10:58 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Wednesday, October 1

I mailed the additional information to the I.R.S. today for the Rachel Alert Network non-profit application. Hopefully this will be all they need to process our application.

Yesterday there was an attempted abduction in Cedar Park of two teen-age sisters. The 14 and 15-year-old girls were able to fight their way free. A sketch has been issued of the suspect. I placed a copy of the sketch in Rachel's message board, click here to view.

Thursday, October 2

I didn't do a lot on Rachel's case today because I needed a break. I need to put some effort back into my job. We have a software release tomorrow and I need to be sharp for that. The last 8 days have really been hectic.

Friday, October 3

We are working to find a location for the next M.U.S.T. women's self-defense and awareness class. The date and location should be announced within the next two weeks.

One of my sister's friends saw the UNSOLVED MYSTERIES program which featured Rachel recently. The original story aired on the Lifetime Network in the summer of 2002 but they must have replayed it. I went to the UNSOLVED MYSTERIES web site and found out some sad news. I must have missed the announcement that Robert Stack died this year. I always liked him.

Saturday, October 4

Monday will mark one year since Shawn Hornbeck disappeared from his Missouri home. His parents, Pam and Craig, have done an incredible amount of searching for him, but he has not been found. It's hard to under how Shawn and Rachel can just disappear. It's hard to believe there are people in this world who do these kind of things. I'm not sure if those creeps even deserve to be called people.

I still haven't put all of Rachel's things up yet. I work on it a little at a time but sometimes it gets to be too much to deal with and I stop for a day or two.

Sunday, October 5

I flew to St. Louis, Missouri today. After I arrived I drove to the town of Richwoods, the home of Shawn Hornbeck. A motorcycle poker run benefit was just finishing. The event was put together in just 3 weeks but it still drew 35 riders.

After the poker run completed, Shawn's parents, Craig and Pam, and several other people moved to the Richwood Lions club where the vigil will be held. Tomorrow will mark one year since Shawn disappeared. All of us worked to set up the club with pictures of Shawn and other things to help people remember him. In many cases the people attending the vigil never met Shawn. The pictures and mementos of his life will help people know him.

Monday, October 6

I drove to the Richwoods, MO, Lions club to take part in a morning search for Shawn Hornbeck. A group of eleven searchers and a newspaper photographer hiked up and down hills searching for an old abandoned house which has never been searched. We didn't find the house during the morning search but the afternoon search team did. No clues were found at the house.

Shawn's mother Pam asked me to do a couple of interviews with local TV news channels. I interviewed with he FOX and NBC affiates.The NBC story may be viewed by clicking here.

I met Angie Williamson, the mother of murdered 6-year-old Casey Williamson.We talked for quite a while. I put a picture of Angie and me on Rachel's message board, Click here to see the picture.

The candlelight vigil for Shawn began a little after 6 p.m. A group of local teen-age girls sang a song to Shawn which was very touching. Pam asked me to read a poem that was posted this week on Shawn's web site. The poem hit home describing what it's like to have a missing child. I placed a copy of the poem on Rachel's message board under Misc.

A maple tree was dedicated to Shawn and several church pastors and other people spoke. I would say there were over 150 people at the vigil. At the end of the vigil I met Christian Ferguson's parents. I told them they have a lot a prayers coming from Texas and throughout the United States.

After the vigil, I ate dinner with Angie Williamson and two of her aunts. Angie's aunt Della and I have been exchanging e-mails for over a year. They told me the details of what happened the day little Casey disappeared and how her body was later found in a glass factory. Their family is very close like mine is. They have helped each other get through the pain of loosing Casey.

Tuesday, October 7

I flew back to Austin today. My trip to Richwoods, Missouri was very rewarding for me and I hope it was also rewarding for Shawn Hornbeck's parents and others there.

Several military personnel home from Iraq for R&R were on the plane with me. The flight attendants were able to offer all of them a seat in first class. When we landed a flight attendant offered a special welcome home to these soldiers. Everyone on board clapped.

Wednesday, October 8

Human remains were found yesterday in Southeast Travis County. The Williamson County Sheriff's Office told me today that it may be a few days before the medical examiner can even determine the sex of the remains. This is probably the fifth time we've been through this. It never gets any easier.

