Still no trace of Aunt Rita!
One of Mrs Faulkner-Clinton's daughters who reside in the USA had secured the approval for yet another search for her mother but this time it included the US-based organisation Klaaskids Foundation who arrived in the Virgin Islands on September 17, 2013 and teamed up with ranks of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) and ordinary citizens to execute the search.
Communication with the team while on Anegada has been futile because of mobile phone challenges, however, this news site was told by a resident Mr Jerry Vanterpool that to date there has been no success but the small search party is continuing. "Hopes are grim but we continuing, the children and everybody still holding on to some hope. We would love for them to get some relief, some sign," said Mr Vanterpool.
The six-day search started on September 19, 2013 and is in its final hours.
Aunt Rita's loved ones have been living with the pains of her mysterious disappearance since December 2, 2012 and but to this day they have not given up the hope of finding her- dead or alive!
Meanwhile, Officers of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) worked over the weekend with the two-member team from KlaasKids Foundation to facilitate in the search for the missing 77-year-old Faulkner-Clinton.
The two persons, Ray Mooney and Laurie Strite from the US-based search foundation led the community search effort which started on Friday morning with a small group of family and friends from within the community.
The RVIPF in a press release issued today, September 24, 2013 said KlaasKids search coordinator and Incident Commander Ray Mooney explained to them in an interview why Klaas Kids Foundation decided to support the request of the family to help in the search.
“After extensive searches and investigations by the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force we were called by the family to conduct a community search. Our national search director and management group took a look at the case and it was felt that we could provide the services to assist them in running the search.
“We worked with the Police Force specifically Inspector Nigel Niven and the Major Crime Investigations Team who gave us great support in getting information about the case; information that helped us do our search planning. Six weeks prior to the search we convened a search planning team and began our analysis given the elements of the investigations and we planned the search. We identified two individuals to travel to Anegada, Operations Chief Laurie Strite and myself, to work…the command centre and … conduct a community based search for six days…,” the press release quoted Mr Mooney as saying.
“We have covered a number of priority areas to the east, west, north and south and we now know where she isn’t. That is why we consider all searches successful. We may not find Marguerita on this search but what we offer to the family is hope that their missing family member can be found,” he further said in the press release.
The search coordinator noted that the search can continue after they leave the island.
“Obviously in six days we can’t cover the entire island with the resources we have out here. We hope that when we leave the community can continue searching. We will leave them with a formal procedure and process to continue. As long as they keep searching there is hope. We will continue to keep in contact,” Mr Mooney concluded.
The team leaves Anegada on Wednesday, September 25, 2013.
Marguerita Clinton-Faulkner reportedly went missing on the afternoon of December 2, 2012. She was last seen at about 5:30 P.M. walking on the main road in The Settlement wearing a black and white trousers and a green top. She is about 5’6 and 140 pounds.
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