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| The Post and Courier Aug 10, 2005 |
| Team determined to find woman. Volunteers with specialized dogs join hunt for missing North Charleston resident. |
The founder of a missing persons organization and a team of specialized tracking dogs joined
in the search Tuesday for a 32- year-old North Charleston woman who vanished in May.
A team of five dogs and handlers took to the streets around Brandy Hanna's Florida Avenue
apartment Tuesday night in an effort to pick up her trail and give investigators the break they
have desperately sought in the case.
Monica Caison, founder and president of the N.C.-based Community United Effort Center for
Missing Persons, said the volunteer group will stay with the case and provide whatever
assistance it can until the mystery of Hanna's whereabouts is solved.
"Brandy Hanna has a right to be brought home to her family, and her parents and loved ones
have a right to know what happened," she said. "We hope we can contribute to that in some way."
North Charleston police say they welcome the help after exhausting all leads and finding no
trace of Hanna."When you have nothing, anything is worth trying," said Spencer Pryor, a police
spokesman. "We want resolution just like the family wants resolution."
Hanna was last seen at her apartment on May 20.
Her mother reported her missing three days later after Hanna failed to show up for work at Alex's
Restaurant on Dorchester Road. Family members and co-workers told police it was
uncharacteristic of Hanna to miss work or go off without checking in with someone.
Hanna left behind her clothes, money and an apartment devoid of clues -- a blanket and pillow
on the couch, a cup of tea on the table. There was no suggestion of a forced entry, no signs of a
struggle. No hint of where she had gone.
North Charleston police say they are treating Hanna as a missing person. Though police have
no evidence that she was hurt or abducted, her family suspects that is what has happened.
Since May, police have questioned friends, boyfriends, family members, co- workers -- even
given a polygraph test to one ex-boyfriend. But police say they have no clues that point to foul
play.
Caison said the tracking team has dogs trained to pick up older scents and establish a trail.
They planned to start at the last point Hanna was seen and try to establish her direction of travel,
she said.
"Most dogs cannot track things over three hours, but three months old is a hot trail for these
dogs," Caison said. "It's like it happened yesterday."
Donna Parent, Hanna's mother, contacted Caison's group for help last month. She has listed
Hanna's name on every missing persons' Web site she could find, posted fliers around the
community and worked with family and friends to raise money for a reward in hopes of
generating tips.
They've collected more than $5,500 but are no closer to finding Hanna, Parent said. She hopes
the searchers will uncover clues to help break open the case and bring her daughter home.
"I'm anxious and nervous, but I'm also grateful because I need some sort of closure, be it good
or bad," Parent said. "I can't go on not knowing where my daughter is."
CUE Center for Missing Persons was formed about 11 years ago and its volunteers usually work
annually on 500 or more cases, most of which are eventually resolved, Caison said.
The nonprofit organization does not charge for its services, which range from providing support
to families with missing relatives to raising reward money and participating in search and rescue
missions.
The group works primarily in North Carolina, but also can patch into a nationwide network of
volunteers and resources, she said.
Caison and members of the tracking team arrived in South Carolina after assisting with a search
in Florida for Annamarie Randazzo, a 17-year-old who disappeared after dropping off two friends
at their Cape Coral homes on July 22.
Randazzo's badly burned remains were discovered Saturday, stuffed inside a refrigerator.
Caison said she plans to head to Lumberton, N.C., on Friday to help with the search for a
missing 24-year-old man but could stay longer in the Lowcountry if her services are needed.
Either way, she won't walk away from Hanna's case until the missing woman is found, she said.
"We never give up on our cases -- never," she said.
That is welcome news to Parent, who refuses to give up hope that her daughter will be found. "I
gave birth to her and I have to follow this and see it through," she said. "She is on my mind
constantly, 2-4/7, even when I'm sleeping. She's always there, and I won't give up."
Monica Caison] said the tracking team has dogs trained to pick up older scents and establish a
trail. They planned to start at the last point Hanna was seen and try to establish her direction of
travel, she said.
Donna Parent, Hanna's mother, contacted Caison's group for help last month. She has listed
Hanna's name on every missing persons' Web site she could find, posted fliers around the
community and worked with family and friends to raise money for a reward in hopes of
generating tips.
Caison said she plans to head to Lumberton, N.C., on Friday to help with the search for a
missing 24-year-old man but could stay longer in the Lowcountry if her services are needed.
Either way, she won't walk away from Hanna's case until the missing woman is found, she said
A MOTHER'S NOTE
On behalf of our family, we would like to thank everyone in our community that has contributed in
our search for Brandy Hanna. A $1,000 cash reward is now being offered for five days. No
questions asked for any tips that will lead to the discovery or the location of my daughter...