Thursday, October 9

We are in the process of setting up another M.U.S.T. women's self-defense and awareness class. One class will probably be taught at night and we may teach a few junior high and high school girl classes.

If anyone would like to donate baked goods, cokes, or homemade mixes to our December 6 bakesale, please send an e-mail to rachelalert@yahoo.com. I will be posting a bakesale information web page soon. All of the proceeds from the bakesale will go to the Rachel Alert Network to support families of missing persons and to fund activities such as the M.U.S.T. classes.

Friday, October 10

It seems the syndicated television program MISSING aired their program which included Rachel this week. It was supposed to air in two weeks. Their web site is usamissing.com.

I spoke with the IRS this week. They wanted clarification on a few items on the Rachel Alert Network non-profit application. I think they now have everything they need.

Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12

I spent the weekend relaxing and rearranging Rachel's things which are still in our garage. It will be nice when two cars can be parked in there again. This is the first weekend I've had free in a long time.

I received several e-mails from families with missing and murdered family members. It's really nice that we support each other when one of us is going through a difficult time.

Monday, October 13

Last Friday the Williamson County Sheriff's Office called me. They relayed information that the remains found in Southeast Travis County were most likely those of a male. I didn't hear any updates today.

The long awaited Shawn Hornbeck Cookbook may now be ordered. Visit shawnhornbeck.com and click on the link on the home page. The cookbook contains one of Rachel's favorite childhood receipts, Dinosaur Cookies. Our family spent many nights making those cookies.

A young woman from Norway posted a message on Rachel's message board today. I'd like to quote her: "How can the people who know what happened feel good about themselves by not telling anything to solve this?"

Now I want to ask the same thing. How can you do this and keep quiet? I want to know! We all want to know!

Tuesday, October 14

I spoke with the IRS representative one more time. I needed to sign something else. Lots of paperwork is required to become a non-profit agency. I think we will be approved soon.

Several people have already contacted me about donated items for our December bake sale. I'd like to thank everyone of them. The bake sale will be at the Georgetown Christmas Stroll the afternoon and early evening of Saturday, December 6.

Wednesday, May 15

Our next M.U.S.T women's self-defense and awareness class will be held in North Austin on Monday, November 3. The seminar will be taught at Crestview United Methodist Church, 1300 Morrow. It will last from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

I made a new slideshow page on Rachel's web site today. To view it go to rachelcookesearch.org/slideshow. A link has also been added to the home page of the web site. I will add new pictures of Rachel to the slideshow every month.

Thursday, October 16

A very nice person has donated the use of a meeting room in Round Rock for future M.U.S.T. women's self-defense and awareness classes. We will probably hold the first Round Rock class in January 2004.

I updated both rachelalert.org and rachelcookesearch.org to show the new November 3 M.U.S.T. class. For information go to rachealert.org/must . I will also appear on the noon KVUE news between 11:00 a.m. and noon on November 3 to talk about the M.U.S.T. seminars.

Friday, September 17

Austin police have determined the identity of a set of remains found on October 6 to be that of Jose Santos Ortiz. Mr. Ortiz has been missing since March.

I updated the expiration date on Rachel's reward flyers to December 31, 2004. When we started out I measured the dates in weeks, then in months, and now in years. I never thought this nightmare would last this long.

Saturday, October 18 and Sunday, October 19

There is a web site which one of the site's members is using Rachel's picture. The person was impersonating our daughter. Some people have no morals.

I contacted the web site a week ago and asked that Rachel's picture be removed. They never acknowledged my e-mail. I asked several people to contact a web site and request Rachel's picture be removed. One of the people I contacted saw Rachel on a list of imposters on the web site. The members on that list are marked for deletion. Rachel's picture was finally removed from that web site today.

Monday, October 20

I added some more of the old prayforrachel.org messages on Rachel's message board. About one half of the messages are now copied to the message board.

Don't' forget this Sunday in the Walk for Sabrina Allen. It takes place at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Austin from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Read about the event on Sabrina's web site.

Tuesday, October 21

I started e-mailing the announcement about our next M.U.S.T. women's self-defense and awareness class. This seminar will take place at Crestview United Methodist Church, 1300 Morrow in Austin on Monday, November 3. The class will run from 6:30-9:30 p.m. and it's free.

Our sheriff has entered alcohol abuse treatment. There was an incident two weeks ago which brought his problem out in the media. I hope the treatment goes well for him.

