Spartanburg NC

This being my 3rd year on TRTR tour I have decided that we always have trouble finding city halls. Monica says it's because of all the one way streets, not sure about that, I mean the garmin knows about the direction of the streets. Yet even with the difficulty we were still on time.

Tim Shelton hosted this stop in honor of his sister, Missing Evelyn Shelton (10-5-13 2pm). Evelyn went missing on May 20, 2011 at the age of 42. She was last seen leaving a friends house headed home. She never arrived. Her car was found the following day just outside the city limits.

Evelyn's family has started a non profit in her honor called Speak Life Forever Foundation. Rebuilding lives one at a time, it's purpose is to create awareness about missing individuals through connections with other organizations who maintain similar goals. We set up our table next to theirs, and being in their initial phase they had lots of questions which we happily answered. Tim plans on attending the conference in March to learn even more to make their non profit a success and help the missing persons community even more. I remain hopeful that they will succeed in their goals.

Tim put on a wonderful stop, there was a singer, as well as the group One Purpose, that sang songs. Presentations by family, law enforcement and of course Monica. Bridget Musteata was also present, she is the Law Enforcement Victims Advocate for the Duncan Police Department as well as the Legislative Liason for the SC Law Enforcement Victims Advocate Association and those of us on the tour are familiar with her through the National Conference.

 I feel as if I have a real sense of Evelyn after listening to all the stories told by Tim and her large extended family that was present. I always appreciate it when I can get to know the missing person beyond the circumstances of their disappearance. They highlighted other  SC missing persons cases as well, both on a display and with individual posters on stakes in a row in the grass.

As people were coming up to sign the poster a woman came up looking for her brother's picture. Not knowing who she was, I asked if he was registered with CUE. She didn't answer me directly instead telling me that she had justice already. Justice without bringing him home. After telling her that he still needs to be found I directed her to Monica.  It turned out he was registered and Monica knew her just not that she would be attending this stop.

Her brother, Darryl Miller is highlighted on the tour. He was 33 years old when he went missing in 2005. Preach, as he was known, was last seen with hanging out with his friends. His vehicle was later found in which his cell phone and wallet were found. The police were able to arrest and convict 2 men without a body, murder weapon or a confession. The evidence they did have included blood DNA.

While it is certainly important to get justice for a family member who life was brutally taken it does not  take away the need to bring that person home. It seems that it makes it even more difficult because you no longer have police interest (if you ever did have any). The case is basically closed to Law Enforcement since the perpetrators have been apprehended. This is not the way it should be.

Elisa