Latest news with #Catherine
NBC News
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Family of West Virginia mom Melanie Metheny, who vanished 19 years ago, works to change how missing persons cases are handled
In 2005, Catherine Moles hosted a family cookout. Her niece, Melanie Metheny, brought her 3-year-old son Ryan. Catherine remembers Melanie trailing after him around the event and 'doting' on him. 'She followed him everywhere,' Catherine told Dateline. 'She was just very, very watchful of him. She was very protective.' That was one of the last times Catherine ever saw her niece. The 21-year-old vanished on July 19, 2006. Catherine remembers Melanie as the cautious, animal-loving mom whose kids were her entire world. So when Melanie disappeared about a year later and people started to wonder if she had just run off, Catherine says she knew better. 'There's no way that that lady would have left any of her children,' she said. In March of 2006, Melanie wrote a tribute to her children that was later found among her belongings. Titled 'The Best Things in My Life,' the opening line reads, 'My whole life revolves around my three kids.' She then gushes about Ryan and his younger brother and sister, Nathan and Hannah, individually. 'Being a single mom is not easy at all but watching my kids grow up and watching them learn new things for the first time is the greatest feeling I've ever had,' she closed in the tribute. 'I would not change them for the world and I don't know where I'd be right now if I didn't have them but I know my life wouldn't have as much meaning.' Debi told Dateline Melanie wanted to give her kids the best childhood they could have, because hers had been tumultuous, bouncing back and forth between her divorced parents' homes. She had run away multiple times as a teenager, but would always come back. According to her mother, Melanie turned her life around when she got pregnant with Ryan at 16. While Catherine remembers Melanie as a quiet girl, Debi saw a different side of her. She says Melanie was outgoing, loved to be the center of attention, and would always sing and dance. She fondly remembers a 5-year-old Melanie working hard to learn the lyrics to 'Three Little Fishies' so she could perform it for her grandfather. While Debi and Catherine may have seen different parts of Melanie's personality, the sisters agree she never would have run off and left her children behind. 'Once she had those kids, she wasn't going anywhere,' Debi said. July 19, 2006, began like any other day for Melanie. She dropped off her two youngest children at Country Kids Daycare in Belle, West Virginia. Ryan spent that day with his paternal grandparents. Dateline spoke with Larry Dodson, a retired captain of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, who still works part-time at its detective bureau. He says that after dropping off her kids, Melanie drove to a friend's house nearby, and then allegedly planned to head to Garnet Career Center to pick up some transcripts to bring to West Virginia State University. 'She wanted to be a nurse, or OB-GYN, or something to do with kids. That's just pretty much who she was,' Debi Daniel said. Melanie never made it to the career center, nor did she return to the daycare to pick up her children. 'To my knowledge, that was Melanie who was supposed to pick them up, and when she didn't, that initiated all this,' Dodson told Dateline. He says Melanie was reported missing by her father at 11:18 p.m. The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office began searching for Melanie immediately, and a BOLO for her van was issued to local departments. Tips began flooding in. Dodson says they received so many tips that he 'doesn't have a clue' as to the full amount, but says investigators pursued each one. Four days into the investigation, a tip came in to police that a vehicle had been found on the West Side of Charleston, West Virginia, where it had been parked for several days. It was Melanie's van. 'There was no indication of anything out of the ordinary in the van, and we took it into custody,' Dodson said. He also told Dateline that the only fingerprints on the van were Melanie's and her boyfriend's, both of whom used it regularly. Dodson says the location of Melanie's car sparked some interest for the police. 'We were kind of like, 'Why in the world would her van be where it was?'' he said. Ultimately, the van didn't give the police much to go on, so they focused on other tips. Bill Daniel, Melanie's stepfather, told Dateline the police have been extremely dedicated to Melanie's case. 'They've been fantastic,' he said. 'They follow up on every lead that comes in and everything.' Larry Dodson elaborated on some of the investigative efforts. 'We've pursued leads about possible drug involvement, we pursued leads with local people that she was involved with, we pursued leads to the state of Maryland and up to D.C.,' he said. 'They even pursued leads on several states along the East Coast, about alleged sightings, and all of them — nothing.' Dodson says several persons of interest have been investigated. 'Some of them were cleared and some of them could possibly still be persons of interest.' He would not comment further on potential persons of interest but did confirm that foul play is suspected in Melanie's disappearance. 'We're still getting tips and getting calls on to check here, to check there,' Dodson said. 'I mean, it's not an everyday thing, but we still get tips to follow up on.' The department does not consider Melanie's case to be cold and is still hoping to provide her family the answers they need. 'I don't know if you can give closure where you can't even tell what happened or where they are or if they're still alive,' Dodson said. 'The family's always going to wonder.' Debi Daniel says that wondering — that not knowing — has created a great deal of stress. 'It just deteriorates your health — your mental health, your physical health.' She told Dateline that before her daughter disappeared, people always remarked on her smile. 'I would be the person that people would say, 'I want to smack you because you're always smiling,'' she said. 'Now I hardly smile anymore.' Debi still has a hard time talking about what happened to Melanie, which is why she rarely agrees to be interviewed about it. 'My mind just totally goes blank when it comes to talking about it. I don't know if it's a survival mechanism, or something,' she said. 'My mind just totally goes blank.' Of course, that doesn't mean she has forgotten Melanie. And the community hasn't either. Melanie's is the oldest missing persons case in Kanawha County. In 2016 — one decade after her disappearance — a tree was planted in Melanie's honor at Coonskin Park in Charleston. It is an Autumn Gold Ginkgo Biloba, which is known for its strength and resilience and has come to symbolize hope. It is also known for its brilliant yellow leaves. 'Yellow is the color for missing persons,' Debi explained. 'And so we chose that tree mainly because of what it represented — the different representations of the tree — but also that in fall, the leaves are yellow.' Melissa's aunt, Catherine Moles, lives near the park and frequently visits the tree to take care of it. 