Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
Brookley Chantille Louks
Brookley, date, approximate 2002; Scott Louks, date, approximate 2002; Joseph Nowicki
Date Missing 06/24/2002
Missing From
Greenwood, Indiana
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 12/12/1982 (39)
Age 19 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 120 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A light-colored blouse, dark-colored capri pants, pink sandals, and a gold ring with two hearts surrounded by diamonds.
Associated Vehicle(s) 1990 Chevrolet Corsica (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Dark brown hair, blue eyes. Brookley's ears are pierced multiple times. She wore size 3 clothing at the time of her disappearance.
Details of Disappearance Brookley was last seen in Greenwood, Indiana on June 24, 2002. She stopped at her father's residence in the 1400 block of Cottonwood Drive at approximately 4:00 p.m. to retrieve some of her clothing. Brookley summoned authorities to the house after realizing that her father's personal computer had been stolen. Officers completed the burglary report at approximately 5:30 p.m. and departed from the scene.
A witness may have seen Brookley enter the passenger side of her 1990 Chevrolet Corsica shortly afterwards. An unidentified young male may have been driving the vehicle at the time. Later, she told her mother she was going to spend the night at a friend's house. Brookley has never been heard from again.
Brookley was reported missing on June 26, two days after her disappearance. Authorities received an anonymous tip and located her vehicle in Waverly, Indiana on July 1, 2002. The car was abandoned in a parking lot near Indiana State Road 37 and Highway 144, approximately ten miles from her father's apartment. There was no sign of her at the scene.
Brookley's mother, Kim, said that her daughter had criminal problems in 2001, but had changed her lifestyle by June 2002. She had previously been addicted to methamphetamines but by the time of her disappearance appeared to be recovering from her addiction, and was pursuing a modeling career.
Kim said that Brookley had nearly completed her probation and community service by the time of her disappearance. Her father, Scott A. Louks, agreed and said that it was uncharacteristic of Brookley to leave without warning. Scott's photo is posted with this summary.Brookley left all of her clothing behind and also left her kitten unattended. She did not hold any credit cards at the time of her disappearance, making it difficult to track her possible financial activity since that time.
Investigators searched Joseph Nowicki's residence in the 4600 block of Old Smith Valley Road in late July 2002. His photo is posted with this summary. Nowicki had an extensive criminal history that dates back to his teen years and included convictions for murder, robbery, and rape. Kim said that her daughter knew Nowicki and often assisted him care for his horses.
Officials seized his van and personal computer during the search. Nowicki was not allowed to possess firearms as the result of his previous convictions; he was arrested on weapons charges after authorities discovered guns inside his family's home. Nowicki claimed the weapons belonged to his wife and he only cleaned the firearms.
Officials identified Nowicki was the prime suspect in Brookley's disappearance shortly after the search. He reportedly gave conflicting statements as to his whereabouts on the night of June 24.
Nowicki claimed that he was at his residence during the evening, but others indicated that he requested rides from Waverly during the same time span. Nowicki's alleged location at the time was near the parking lot where Brookley's vehicle was eventually discovered. Phone records indicated he placed over 12 calls on the night of June 24, including several calls to Scott.
Melinda Owen, described as Nowicki's acquaintance, told officials that he claimed Brookley was missing during their phone conversation. Nowicki reportedly asked Owen to keep the information confidential and claimed he planned to hire a private investigator to locate Brookley. Owen allegedly spoke to Scott during another phone conversation on June 25, the day after Brookley vanished and the day before her disappearance was reported.
Nowicki reportedly told other witnesses that he and Brookley were involved in an il prescription pill transaction in late June 2002. He allegedly said that he recognized an individual who accompanied her to their final meeting as an undercover officer. Authorities have not confirmed the information.
Brookley's mother says Nowicki was infatuated with Brookley and shortly before her disappearance was upset because she had not been to see him and had been associating with other teenagers. When questioned by police about Brookley's disappearance, Nowicki stated he believed she met with an "ill fate."
Authorities found blood in his workshop, and evidence that someone had tried to mop a substantial amount of blood off the floor. Nowicki claimed that he injured himself while working on an upholstery project and used a rag to clean the area, but DNA testing confirmed the blood belonged to Brookley. There was not enough blood to indicate that she had been killed, however.
Nowicki pleaded not guilty to the firearms charges resulting from the search on his home. He was released from prison in July 2003, for medical and compassionate reasons, as he was dying of cancer, and went to live in a hospice. He died on August 29, 2003, without speaking about Brookley's disappearance to police. Authorities were planning to convene a grand jury and attempt to charge him with murder, but he died before they could do so. They now say they doubt Brookley's can be solved with Nowicki dead.
Curiously, Nowicki was the last person known to have been with Gene Derringer, a friend and coworker of his, before Derringer disappeared in 1996. Investigators found blood on the walls and mattress in Derringer's bedroom and a bullet in the wall, and two guns were missing. Derringer has never been found and Nowicki is considered a possible suspect in his , but authorities stated they also had other, more likely suspects.
Scott was never named as a possible suspect in his daughter's , but investigators believed that he was withholding information related to her disappearance. Scott received immunity from prosecution after speaking to authorities in July 2002. He retained an attorney afterwards and declined additional law enforcement interview requests. Prosecutors subpoenaed him in an effort to force him to divulge additional details in August 2002. Scott's attorney argued that detectives were demanding irrelevant information about his client's past that was unrelated to Brookley's .
Scott moved out of his Greenwood apartment shortly after Brookley was reported missing. He died of natural causes related to heavy alcohol and drug consumption in November 2002, four months after Brookley vanished. If Scott did possess additional information connected to his daughter's , he did not share it with anyone prior to his death.
Brookley's mother believes Nowicki murdered her but did not commit the crime alone; she theorizes that he had accomplices. Brookley remains missing and is presumed dead, but her remains have not been located and no one has been charged in her disappearance.
Investigating Agency
Greenwood Police Department
317-887-5212
Other
NamUs
WISH TV-8
WRTV-6
The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
MSNBC
The Associated Press
The Indianapolis Star
Sorrow with Hope Scott Louks Memorial Page
The Franklin Daily Journal
The Indianapolis News
Facebook Page for Brookley Louks
Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
