Just an update and a cry for help

It's so hard to know what to say now days.  Jordon is not doing well.  We are not doing well. 

We have been unable to raise any funds to help with Jordon's recovery.  I've been a little shocked to be honest.  I had hoped that people would be willing to just offer a dollar or two to help a child who desperately needs treatment.  But it hasn't happened.  Two wonderful people have offered what they could.  And I feel so blessed for that.  We are doing all we can.  Selling what we have, trying to go some work for a family member to earn a little bit.  Our lives have been trashed.  We had good jobs with good pay, we had a little in savings, we were able to live a pretty comfortable life.  We donated to charities.  We went to silent auctions.  We did what we could to give back to the world for the blessings we had received.  Now it's all gone.  We haven't been able to work in 2 months because our jobs are in Louisiana and we are trapped here in Texas while we try to work out getting Jordon help.  We have nothing.  We have no one to turn to in our time of dire need.  Jordon needs help.  I don't give two shakes about myself and what I need.  What I care desperately about is my daughter's life and her well-being.  She is hurting.  She is confused.  Honestly, she is really messed up right now and she needs treatment that I can't afford.  She needs help.  

I'm so scared that my child is going to slip right through the cracks because I can't afford to get her the help she needs to recover.  This damage that was done to her was done TO her.  That means that the person responsible for her disappearance in the first place damaged her.  We don't understand it.  Why anyone would do this to our family is so far beyond our comprehension.  Why anyone would take advantage of an impressionable child like this and hurt her this way is just something I can't wrap my head around.  I used to believe that there was good in everyone.   But the person, I should say persons because there was more than one, involved in this are just pure evil.  And what is really sickening is that they are still out there walking around and living their lives while my baby's life is at a total standstill.   The police keep saying "We're going to make the arrests very soon" "We're going to make the arrest this Friday" "We're going to make the arrest on Wednesday" and so on.  They keep talk talk talking but not doing anything!!  There are warrants but they aren't acting on them.  Since the perps didn't kill Jordon the police are just dragging their feet on making the arrest.  I'm honestly scared every day that this person is out loose.  What's to stop them from doing this to another family?  Another CHILD!   

We need help.  Please.  I'm begging you.  Please don't sit there and think that 'someone else' will help us because 'someone else' doesn't exist.  We aren't asking any one person to give us thousands of dollars here, we are just asking for a dollar or two from each person in hopes that it'll add up to enough to get Jordon the treatment she desperately needs.  

Anyway,  I hope that this message reaches lots of folks and that some of those folks will find it in their hearts to help Jordon.  She's just a kid.  And we are just desperate parents.  Please help us get Jordon the treatment she needs to recover from what those horrible people did to her. 

JORDON HAS BEEN FOUND

Hello Everyone

I am overjoyed to announce that Jordon has been found.  She is alive and doing pretty ok.  

Unfortunately, while she was away the people who were hiding her caused some pretty bad damage to her on a couple of different level.  For the sake of her privacy I won't go into detail here, but it's going to be a long road to healing and getting her better.  SO, we are going to keep the donation site open for a little longer and ask for a little help.  She needs treatment and therapy.  We can not afford it after all that has happened.  

Please help us get Jordon the treatment and help she so desperately needs.

Please also know that we aren't asking for huge donations here.  We know that in todays world people can't donate much.  So even something like $1.00 is so much help.  It all adds up.  We are only asking for what we need.  Nothing extra.  All we care about is getting Jordon better.  As soon as we have enough for treatment and the legal fees that we'll be facing I will close this site and begin paying it forward. 

I'm going to keep this post on top so that those who visit will know what we are needing.  I will make other posts and updates below.  Thank you!

Thank you all for you support, encouragement, love, prayers, and kindness. 

Without you we wouldn't have made it this far!  And I know that with your love and support Jordon IS going to make it through this.  Our girl will be back someday to the wonderful person she really is. 

Blessings to all and thank you in advance for helping us get Jordon the treatment she needs to get back to her life.

Peace

The Townsend Family

Please Help Us Bring Jordon Home

Hello.  This is our beautiful daughter, Jordon...

... she went missing on May 23, 2008.  She is 15 years old.  We are terrified.   (JORDON TURNED 16 ON JUNE 22ND)

We have filed police reports with all the local and state agencies.  She is listed on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  We've done all that we know to do and have been told to do by law enforcement agencies.  But we aren't getting any help finding Jordon.  Finally, we had to hire a private detective in hopes of finding Jordon so the police can go safely recover her.  

