In the months following her disappearance myself as well as members of her family, and other friends, spent quite a bit of time physically looking for her in Kensington. I maintain a relationship with a pastor that works with addicts down there and check in with him from time to time. As a life long Philly resident I can assure you that spending twelve hours on foot in K&A will change your whole perspective on drugs, poverty, and life in general.
Almost everyone there is happy to talk to you, if they are coherent, they might even claim to know her or have seen her if you show a picture, but its not because they care or are helpful, inevitably, its because they want something from you. I was always careful never to dole out more than a few dollars to someone to juice some info, as I knew where the money was going. Ive literally camped and surveilled houses it was suggested she stayed at overnight. Ive camped the area where all the addicts get fed by charity through all three meals served in a day several times to no avail, and the former Conrail yards, though they are mostly gone now. I cannot count easily the number of abandoned buildings and homeless encampments Ive explored looking for her. Perhaps the most disturbing part of my search was the hours spent on BackPage looking at prostitute adds trying to see if shed pop up there. Admittedly, aside from checking in with the Pastor, I gave up on physically looking for her after about a year of her being gone, because I dont believe shes in Kensington.
Admittedly, I dont have a clue where she is, nor any sort of good theory to go on... However, to share with you all my thoughts.
A, She left all her money. If she ran away to do drugs this makes absolutely zero sense.
B, She didnt bring a single possession with her, so far as anybody knows.
C, Despite her history with drugs, she was in a period of at the very least, relative sobriety in the time period leading up to her disappearing.
D, Not one of the sightings of her in K&A came from a remotely reliable (or sober) source. Money was/is in the air as a reward if she was found, and even ten dollars goes a long way when youre on drugs in that neighborhood, imagine what one of those people would have done with thousands if they had got it?
E, Despite all her history she was NEVER out of contact for more than a few days. I know what heroin does to people, shes not the only friend of mine to go down that road and not come back. Im thirty and by twenty five Id buried several close friends to overdoses.
Point being, I dont look at this through rosy glasses, but I still dont believe she willingly fell off the face of the earth.
In conclusion. My theory is that someone physically took her the night she disappeared. I dont know who, or why, or what happened after that. But I dont believe she ran off to do drugs in K&A. I have no physical evidence to support this theory, but would like to point out, theres no evidence to the contrary, nor is there any evidence she did run off to do drugs.
Thank you all for caring, I promise you shes worth it. In her worst of times full of kindness, compassion, always a smile. Truly a kind soul, I am not saying this to try and make her seem better. Her family are strong and amazing people, who need answers on this. Rarely a day goes by I dont think of my old friend and say a prayer for her.
Thank you again,
O
.
