for Missing Camper Laura Vogel L310 Family Keeping Search Alive for Missing Camper Laura Vogel L410
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Post by Guest Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:41 am

Thanks nitespinr. It is sad trying to update these threads. At the link above it looks like nothing has happened in the past year. These poor missing souls and their families break my heart.
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Family Keeping Search Alive for Missing Camper Laura Vogel Empty Letter From Laura's Older Brother

Post by NiteSpinR Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:58 pm

Monday, June 4, 2012

Dear Friends of Laura Vogel,

Hello everyone, I am Greg Vogel, Laura’s older brother and I wanted to let people know what has taken place since Laura’s disappearance over two years ago. First, I want to thank everyone for the incredible support that you have shown the Vogel family. Your generosity, assistance, and prayers are greatly appreciated! It was quite astounding to see how many people were touched by Laura during her lifetime. Of course, the family has been through a very difficult time since we lost Laura. This type of unresolved loss creates a wound which I fear will never heal. We have struggled to find answers and any information that might help us come to terms with Laura’s loss. We have taken numerous actions to try and find answers and closure. Many of you know about the time we spent on Maui looking for Laura and organizing searches by air, land and water. We have offered a reward, asked Senators and Governors for assistance, posted fliers, appeared on television, radio and in newspapers. We tried everything that we could think of to find out what happened to Laura. In this process, we have hired multiple private detectives. The first detective was hired right after Laura disappeared and another about one year later. The information we gained from this whole process has not given us any clear answers but has led me to conclude that the following scenario is the most likely.

Laura was camping in the Pauwela lighthouse area of Maui on the evening of February 21, 2010 when she sent out the text telling her friend that she was “meeting all of the locals.” The transient community in that area has steadfastly denied ever seeing Laura. I believe that very shortly after that text she was attacked and killed. In the struggle the attacker(s) lost their phone and used Laura’s phone to find it by calling it several times and quickly hanging up. I believe that the transient in the camp next to her was involved because the number her phone called was his. No explanation of these calls was ever given by the police or the transient. I suspect that at some point her body was thrown in the ocean. No trace of her was ever found. The Police Detective and Lieutenant immediately assumed that this was an accident or suicide and told the family as much.

While you can imagine how difficult this scenario is to convey, it explains all of the evidence. Since all roads lead to the Maui Police I started a correspondence with an individual on the Maui Police Commission as well as the Police Chief and Attorney General. This is a link to one of the letters that I have received back from the Maui Police Chief addressing specific questions from me about the case. I feel that the phone calls and other evidence points to the transient that was living near Laura’s camp site. However, without physical evidence or a confession the Police feel that they have no case. In addition, it appears to me that they are determined to avoid finding any evidence or building a case. I have specifically asked the police to reassign the case to a new detective who might actually perform a thorough investigation but have received no reply to my request. The last private investigator we hired found the transients alibi to be shoddy and the transient to be severely mentally unstable and violent. However, at this point we are basically out of options and are relying on the Police to follow-up with a new investigator and charges.

I understand that this explanation does not help anyone, including me, deal with this loss, but I felt that Laura’s friends and supporters deserved to know what I know after over two years of effort. As you can imagine, we are heartbroken and astounded by the Police Department’s behavior. However, at this point we are basically out of options and are attempting to move on with our lives. Laura is gone, but we all still love her and miss her terribly.

Sincerely,
Greg Vogel


http://findlauravogel.blogspot.com/
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