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

Lucille Hellen Lewis





Lewis, date, approximate 2006; Earl Dean Stipe
Date Missing 01/31/2006
Missing From
Missoula, Montana
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 09/25/1952 (70)
Age 53 years old
Height and Weight 5'2 - 5'5, 150 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Lewis's nickname is Louie. She wears eyeglasses.
Details of Disappearance Lewis moved from from Newberg, Oregon to St. Ignatius, Montana in November 2005. She relocated to be with her boyfriend, Earl Dean Stipe.
A photograph of Stipe is posted with this summary. Lewis had met him on the internet in October 2005, shortly after the dissolution of her twenty-year marriage, and was apparently unaware that he was a convicted felon.
None of Lewis's friends or family in Oregon heard from her after she moved to Montana, although she had been close to her family and was on friendly with her ex-husband. Her sister tried repeatedly to reach her by cellular phone, but to no result.
In February 2006, Lewis's sister contacted Stipe and asked about Lewis. Stipe stated Lewis had wanted to return to Oregon and he last saw her when he dropped her off at the Missoula International Airport in Missoula, Montana on January 31.
As Lewis had never arrived in Oregon, her sister became concerned and filed a missing persons report with Montana police. When investigators went to Stipe's home to question him about Lewis's disappearance found over a dozen firearms inside his residence.
Stipe, as a convicted felon on probation, is not ly allowed to own any guns, so he was arrested. In November 2007, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Stipe had forged Lewis's name on checks and had pawned some of her jewelry and other belongings. He had told Lewis he was a retired federal marshal who owned a ranch; in fact, he had never been a marshal and lived in a trailer with his adult son and his son's girlfriend and two children.
Although Stipe's felony conviction was for forgery and not for any violent offense, his son described him as was violent and abusive.
Although the circumstances surrounding Lewis's disappearance are unclear, Stipe is considered a person of interest in her . Prior to moving to Montana she was employed as an underwriter at the Oregon Mutual Insurance company for over 25 years. Her disappearance remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Lake County Sheriff's Office
406-883-7301
Other
Missoula County Reserve Deputy Unit
The McMinnville News-Register
United States Department of Justice: Montana District
Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse

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