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
Rocio Chila Sperry
Rocio, date, approximate 1987; Robert Charles Browne
Date Missing 11/10/1987
Missing From
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 03/29/1972 (50)
Age 15 years old
Height and Weight 5'4, 105 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a blue sweatsuit and white high-top sneakers.
Associated Vehicle(s) Gray and white Pontiac Grand Am (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Rocio's maiden name is Delpilar. She was born in Cuba.
Details of Disappearance Rocio was last seen in Colorado Springs, Colorado on November 10, 1987. She was driving a gray and white Pontiac Grand Am at the time. Her husband, Joseph A. Sperry, a soldier stationed at Fort Carson, was visiting family in Florida at the time of Rocio's disappearance. He had also taken their three-month-old daughter.
Joseph stated Rocio called him at 4:45 a.m. to tell him she loved him and there would be a surprise waiting for him when he returned home, something his mother had sent her. He asked her if everything was okay, and she reassured him that everything was fine. He tried to call Rocio back, but he got no answer.
Joseph was gone for six days. Rocio was supposed to meet him him at the airport upon his return on November 14, but she never showed up and he attempted to report her missing. Many people theorized that Rocio either left her husband voluntarily, or was murdered by him.
Joseph never believed his wife left of her own accord. He found broken glass and blood inside their apartment in the 4400 block of east Pikes Peak Avenue and none of Rocio's belongings were missing, except the family's car and their new television set.
The Sperrys' car was found by Joseph on November 22, in a parking lot north of their apartment. It was locked and Joseph had to call a locksmith to get inside it.
He noticed a brown brief that was normally kept in the vehicle was missing, and there were grease spots on the driver's side floorboard. The Pontiac had been driven 312 miles between the time Joseph went to Florida and the time he found the car after his return.
Joseph searched for his wife himself among prostitutes, theorizing she was kidnapped by a pimp and forced into prostitution. He stated he had a "miserable" life after Rocio vanished, lost custody of their daughter, and became addicted to heroin. He is now in recovery.
Robert Charles Browne confessed to Rocio's homicide in court in 2006, and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with her death. He stated he took Rocio to the movies, strangled her afterward, dismembered her body and put it in a trash bin. He also stole her car, wedding ring and television set.
At the time of his confession, Browne was already incarcerated; he pleaded guilty to the 1991 murder of a thirteen-year-old girl, Heather Dawn Church, and is serving a life sentence. A photograph of him is posted with this summary.
Authorities believe he was a prolific serial killer with victims in several states. He has claimed responsibility for at least one murder in South Korea and forty-eight murders in the United States, including the 1983 murder of Faye "Aline" Self, whose body was never found. Most of his alleged victims were women, but there were some men also.
Thus far, Browne has only been charged in connection with Heather and Rocio's s. He will be eligible for parole in 40 years in Rocio's murder, but he not eligible for parole in Heather's .
Rocio's remains have never been found. She was born in Cuba and spent some time in foster care after being taken from her abusive mother. She married Joseph to get out of the foster care system. Foul play is suspected in her due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
El Paso County Sheriff's Office
719-520-7209
Other
The Doe Network
The Colorado Springs Gazette
The Denver Post
The Rocky Mountain News
The Los Angeles Times
The Town Talk
El Paso County Sheriff's Office
The Devil's Right-Hand Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert Charles Browne
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
