James Jimmy Howell Still Missing

When Debra went into the house for the hammer and nails, to help her brother build a birdhouse. She had no idea it would be the last time she would ever see her brother Jimmy.

There have been conflicting reports as to what happened that day.

From, the parents being home, when it happened, to them not being home.

Jimmy being chased away from a nearby field by an unknown man.

His stepfather said he had seen Jimmy with a neighborhood boy a short time later.

A woman from the neighborhood reported seeing Jimmy walking across a field with a gray pigeon under his arm.

His third grade teacher said,"It is not like James, something has either happened to him, or someone is encouraging him to stay away."

There were several searches, including mounted patrol, surrounding area police departments, Boy scout troups. A trip to Missouri, to check out relatives there. Also Des Moines, Iowa, where James was to visit his brother the day after his disappearance.

The FBI, were also contacted, as well as a possible helicopter search. No further reports were available about either of those.

In 1998 the police were able to clear family members of any involvement through polygraph examinations.

His sister Debra Flynn, 41 at the time of the article, told the Daily Gazette, the police were not helpful at the time. She said it took them a week before they actually got involved. Yet in the articles I have from the paper, the dates imply that they were working the case.

I, personally do not understand why it took until June 5th to make the front page of our paper. If I have my information wrong, I apologize. But I do not think so.

Debra had also contacted Unsolved Mysteries, but nothing came from her effort.

An odd thing happened shortly after James went missing, his dog came up missing as well. The dog would follow James to school and wait in the school yard until he came out.

About a year later, Debra spoke of a dark colored car, with dark windows, they pulled up near her and a friend. It started to follow them. It left when Debra's mother yelled for them. The car was never found.

In 1975 Debra was married, and had a different last name. Living in another part of town, and no phone. A neighbor said he had gotten a call from her brother. The man said he would be in town around 3:00. But he never came. Debra had asked both Steve and John, if they had called. They said they hadn't.

STILL SEARCHING,,,

DOB: Oct 28, 1959
Missing: May 28, 1969
Age Now: 47
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 4'5" (135 cm)
Weight: 79 lbs (36 kg)
Missing From:
STERLING
IL
United States



This is what Jimmy might look like at 45. I encourage you to take a very good look at this man. Have you seen him?

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whiteside County Sheriff's Office (Illinois) 1-815-772-4044

I have also included this AMBER ALERT LINK
if you have any information regarding a missing child.

James "Jimmy" Howell, born Oct. 28th 1959, to Sharon and Jack Howell. Brothers Steve, John, and a sister Debra.

The parents divorced in the early 1960s, and the children went to an orphanage. After several months the two oldest, Deb and Steve, went to live with an aunt near Amboy Illinois. Returning to their mother a few years later. She had married Cornell Hutch by this time.

James and John were in foster care with Connie and Jim Root in Mount Morris Illinois. They to would divorce. Connie Root took custody of John, and Jim Root kept custody of James. Until James went to live with his mother and stepfather in 1968.

Detective Pat Carney, with Whiteside County, said Sharon Hutch described her son as "a boy who would not run away from home without any preparation." She also said how, James was afraid of the dark." That he was hyperactive, and "under medication to keep him calm."

Being only a few years older than Jimmy, at the time of his disappearance. I do not recall hearing about this at the time. I am sure we were kept in the house, until the folks felt it safe for us to play outside again.

We lived in a very small town, only a few miles from where Jimmy went missing.

I wasn't aware that this had happened until May 28th 2004. When it was on the front page of our local newspaper. I was speechless. How could I have not known? What happened? I became obsessed!

I started going to the library. Checking for anything I could find, searching through the old newspaper clips.

What upset me the most was that from all the information I gathered, his disappearance wasn't even reported until the following night, late evening, on May 28th, around 10:35.

The call to the police, came from a neighbor, Mrs. Raymond Jenssen. This was after the parents had spent the night searching for him.

Perhaps, I have watched to many crime shows on TV, but there's a red flag.

I must remember it was a different time then. We didn't have "AMBER ALERT," and the many resources, we have now.

One time when my son was around Jimmy's age, we couldn't find him. His sister, and I drove around, for a short time, then called the police. It was getting dark. We were both sick, thinking the worst. The police were very quick in responding. And soon, here came my son riding his bike. Lost track of time. In just a few hours, my whole world turned upside down. I can't imagine the pain and heartache parents of missing children feel.

