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

Rosa Margarita Lisowski








Rosa, date, approximate 2008; Henry Lisowski
Date Missing 03/24/2008
Missing From
San Diego, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 02/17/1958 (64)
Age 50 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 120 - 165 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Dark-colored sweatpants, a black fleece hooded jacket and leather flip-flops.
Associated Vehicle(s) Lexus (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Black hair, brown eyes. Rosa was born in Mexico. Her maiden name is Ramos and she may go by her middle name, Margarita.
Details of Disappearance Rosa was last seen at 7:30 a.m. on March 24, 2008, when she walked her first-grade son to Bernard Elementary School in the 2900 block of Bernard Street, in the Loma Portal area of San Diego, California. Her other children were waiting for her at home, a short walk away.
Rosa never arrived home and has never been heard from again. She left behind her money, her wallet, and identification; she took only her house keys. She was anticipating a $30,000 disability settlement from a grocery store, which she never collected. Her adult son reported her missing.
Rosa and her husband, Henry, were in the middle of a heated divorce at the time of her disappearance. They had been married for eight or nine years, but during most of that time they lived apart.
Rosa had just been awarded custody of their two children, and Henry was ordered to pay over $1,000 a month in child support beginning April 1. A hearing was also scheduled for April to determine whether Henry was being truthful about the state of his finances. Authorities later discovered he had under-reported his assets by $1.3 million.
The Lisowskis' relationship was contentious and Henry had allegedly threatened to make Rosa "disappear." He also told her if she didn't drop her child support demands, he would kill her. Her loved ones stated she had been afraid for her life for about a year and a half, and that she kept detailed notes of Henry's threats.
Police focused on Henry from the onset of the investigation. He had scratches on his arms, back and face when they first interviewed him. Authorities searched his home, boat and car, and quickly named him as a person of interest in Rosa's disappearance.
Rosa and Henry's two sons, age six and four, were placed in protective custody shortly after Rosa's disappearance. They were eventually given to the care of their maternal relatives.
In September 2008, Henry was arrested and charged with Rosa's murder. A photograph of him is posted with this summary. Traces of both Henry and Rosa's blood were found in Henry's Lexus, and Rosa's blood was on Henry's kitchen counter as well. Police believe he put her body in a dumpster in an alley near the Mount Hope area.
In a letter to police, and later at his trial, Henry admitted Rosa was dead, but denied killing her. He said she accidentally fell down a flight of steps outside his home and sustained a head injury, and he tried to take her to the hospital but she had a seizure and died on the way.
Henry stated he decided not to contact authorities and instead dumped her body in a trash bin near the Mount Hope neighborhood. He said he panicked because he thought he would be blamed for Rosa's death.
Henry was convicted of murder in March 2010, with the special circumstance of financial gain; prosecutors theorized he murdered his wife to avoid his child support obligations. He was facing a mandatory term of life in prison without parole.
On March 25, before he could be formally sentenced, Henry committed suicide in jail by taking an overdose of antidepressants.
Rosa lived in the 3800 block of Midway Drive at the time of her disappearance, and Henry lived in the 5000 block of west Point Loma Boulevard. Rosa moved from Mexico to the United States in the early 1990s, and was a resident with a work permit. Henry was also an immigrant; he was from Germany.
Although her remains have never been located, foul play is suspected in Rosa's due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
San Diego Police Department
619-531-2845
Other
California Attorney General's Office
KGTV San Diego
The San Diego Union-Tribune
KNSD San Diego
KFMB 8
The Peninsula Beacon
Project Jason
The San Diego News Network

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