Manning, SC

Today is the last full day on the tour and even though we have 3 stops scheduled they aren't far apart  and we are hoping for a non stressful day that may actually include meals and a laundry run. When we first started out it seemed like we were going to be on the road for such a long time. Half way through it started picking up momentum and by the end you don't understand how it went so quickly.

Missing Clartha Epps McLeod's family is hosting this stop (10/11/13 10:30am) at the Cypress Forks  Church in Manning SC. 6 family members and a close friend dressed in their matriatch's missing shirts with Still Missing But Not Forgotten! written on them greeted us with smile and hugs. There was also an impressive law enforcement presence. Along with photos, a banner, and I believe a license plate, there were key chains with a poem on the flip side "A broken heart is what I feel It leads to flowing tears My happiness has gone Knowing you are all alone It fells like only yesterday That I just saw your smiling face I truly hope there comes a day when our love will reunite I can wash away the tears And sleep throughout the night".

If you have not seen Clartha's missing person photo I ask that you look at it now. She's not smiling in it and her eyes are large and staring. Janeane had mentioned how it's like you can see her soul. I mentioned this to her family and they said it was taken only a few days before she went missing in 2009, I find that so interesting because normally you wouldn't use that photo and I  did see many smiling photos of her on display today.

2 years ago their rally was held at the police department and I still remember how many of her family showed. I remember that she was dropped off at church and then vanished. I remember that there have been many extensive searches conducted, both when she originally went missing and in subsequent years. I remember that at 75 years of age she had been recently diagnosed as in the early stages of Alzheimer's but that her missing poster states that she was "vibrantly healthy". I remember wondering if she could have attempted to walk home and gotten confused. But then why are we unable to find her?

Thinking I know this case fully I glance down at her poster and pick up on something I hadn't noticed before. Clartha was allegedly dropped off at the Hickory Grove Church in Turbeville by a family acquaintance at 11:30PM. That just can't be right. Why would she be going to church that late at night? I talk to the family and yes the poster is correct and yes they agree it's not normal. Then they tell me the man who drove her was not even family or someone that was close to the family. I realize this is not new information to the family, law enforcement, CUE or the searchers. I just made an assumption that she was dropped off at 11:30am 2 years ago and never really looked at the information again even though I look at her picture fairly often. It's a reminder that things are not always as you may think the first time you look at something and that you need to take the time when you are looking at something you've seen before.

Elisa