We have been spending our days, and nights, working to find our daughter.  We've done a lot of information and evidence gathering ourselves.  But there is only so much that people like us can do.  We don't have the means or the technology to go much further on our own.  

We are in desperate need of help.  We are offering a reward for any information leading to Jordon's safe return and we are in the process of gathering funds to do that.  We are in the process of selling, quite literally, everything in our house.  Furniture, kitchen stuff, you name it. Anything we can do to gather funds to help pay the reward money and further our search efforts. 

I know that right now the economy makes it very hard to help anyone.  I honestly do understand.  We wouldn't ask, but we truly are in need of help.  We just want to find Jordon and get her home safe and healthy. 

Here is what we are asking from everyone.  Please donate just ONE dollar.  If you can do more great, but ONE dollar from each person who visits this page will be one dollar more toward getting Jordon home safe.  So please help us.  And please pass on the link to this page to everyone you know, and please post it on any websites you may belong to, so that others might be able to help too.

Thank you. 

The Townsend Family

PS: I HAVE THIS POST SET UP TO WHERE IT IS ALWAYS ON TOP OF ALL THE OTHERS.  PLEASE LOOK BELOW THIS POST FOR UPDATE AND NEW POSTS.  THANK YOU ALL!

JULY 2, 2008

Well another month has begun.  I have nothing to tell as far as updates go.  We are still searching and praying and hoping. 

The detective we hired ripped us off and flaked out.  I'm guessing she wasn't a real PI.  No word in over 2 weeks now.  Not sure what to do about that.  All that time wasted when a real PI could have been actually doing good work and possibly helped us end this by now.  I should have known better.   

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while.  I just wish there was some good news to share with everyone for a change.  

June 27, 2008

Nothing to report today.

However, I got to thinking about something. When an adult goes missing police begin searching because they are listed as a "Missing Person". When a child goes missing they are classified as a "Missing Child" or a "Runaway"(further classified as either Endangered or not). If the classification is "Missing Child" and search ensues. But if the classification is "ENDANGERED Runaway" or "Runaway" no one seems to care. I get chuckles from people who say "Oh she'll be back. ", "Hell I ran away several times and I turned out ok", "I stayed gone for 2 months before I got my head together and came home. She'll be fine."...and so on. Well, she isn't home, she isn't ok, she isn't fine, and I see no indication that she is coming home anytime soon because there is an adult who is supplying homes to go to, food to eat, 'Bars" to take, and money when needed.

I can promise every single person out there that a Mother does NOT classify a missing child. To a Mother her child is missing regardless of the reason. There should be a search. HOW can we live in a society that separates missing children into "keeper" and "Forget 'em" bins as if they are sorting through left over holiday decorations? You know... the thought gives you warm fuzzy happy feelings but there are some you can do with getting rid of. Well children ARE NOT DISPOSABLE! Why does anyone have the right to to act as if my child doesn't matter because of some stupid label that a police report put on her? Why do people look at this like some kind of teen age phase or a joke Well, let me tell ya buddy I'm not laughing! Yes I am well aware that there are children who are in situations where they feel they have to run away. And, honestly, if there was more help for those children and safe places they could go then maybe they wouldn't be on the streets. But my child is NOT one of those poor kids who feel there is no other choice. She doesn't fit into that pigeon hole that society's 'finest' is trying to put her in.

She's a kid in trouble and in danger. She needs help.

So now I'm thinking, when this is over and this nightmare finally ends. What can I do to make changes on a legislative level that would demand that these children not be treated like so much garbage that isn't worth anyones time or effort? What can I do to remove the labels and the stigma attached to them? Why is being a scared, troubled and possibly very much endangered Runaway something that law enforcement turns their nose up at as though they can't dirty their hands with them?? That's not right!!!! There HAS to be something that can be done. These children do not need to be our societies invisible youth!! They aren't broken. They aren't diseased lepers. They aren't filth that need to be sweep up and thrown out. These are our children. THIS IS MY CHILD! And NO ONE has the right to treat her as though she doesn't matter. I do NOT understand this. How can the world be this way? How can those in power just act like there's nothing wrong with ignoring these kids?

What can I do to change things?

June 26, 2008

Well, we thought we might get a break today.  One of the news shows here in Austin was going to interview me tonight so that we can get Jordon's story out there.  I was really hoping for this.  But, Travis County Sheriff's Department screwed that up for us too.  They made Jordon out to be 'just' another runaway.  I wanted to get this story out in the media in hopes that it would show that she IS NOT "JUST" another runaway.   Jordon is sick.  She has an illness.  It's called ADD and she HAS to be on medicine for it.  When Jordon was diagnosed a year ago one of the parts she scored the most severe on was impulse control.  She tries so very hard to make good choices when she isn't on her medication.  But Jordon even agrees that the medication helps her think clearly and make good positive choices.  Without it her life is a ball of confusing mess.  She is so easily lead astray when not on her meds.  