'Every time I'm around the tree, I think of Melanie,' she said. 'There's just probably just too much to really remember — every time I visit, something new comes to mind.' Catherine is the administrator of a Facebook group called ' West Virginia Missing ' that she updates regularly with information on local missing persons. Inspired to help the families of other missing persons, in 2014 she began working to create a bill that was eventually sponsored by State Senator Glenn Jeffries. In 2019, the West Virginia Missing Persons Act became law. 'It basically defines what role, what information is needed to be collected, if possible,' Catherine said. 'And the most important thing was that a missing person's information was to be entered into the [National Missing and Unidentified Person System] database. That was my main goal.' The bill also advocated for stronger police-to-family communication during a missing persons investigation. Catherine told Dateline that Melanie was with her every step of the way through the bill's creation. Now she's working on drafting a new piece of legislation that protects the property of missing persons so they don't lose their property because of missed payments while they were missing. 'Sometimes these missing people are found and they don't want to come back to find out that they're homeless because their home was repo-ed,' Catherine said, adding that she wants to protect their estate for the missing and their heirs. She is hopeful that legislation of this kind will help locate some of the missing and provide some measure of peace to other families. Peace their family is still waiting for. Melanie's children are now in their early twenties, roughly the same age their mother was when she disappeared in 2006. Hannah has a little girl of her own now. The 1-year-old has strawberry-blonde hair just like her mother — and just like the grandmother she never met. At the time of her disappearance, Melanie Metheny was 5'3' and weighed 100 lbs., with strawberry-blonde hair and brown eyes. She would be 40 years old today. Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office at 304-357-0200.
Daily Record
20 hours ago
- General
- Daily Record
Dying mum's last wish to donate toys for Glasgow refugee children fulfilled
"It can be so scary for a tiny kid with no possessions, and it always touched her heart. She always just wanted to make sure kids had something to cuddle." A dying woman's last wish to donate toys to refugee children in Glasgow has been fulfilled. Fiona White is donating boxes of Jellycats, teddy bears, and handmade toys to Glasgow's Refuweegee, to complete one of her mum Catherine Murray's final wishes before she died in November last year aged 90. Catherine made clear in her final moments it was important to make sure refugee children had toys to brighten up their day with. Fiona told Glasgow Live: "She wrote poems all the time and was a prolific writer. She loved children, and she loved writing things for children. "When she got hold of a new toy, she would give it a name and then she would write a poem about it and then take a photo. Once she got enough of them all gathered, she would make them into a little book for kids, which she called 'My Pals'. "Then she used to go to the local printer and get them made and bound, and then she would give them away to kids. She'd be out and about and always had a copy with her. Any time she saw a kid, she'd give them a book. "She was an amazing character and everybody just loved her." Catherine, who was more commonly known as Kay, lived in Largs for years before spending three months living at the Ailsa Craig Nursing Home in Cessnock. There, Fiona says the "fantastic" staff described her as a "superstar". Sadly, Catherine's stay at the home only lasted three months before she passed. Catherine was adamant the toys had to be given to refugee children - something always close to her heart. "She had a great life, my mum, she was very sparky up until the last wee while when she went downhill quite quickly with dementia," Fiona added. "She would always have one of these dolls with her, she was always holding on to them. "She used to always say to me 'Fiona, when you're not here, please make sure these get given to refugee children'. She was very specific about that. "My mum always thought about other people before herself and always thought about kids. It was heartbreaking for her to see kids on boats coming into the country and being herded about. "It can be so scary for a tiny kid with no possessions, and it always touched her heart. She always just wanted to make sure kids had something to cuddle." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. Fiona believes her mum would be "delighted" to see the toys end up in the hands of refugee children, and plans to drop them off very soon.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Warrington youngster visited in school by his heroes after raising £1,000
A WARRINGTON youngster was visited in school by his heroes after he raised an incredible £1,000 for charity. Four-year-old Avery Bristol walked a total of 31 miles in May to raise money for The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Avery has had a keen interest in the RNLI since he was three years old after reading about the lifesaving charity in a library. Saving Lives at Sea, the BBC television programme showcasing the RNLI's volunteers and lifeguards in action, is now one of Avery's favourites. In May, the youngster set out to raise £125 for the charity by walking a mile a day. But he surpassed this, raising an incredible £1,039. Following his fundraising efforts, last week RNLI lifeguards visited Avery at St Peters Catholic Primary School to thank him and to give lifesaving safety advice to the children ahead of the summer holidays. The lifeguards taught the children four key safety messages to keep themselves and others safe at the coast – including stop and think, stay together, float to live, and to call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard. (Image: Supplied) Avery's mum Catherine said: 'We're very proud of Avery and his drive and passion to fundraise for the RNLI. 'He keeps asking how many years it is before he's old enough to join the crew. 'Due to his love of the RNLI, he shares information about the RNLI with anyone that will listen. 'He's just said, 'I'm going to raise money every time I'm older before my birthday'. 'He is so pleased with his Mayday Mile medal, it means the world to him." Hannah Presgrave RNLI community manager said: 'We're so grateful to Avery for his fundraising efforts. For someone so young to be so passionate about our lifesaving mission means a great deal to us. 'I know Avery was chuffed to meet the lifeguards who visited his school. We hope his passion for the RNLI continues into his adolescence and he does one day join our crew. 'We hope Avery's Mayday Medal helps him to understand how important his fundraising efforts are to our charity. Avery's contribution will help our crews to continue saving lives at sea.'
