From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Sat Jan 23 2010 - 16:20:49 EST
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http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/family-issues-plea-for-help,1133379.shtml
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*Family Issues Plea for Help in Finding Psychologically-Disabled Mother of
Two Missing for Two Weeks; Reward Offered*
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*Posted :* Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:30:49 GMT
*Author :* Fisher & Associates *Category :* Press Release *News
Alerts*by Email ( click here )
LAWNDALE, Calif. - (Business Wire) Family, friends and neighbors of Saron
Teclu Belay, a 37-year-old mother of two who is mentally-disabled, joined
together today to issue a plea for help and offer a reward to help find the
woman who has been missing for two weeks after being released from a
hospital and inadvertently dropped off by a taxi at the wrong location in
Norwalk, CA.
At a news conference held this morning at the home of her parents in
Lawndale, CA – where Ms. Belay and her two children – Angela, 15, and
Johanna, 11, reside – family and friends detailed the efforts being made to
date to find her, described her inability to care for herself and announced
that a $10,000 reward was being offered for information which would lead to
her discovery. Present were her parents, Teclu Hailu, 81, and Nigisty
Ghebre, 67, as well as many of her nine brothers and sisters.
Ms. Ghebre reported that her daughter – who was born in Eritrea and
immigrated to the United States in 1990 – has been diagnosed with
schizophrenia and had just completed a two-week stay for psychiatric
treatment at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach when she disappeared. She
stressed that Ms. Belay does not know their address and telephone number, is
unfamiliar with Norwalk, and is very shy and would not approach people for
help.
According to Christopher P. Yuhl, an advisor to the family, when Ms. Belay’s
stay at the hospital was completed, Pacific Hospital arranged for her
transfer to a supervised care-and-board facility in Norwalk. It contacted
Independent Taxi Company to transport her and paid the fare. The taxi driver
took her to an address on 166th Street in Norwalk, a quarter mile from the
supervised facility, and left her off in front of a house. Mr. Yuhl added
that the only reported sighting of her was at a dairy market.
When notified she was missing, the family notified the Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Department and produced fliers and distributed hundreds of them
throughout the area.
Mr. Yuhl said anyone having information on Ms. Belay should report it to
Detective Diane Harris of the Sheriff’s Department at 323-890-5510 or to him
at 310-827-2800.
Fisher & Associates
Bob Fisher, 805-496-5386
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