May I also say it is not my intention to point fingers here. My main objective is to FIND JAMES "JIMMY" HOWELL.

If one person has the smallest piece to this puzzle, it could lead to it's completion.

I found Randy on MySpace, His bio impressed me. Read below.

I am a former police detective and deputy sheriff now working as an investigator, primarily on missing children cases.

The people in my "friend space" are almost all people that I have met and know personally. The majority of them are or have been paintball teammates. Most of them are people who have either helped me in my work, or have expressed a willingness and interest in helping.

I'm not interested in friend collectors nor in being a friend collector. I am interested in helping children and families.

So I wrote to him, and he responded with some very interesting points. Allow me to share them with you;

A few questions did come to mind while reading the page you linked to.

One is, was the call purportedly made from Jimmy checked through telephone company records to determine where it might have originated?

Given that Jimmy was on some form of prescription tranquillizer or ADHD medication, were doctors and pharmacists asked about new prescriptions issued perhaps within a year of the disappearance?

Have you tried running the age-progressed picture through http://labs. systemone. at/retrievr/. It compares a photo to the photos on Flickr and brings back the most similar images.

Also, given his apparent affection for dogs, you might try checking animal shelter and pet rescue groups, especially for breeds similar to the dog he bonded with as a child.

Sifting through school yearbooks which are often found in local libraries in towns within 50 miles from where he disappeared.

Operating on the assumption that he was kidnapped and not for ransom, another avenue would be to look for families within an hour's drive of where he disappeared that lost a child, probably a male child, within a year or two prior to the disappearance.

All of these are reaches but when leads run dry, you have to reach. I also realize there is a lot of research involved in doing something like this.

Randy

I just came upon this story, which stresses the importance of this lens for Jimmy. Missing, and or abducted children can be found! Eleven year old Jaycee Lee Dugard, disappeared on June 10, 1991. At the time of the abduction, witnesses reported that a vehicle with two people drove up to Dugard and abducted her in view of her stepfather.

The girl was walking to a bus stop when a gray, two-tone, late-model sedan approached and a woman described as about 30 years old with long, dark hair pulled her inside, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A man was also seen in the car.

Dugard's disappearance prompted a massive search, nationwide publicity and one of the largest police investigations in the region. Despite several false sightings, she was never seen again. That was until today, August 27th, 2009. Read the rest of the story for the latest details!

This so exciting, so wonderful, and a reminder to me, and all of you, we must never give up hope!

Perhaps it isn't a missing child you are searching for?
A lost relative, a friend from high school?

US.SEARCH can help.

Or maybe it's a new neighbor, you're not feeling quite safe around.

US.SEARCH can help

Know the people who take care of your children.

US.SEARCH can help



For over a decade, US SEARCH has given its customers peace of mind by providing the right information to make faster, safer, and smarter decisions. Using its patented Darwin technology and access to billions of records, US SEARCH provides the best results to both consumers and Fortune 1000 companies.



Highly recommended.

I do! That is why I have written this. Sometimes we must venture out, do things a little out of the norm.

Through Squidoo we are given the opportunity, as Lensmasters, to do just that. To share our thoughts, passions, and concerns with the world. That is why this story of "Jimmy," must be told.

I have been consumed by the horror that this little boy might have went through. Friends of mine have told me, "let it go." I truly wish I could, but I haven't been able to.

I am also aware that such an old case will not prompt media attention. What type of case does? Let me give you some examples from an MSN article. MEDIA COVERAGE MISSING

Here is something else I have found.

The oldest active Illinois case tracked by the center is that of James Howell, who disappeared from his Sterling home in the spring of 1969. He was 9.

Detective Pat Carney, of the Whiteside County sheriff's office, said police still receive occasional tips on the case, but after so many years, the likelihood of finding Howell alive is small.

"But we haven't given up," Carney said. "The folder is on my desk right now, which tells you it's still an active case."

HOW TO HELP

For more information or to report a sighting of a missing child, call the Center for Missing and Exploited Children's 24-hour hotline at

(800) THE-LOST (800-843-5678).

Copyright The Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.