Kansas Bowhunters Asked to Help Solve Cold Case
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.13.14
Law enforcement officials in Wyandotte County, Kansas are urging hunters to report anything out of the ordinary in the hopes of solving a 13-year-old missing persons case. The missing person in question is Branson Perry, who was 20 when he was last seen in 2001 near Skidmore, Missouri. Officials are not disclosing why they are focusing on the case now after so many years, especially in Kansas, but it may be related to a recent find.
“We have actually found some people that have come forward with some evidence that has been located in some fields or some wooded areas,” Lt. Kelli Bailiff of the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office told KCTV 5.
Outdoorsmen and women have also proved instrumental in solving cold cases in the past. Last year a shed hunter in Michigan discovered a human skull belonging to a woman who was murdered in 2007, finally bringing that family some sense of closure. Officials are asking hunters to keep an eye out for anything that seems unusual, such as discarded clothing, bones, or even dried traces of blood. Bailiff said that hunters can help by taking a picture of the item and then calling law enforcement officials, who will take over the investigative work. Sportsmen are advised not to touch any potential evidence.
“We don’t want them to become the detective. We want to them let us do the detective work,” Bailiff said.
Perry’s family still holds hope that he will be found. The young man disappeared on April 11, 2001 near his Skidmore home while putting away some jumper cables. His father, who was hospitalized at the time, reported Perry’s absence six days after he was suspected to have gone missing. Police found Perry’s van near the house and there appeared to be no sign of a robbery. The family reportedly offered $20,000 online for any information that led to the recovery of Perry, but in the years since both his parents have passed away. The search is still supported by Perry’s stepfather and other relatives.