Cosmopolitan
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
How Prince William Shows Respect to Kate Middleton
As Wimbledon wrapped for another year (congrats Sinner and Świątek!), fans of the Royal Family were treated to a rare sighting of the Prince and Princess of Wales enjoying the day together, along with two of their three children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Thanks to the Princess' role as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, ever since 2016 it is custom for her to present the winners of the Ladies' and Mens' Singles with their trophy prize. Making two appearances this year—one without her family on the 12th of July and one with on the 13th—the royal clan later shared happy photos of their outing on Instagram... which sparked eagle-eyed royal fans to comment on a perceived sweet but subtle gesture that Prince William appeared to make when supporting Catherine at the tournament. Commenting on the Prince falling back and allowing Catherine, George, and Charlotte to walk ahead and greet the Wimbledon crowds, one person remarked (amassing over 1,000 likes in response), 'Love the way Prince William let his family walk ahead of him. Such a beautiful and subtle show of respect.' Another added, 'I love that William knows that she's the show stopper here! 👑. That's respect and love and teaching his kiddos how to treat their Mum!' However, while the gesture might seem super romantic and just plain make sense given that Catherine is a tennis patron, it could actually just be down to royal tradition. Yep, that family has a whole bunch of rules that the rest of us would never even think about when it comes to our own relatives. Typically, because Prince William is next in line to the throne and the most senior royal of the Waleses, it's expected that his wife and children walk a pace or two ahead of him as a mark of respect. When entering an event as a whole family, King Charles is expected to be the last person to enter, given he is the actual monarch, with both Prince William and Queen Camilla in front of him. So there you have it—a mark of respect and a royal rule upheld. We love to see it.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Irish Sun
Mayo woman reveals simple key to ‘happy life' ahead of turning 102 this weekend after revealing biggest lifetime changes
ONE of Ireland's oldest women has revealed the secret to her "long happy life" ahead of turning 102 this weekend. Catherine Conway, a When Catherine was born, prohibition was still in full swing in the Catherine loves And she also revealed that her secret to living a long and happy life is simply "working hard". To celebrate the milestone of her 100th birthday Catherine had a large birthday party in a local hotel. READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS Around 150 people joined to celebrate with the beloved lady in Gullane's Hotel on the special day. In an interview with Midlands 103, Catherine reflected on the changes she has seen over her 102 years. In particular, the introduction of phones, computers and washing machines are the most significant changes she has noticed. She also believes that people, especially MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN She said: "I think everybody seems to have too much, and the same goes for children. "They end up with far too many toys and presents and everything. Top 10 Birthday Freebies "We never had anything like that. If you got something small, you would be happy. Maybe we would get maybe an apple or an orange or something in our stocking at Christmas." Now she prepares to celebrate this milestone over the weekend with friends and family. Earlier this week Sarah Coyle, Ireland's "oldest person", died aged 108. Sarah died on Monday, ten days before what would have been her 109th birthday. She is said to have died peacefully, surrounded by her family. Sarah, who was born on July 24 1916, in Knockatomcoyle, Co. At the age of 17, she moved to In 1957, Sarah would lose her sight at the age of 40 following a head trauma. 'SHE LOVED THE SIMPLE THINGS' Speaking with He said, "She was great with her hands and was great at laying guide wires in the garden. She loved plants and colours, "She loved the simple things." He notes that his grandmother could recall the Second World War which at the time was called "The Emergency". And that she could even remember the the Black and Tans and had clear memories of them and their distinctive uniforms. 1 Catherine Conway revealed the top tip ahead of her birthday Credit: Supplied
