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 Case Updates with Photos

Ekaterina Shcherbakova


Ekaterina, date, approximate 1998; Age-progression to age 29 (date, approximate 2014)
Date Missing 04/05/1998
Missing From
Monterey, California
Missing Classification Endangered Runaway
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 02/25/1985 (37)
Age 13 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 110 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes. Ekaterina has a scar on her left ankle. Her nickname is Katie. She was born in Russia.
Details of Disappearance Ekaterina was last seen in Monterey, California on April 5, 1998. She left her home on Casanova Street and went to a friend's home on the corner of San Pablo Avenue and Judson Street in Seaside, California.
Her friend later said Ekaterina left at 8:00 p.m. She was last seen walking toward Fremont Boulevard. She never arrived home and have never been heard from again.
Ekaterina was born in Russia and moved to the United States at the age of five. Her mother stated she got involved with the wrong crowd after she entered sixth grade at King Middle School. She briefly enrolled in a Fitch Middle School class for children with behavioral problems, then returned to King Middle School.
Both the police and Ekaterina's mother believe she left of her own accord when she disappeared in April 1998. Some clothing was missing from her room, and there were several reported sightings of her in the local area after her disappearance. Investigators are now considering foul play in her disappearance, however, due to the length of time she has been missing.
Two months after Ekaterina disappeared, twelve-year-old Christina Williams was abducted from Marina, California. Her body was found seven months later, but her murder remains unsolved.
Authorities believe the homicide and Ekaterina's disappearance may be connected. Both girls were King Middle School students, both had brown hair and they were about the same size. Both of them disappeared while walking alone at dusk.
Charles Holifield is the prime suspect in Williams's murder. He is presently serving a life sentence for the attempted kidnapping of a jogger in September 1998. Holifield has been linked to sexual assaults on three teen girls, beginning in 1979, although he was only prosecuted for two of them.
All of the victims had shoulder-length brown hair, appeared to be in their early teens, and were current or former Fitch Middle School students. Ekaterina disappeared only a few blocks from Holifield's brother's home, a place where Holifield frequently stayed. He is considered a possible suspect in her disappearance.
It should be emphasized that Holifield has not been charged in Ekaterina's disappearance and only the circumstances link him to her . Her mother hopes she is still alive. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Monterey Police Department
831-646-3830
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Polly Klaas Foundation
California Attorney General's Office
The Monterey Herald

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 Case Updates with Photos