Jordon does not come from a bad background or bad home life.  We have a clean fairly well functioning household and a pretty functional family.  We have issues just like everyone else on the planet.  We aren't filthy rich.  We don't live in a big fancy house.  We have a nice little house out by the lake in a good neighborhood.  We get along.  We play games.  We watch movies.  We go to Barnes and Noble and drink coffee and read and talk.  Jordon loves a series called Fruits Basket.  She just devours those books.  We have sit down family meals at a real dinner table much of the time.  Not all the time, but much of it.  We eat healthy and CJ and I prepare the meals with fresh veggies and good meat.  Jordon helps sometimes too.  We have fun cooking.  We talk.  We laugh.  We argue and fight.  We make up.  We are all able to admit when we've done something wrong or hurtful.  We live, learn, love and grow every day.  Jordon attends a pretty good school.  We, her folks, hold down really good jobs.  CJ is in the engineering field and I work in the domestic violence field.  We both continue our education.  We have a good spiritual life.  We study and learn and grow in those areas too.  We have a good family with a good home life. 

Jordon is under the influence of a person who does NOT have her best interest at heart.  The person who is hiding her is vengeful, spiteful, known by others to have had pedophile relationships with young girls, does drugs, allows her own teenage daughter to do drugs and alcohol and have sexual relationships with adult females.  This adult female has a CPS record a mile long.  She is adept at hiding people and lying to the police.  She doesn't even think twice about it.  She's a liar, a master manipulator, and completely untrustworthy.  She has coerced a vulnerable ill child into voluntarily leaving her home.  She knew that if she did that, that law enforcement would look the other way and do nothing because Jordon would be seen as a runaway instead of an abducted child.  Jordon is gone without my permission and a person whom I had told to never have contact with my child has her hidden away.  Now, I'm sorry, but there is something seriously wrong with a law enforcement agency who refuses to do anything about this when a frantic mother has tried and tried to get them to understand the danger in this situation.  Law enforcement simply does not care that my child is in danger.  I've begged them for help.  They refuse.  They simply do not care. 

My daughter is going to end up dead or in a world of trouble and it will ALL rest on Austin Police Department and the Travis County Sheriff's Department for refusing to see the severity and REAL danger of this nightmare situation.  And yes... I hope someone sees this and tells someone in those agencies about it.  I want the world to know that these agencies are allowing my child to stay in danger because they refuse to act, they refuse to help, the refuse to protect my child and serve my child.  

June 25, 2008

The time just keeps going doesn't it?  I expecting it to just stop and wait for my baby girl to come home so we can move on with our lives.  But it's not happening that way is it? 

There is still no news.  No leads.  No anything. 

We are continuing to seek help through Networks and the Media.  

We want to offer a reward for any information leading to Jordon's safe return.  So the focus of any and all donations will be to go toward a reward.  I will post that information as soon as we have it an amount to offer.  Any help in that area would be much appreciated and a blessing I could never thank you for enough. 

Thank you again for your kind prayers and thoughts.  I'll keep everyone posted.

The Townsend Family

June 24, 2008

We've still heard nothing from Jordon.  Nothing from law enforcement.  Nothing from anyone.

We are currently contacting as many missing children and missing persons networks are we possibly can.  We are getting her information out to everyone we possibly can get it out too.  We discussed today the possibility of doing some mass hardcopy mail outs with a letter telling Jordon's story and her NCMEC poster with website listing that they can check out and numbers people can contact if she is sighted. 

If anyone has more ideas or comments or questions, please feel free to contact us or leave comments or anything.  We are open to pretty much anything at this point.

Thank you all again for your thoughts,  prayers and kindness.

The Townsend Family

Happy Birthday Jordon

Today is Jordon's 16th birthday.  

I've never been away from her on a birthday before.  I don't know what to do.  I should be getting ready for a party to celebrate the joy of having Jordon in my life.  Instead I'm sitting at my computer at 7 am crying and praying and wishing she were home.  

When will this nightmare end?

UPDATE #2

Friday June 20, 2008

Another Friday has come and gone and there is still no news.  The detective said I would be getting a call today for a report.  But, of course, I didn't get a call.  

We are not giving up hope and we are not going to give up searching.  If anything our efforts to find her are just getting stronger. 

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you!