The father of a missing son is making a plea for Lieutenant Kevin Dillion with the Chicago Police Department to reinstate his son, Jesse Ross' information back into the NCIC data base. For months Lt. Dillion has promised the family he'd take care of it, but, he hasn't done much of anything but offer lip service. The family has contacted both the Chicago Police Department and the Mayor's Office for assistance.
This inaction translates into carelessness. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) stated they are waiting on Lt. Kevin Dillion to re-submit the information to NCIC before Jesse's information can be reinstated on their site and in their database. Think about how long the family has been waiting for answers, nearly 5 1/2 years. He vanished without a trace while attending a convention in Chicago and likely met with foul play.
I am hoping to appeal to someone's conscience in my hometown. When Bill Kurtis reported on this case on CBS Chicago, he said it's baffled police. Wonder if any new leads have come in on this case, and if they have, are they being followed up!?
In addition, perhaps the Illinois State Police can also assist the family. If you have any information concerning missing persons from Illinois, contact the Illinois State Police Clearinghouse for Missing Persons at 1-800-U HELP ME (1-800-843-5763) or email missing@isp.state.il.us. Please be sure to include the missing person's name in your email message. Your name and information will be kept confidential.
Jesse Ross: Details of Disappearance
At 2:30 am, November 21, 2006 19 year old Jesse Ross walked out the door of a meeting room in a Chicago hotel and vanished into thin air. The clock stands still for his parents, friends and family who have spend the last five years wondering, “Where’s Opie?”Jesse Ross was in Chicago with fellow students from the University of Missouri, Kansas City taking part in a Model UN Convention. Jesse, affectionately known as “Opie” (Jesse’s character name on a local radio station which was Opie Cunningham, taken from two popular Ron Howard characters, Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham) was a communications major and an intern at a local radio station at the time of the trip to Chicago.
For the last five years Jesse’s friends and community have sponsored “Opiefest” to assist the Ross’ efforts to find Jesse. Five years has been spent handing out flyers, scouring the internet, submitting information to every missing persons organization and news outlet they could, yet the Ross’ are no closer to finding Jesse.Donald Ross, Jesse’s father, has just released the book, Where’s Opie: Vanished in Chicago, which is dedicated to disseminating information about Jesse, as well as all the missing and unidentified and the families who wait and hope for their return. Available on Amazon.
WEBSITE WITH MORE DETAILS: FINDJESSEROSS.COM
Susan Murphy Milano is a staff member of the Institute for Relational Harm Reduction and Public Pathology Education as a educator and specialist with intimate partner violence prevention strategies directing prevention for high risk situations and cases.
Good Morning! I commend most family members for all of their efforts regarding "Opie." I recall this case being featured on Crimewire.... Why is it that a police officer would not do everything in his power to help locate his son? The only obvious explanation is that he is somehow complicit in his son's vanishing... Sad to say, but what other explanation can there be? If he doesn't know how to enter the data, get someone who is proficient to do so!
ReplyDeleteAnother factor I recall from the show is that while there was an on-going convention, there was no way to track other attendees to a specific gathering, as it appears, he left through a hallway or staircase and was never seen again.
Convention security may have been lax. Surely a better job can be done about such things after the fact in his memory...
Donna "Ladyjustice"
www.donnagore.com
Thank you Susan for writing this for Jesse and his family. Donna and Don Ross I am honored to call my friends. No families of the missing should be treated this way ever. But then you have this family who did everything right in raising their boys. Who put their trust in a University to bring their son safely home and when that didn't happen they put their trust in the Chicago law enforcement to handle Jesse's missing person's case with honor and respect. If a mistake was made that caused Jesse to be dropped off the NCIC then how hard was it to pick up the phone or send an email and explain what happened to the family? Instead the Ross family had to find out themselves that their beloved missing son had been dropped off of two databases. These databases are what could help bring this wonderful family answers. I thank God that he is still on NamUs or literally there would be no way for anyone to put two and two together.
ReplyDeleteChicago PD this is inexcusable, cruel and extremely hurtful to this family. Fix this travesty! I'm just going to stop now because I really don't need to type what I'm really thinking.
Again, thank you Susan and I pray your words bring action.
Maureen Reintjes
NamUs Victim Advocate - Kansas
We have someone looking into this also. Keeping my fingers crossed that he can help
ReplyDelete