-Donna Parent, Hanna's mother
If anyone would like to contribute to our search fund, please contact 843-460-0304 or the CUE
Center for Missing Persons 910-232- 1687. All tips will remain anonymous.
in the search Tuesday for a 32- year-old North Charleston woman who vanished in May.
A team of five dogs and handlers took to the streets around Brandy Hanna's Florida Avenue
apartment Tuesday night in an effort to pick up her trail and give investigators the break they
have desperately sought in the case.
Monica Caison, founder and president of the N.C.-based Community United Effort Center for
Missing Persons, said the volunteer group will stay with the case and provide whatever
assistance it can until the mystery of Hanna's whereabouts is solved.
"Brandy Hanna has a right to be brought home to her family, and her parents and loved ones
have a right to know what happened," she said. "We hope we can contribute to that in some way."
North Charleston police say they welcome the help after exhausting all leads and finding no
trace of Hanna."When you have nothing, anything is worth trying," said Spencer Pryor, a police
spokesman. "We want resolution just like the family wants resolution."
Hanna was last seen at her apartment on May 20.
Her mother reported her missing three days later after Hanna failed to show up for work at Alex's
Restaurant on Dorchester Road. Family members and co-workers told police it was
uncharacteristic of Hanna to miss work or go off without checking in with someone.
Hanna left behind her clothes, money and an apartment devoid of clues -- a blanket and pillow
on the couch, a cup of tea on the table. There was no suggestion of a forced entry, no signs of a
struggle. No hint of where she had gone.
North Charleston police say they are treating Hanna as a missing person. Though police have
no evidence that she was hurt or abducted, her family suspects that is what has happened.
Since May, police have questioned friends, boyfriends, family members, co- workers -- even
given a polygraph test to one ex-boyfriend. But police say they have no clues that point to foul
play.
Caison said the tracking team has dogs trained to pick up older scents and establish a trail.
They planned to start at the last point Hanna was seen and try to establish her direction of travel,
she said.
"Most dogs cannot track things over three hours, but three months old is a hot trail for these
dogs," Caison said. "It's like it happened yesterday."
Donna Parent, Hanna's mother, contacted Caison's group for help last month. She has listed
Hanna's name on every missing persons' Web site she could find, posted fliers around the
community and worked with family and friends to raise money for a reward in hopes of
generating tips.
They've collected more than $5,500 but are no closer to finding Hanna, Parent said. She hopes
the searchers will uncover clues to help break open the case and bring her daughter home.
"I'm anxious and nervous, but I'm also grateful because I need some sort of closure, be it good
or bad," Parent said. "I can't go on not knowing where my daughter is."
CUE Center for Missing Persons was formed about 11 years ago and its volunteers usually work
annually on 500 or more cases, most of which are eventually resolved, Caison said.
The nonprofit organization does not charge for its services, which range from providing support
to families with missing relatives to raising reward money and participating in search and rescue
missions.
The group works primarily in North Carolina, but also can patch into a nationwide network of
volunteers and resources, she said.
Caison and members of the tracking team arrived in South Carolina after assisting with a search
in Florida for Annamarie Randazzo, a 17-year-old who disappeared after dropping off two friends
at their Cape Coral homes on July 22.
Randazzo's badly burned remains were discovered Saturday, stuffed inside a refrigerator.
Caison said she plans to head to Lumberton, N.C., on Friday to help with the search for a
missing 24-year-old man but could stay longer in the Lowcountry if her services are needed.
Either way, she won't walk away from Hanna's case until the missing woman is found, she said.
"We never give up on our cases -- never," she said.
That is welcome news to Parent, who refuses to give up hope that her daughter will be found. "I
gave birth to her and I have to follow this and see it through," she said. "She is on my mind
constantly, 2-4/7, even when I'm sleeping. She's always there, and I won't give up."
Monica Caison] said the tracking team has dogs trained to pick up older scents and establish a
trail. They planned to start at the last point Hanna was seen and try to establish her direction of
travel, she said.
Donna Parent, Hanna's mother, contacted Caison's group for help last month. She has listed
Hanna's name on every missing persons' Web site she could find, posted fliers around the
community and worked with family and friends to raise money for a reward in hopes of
generating tips.
Caison said she plans to head to Lumberton, N.C., on Friday to help with the search for a
missing 24-year-old man but could stay longer in the Lowcountry if her services are needed.
Either way, she won't walk away from Hanna's case until the missing woman is found, she said
A MOTHER'S NOTE
On behalf of our family, we would like to thank everyone in our community that has contributed in
our search for Brandy Hanna. A $1,000 cash reward is now being offered for five days. No
questions asked for any tips that will lead to the discovery or the location of my daughter...
-Donna Parent, Hanna's mother
If anyone would like to contribute to our search fund, please contact 843-460-0304 or the CUE
Center for Missing Persons 910-232- 1687. All tips will remain anonymous.
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