Wednesday, October 22

There is an Internet petition to request changes be made to allow the mentally challenged who are missing to be helped by the many children only organizations. The missing person must be legally declared to have a mental ability of a child. This kind of change would have helped missing Kent Jacobs who has an IQ less than a 9-year-old child. Kent can not take care of himself even if he's just lost.

Please visit www.petitiononline.com/cue4162 to read about the petition. I hope you will consider signing it.

Thursday, October 23

On the way how from work, I stopped and looked at a possible meeting room for a January M.U.S.T self-defense class. We should be scheduling that class soon.

Don't forget about this Sunday's Walk for Sabrina. The walk will be held at Redeemer Lutheran Church on Anderson Lane in North Austin. There will be a carnival for the kids. Visit Sabrina's web sitefor additional information.

Friday, October 24

I watched the Katie Couric NBC special on Elizabeth Smart. The program did not really tell any new information although it did include an interview with Elizabeth. Elizabeth seems to be adjusting well to being home.

I was hoping they would show pictures of the 97,000 missing persons in the United States. The media has a bad tendency of focusing on one case and ignoring all others.

Saturday, October 25

We received our federal Non-profit approval yesterday for the Rachel Alert Network. Now any donations made to RAN are tax deductible.

I ask employees of corporations such as Dell Computer and 3M to contact their charitable donation departments for us. We need notebook computers, printers, scanners, office supplies, ink jet cartridges, copier paper, and a lot of other things.

The money we collect during fund-raisers can then be used to sponsor programs and not to buy equipment and office supplies. Every donation made helps us host programs such as the M.U.S.T. women's self-defense and awareness classes and also to produce missing person flyers.

Stop by our water station at tomorrow's Walk for Sabrina. Our family will be there to show our support for Sabrina Allen's family and friends.

Sunday, October 26

I attended the Walk for Sabrina today. The cold weather kept the attendance down, but they still had around one hundred people attend the event. About $5,000 was raised to help in the search for Sabrina in Mexico.

Monday, October 27

NEWS 8 Austin would like to interview someone who took our last M.U.S.T. women's self-defense and awareness class. If anyone would like to join Deborah Brown at Southwestern University this Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. please send an e-mail to me at rachelalert@yahoo.com.

We won't have a M.U.S.T. class in December because of the holidays. The November 3 class will be the last one this year. We will begin the classes again in January 2004.

Tuesday, October 28

The NEWS 8 interview has been moved to this Thursday morning. Chief Deborah Brown and I will be on live between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. I will talk about the M.U.S.T women's self-defense class and Rachel Alert Network. Chief Brown will demonstrate some of the things that will be covered in the class.

KLBJ/AM radio is also helping us promote the November 3 M.U.S.T. class. I did a telephone interview with a reporter from the station this morning.

I spoke with a reporter from a national magazine today. The magazine is doing a story on Texas EquuSearch and the reporter wanted a few quotes from me about how TES helped us. I always like Rachel's story to be spread outside of Central Texas in case she was taken out of this area.

Wednesday, October 29

I worked a little on the rachelalert.org web site today. Since we are now a non-profit public organization we have to place certain records where they can be read by the public.

Chief Deborah Brown and I are still set to do the NEWS 8 AUSTIN live interviews tomorrow morning. The interviews will be shown several times during their 6:00-8:00 a.m. news.

On Monday I will be on the KVUE Mid Day News. It will be on sometime between 11:00 a.m. and noon.

Thursday, October 30

Deborah Brown, her brother Dan, and I met a NEWS 8 AUSTIN crew at 5:30 a.m. this morning for a live interview. This microwave tower which serves North Austin was down and they had to tape the interview. The segment about the M.U.S.T. seminar played every hour today.

I added a map and directions to Crestview United Methodist Church to both rachelalert.org and rachelcookesearch.org. Crestview will be the site where next Monday's M.U.S.T. seminar will be held.

Friday, October 31

My interview with KVUE will air live around 11:45 a.m. this Monday. I will be discussing the upcoming M.U.S.T. seminar on November 3. I hope to have a good turn at the class.

The Shawn Hornbeck Foundation received their non-profit 501C(3) approval this week. I think both Rachel Alert Network and the Shawn Hornbeck foundation will make a difference in helping with the missing person problem.