What's wrong with this picture: Your child is missing. No law enforcement officer even mentions an amber alert or takes you seriously because he or she is 18 years old or older. After a brief mention in the local news, the story disappears from the public's radar screen, but not yours. It's your child.
Take the case of Teista Burwell. Her mother lobbied law enforcement for almost two years before Burwell was even listed as missing. [See Woman Finally Listed as Missing.] Never mind that her former boyfriend, David Kornahrens, is a known criminal whose rap sheet has now topped 27 pages! During that time period the local media also ignored this crisis. The attitude seems to have been that, since she had been involved with a criminal, she got what she deserved.
Only when the Dorchester County Sheriff's office listed Burwell on a national computer base did the P & C notice. To be fair, since then it has published stories about a vigil for Burwell and the suspicion cast on a Summerville resident who used to be employed by Kornahrens. [See Vigil Held in Ladson and Marcotte in Clear, But Fallout Lingers.]
Now Kornahrens is nowhere to be found, though he is also wanted for armed robbery. It's time to publish stories on his activities and, especially, his 12 or more aliases. Maybe someone will notice him or remember an important detail.
Perhaps because of the Burwell fiasco or because of her family's status, Charleston Police responded more rapidly to the case of Katherine Waring. However, since her mid-June disappearance occurred, the only media update has been a July 23rd article detailing the lack of results from a false tip that her body might be in an Anderson County field. [See Rural Area Searched for Missing Woman] It's an odd case. One odd aspect is that, even though a video exists showing someone trying to cash one of her checks, no picture of that person has been released. Why not?
Finally, I don't understand why the P & C doesn't put more focus on cases like these. Think of the popularity of America's Most Wanted for the last decade. Such coverage might actually sell some newspapers.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
As Teista's family, we are so appreciative to blogs like this. It was bitter sweet to find that Teista was alive and well, but had been brainwashed by a 40 year old man and allowed us to suffer for years worrying that a Jane Doe would be a match. Since being "located", Teista and David Kornahrens received nothing more than a "slap on the wrist". Charleston, Dorchester nor Miami counties gave them any new charges for the crimes committed while on the run, identity theft,or federal fraud for collecting disability checks among other things. Since this time the Post & Courier has made little updates on their sentencing. David Kornahrens has already been released and is back in the streets of Charleston today celebrating Christmas with the rest of the tax payers that spent millions in resources over a 2.5 year period to locate him. As her family, we are sad to say that she has not spoken to anyone whatsoever. She has never apologized or realized how much we love her. We can only assume that something in her has changed since Kornahrens came into her life & we pray that she returns to the old Teista we remember.
Thank you for all you do with your blog, and advocating for Teista. We pray that even though she was found hiding as a fugitive that Charleston County continues to search for missing adults and take every case seriously.
Well it's Teista Kornahrens now. I have had a very long relationship with my husband and my family has never approved of it. It is too bad that I grew up and moved away a long time ago. As far as the stories go, look at the source. I never claimed to be kidnapped or missing I was in a good healthy relationship. I love David very much and I always will. Please realize that the South Carolina did not look for me or consider me missing because they had enough evidence saying that I left on my own. How many woman who come up missing or kidnapped, pack their suit cases, close down their checking and savings accounts, and text message good-byes to their family members. You, meaning the public, were caught in a story that was interesting and made you all feel something to keep the spotlight on someone. The sad part is that you all let one person lead you on a 21st century witch hunt for someone who has never hurt me. Wake up people and look again at who told you those stories.
Well I can certainly appreciate your almost 5 year break in silence, but I for one want to add that the State of South Carolina (as well as other States) absolutely did look for you, hundreds of people from all of the country looked for you; and I happen to be one of those people.
One of those very people you insult in your posts as though we are idiots for "buying into one person's witch hunt"...
So as I can appreciate what you are typing here on a blog almost 5 years later, it is a little late for some of those that poured their hearts into what they felt was the human thing to do. And regardless of whether you are happy and in a healthy relationship you did nothing to tell the public anything to the contrary.
So I guess my question for you is, what makes you any better than the "one who told the stories", to allow hundreds of people to look for you & to grieve for you for so many years. I would find that to be just as "sad" as the things your claiming in your post.
Not that anyone reads this blog entry anymore, but a select few of us, but why allow us unprivileged to a text message or your luggage packing, to pour so much of ourselves into your being "missing"? I often ask myself if you liked the attention of the witch hunt....I also ask myself with a heavy heart how a person, once so kind, could write such a narcissistic slap in the face message to those who believed in the humanitarian cause of finding another human being. I for one would have sent this privately but again you haven't ever really done anything to avoid this publicity.
I also want to address, for those readers, that there are women all over this country that pack their bags and leave willingly that wind-up dead because of naive choices; maybe it turned out to be a fairy tale ending for you but I believe the same circumstances have proved different for other young women. I am proud of a system that doesn't allow people to just disappear..I hope one day you never have to rely on that same set on principles.
I also want to correct your statement...the state DID consider you missing, they DID look for you based on EVIDENCE (or lack their of), and you never closed any bank account..it was very much monitored for two years (with no activity).
I think a "thank you for caring even if you were provided with misleading information" would suffice in a message to the public...not a "Wake up people"...But I guess I shouldn't tell a grown woman how to address the good people who looked for her..apparently we should have ALL known your were safe, living under another identity, lounging on Miami Beach in luxury..how stupid of us.
For some, its a harder pill to swallow to believe someone is just inherently cold-hearted, than it is to let go of the hope that they were just temporarily lost or stolen....
Truth is “sincerity in action, character, and utterance” -Merriam Webster
Best Wishes Mrs. Kornahrens
Nicely said.. BRAVO. I'm so happy that finally somebody has put my sister in her place. Just the thought of her being "safe & sound" this entire time and never even sent a message saying that she was so safe & sound is disgusting. I think you are right I think that she did enjoy the attention because her actions say as much. If she wasn't interested in the chaos she would have made it clear to my mother that she was ALIVE. Teista, we thought you were dead. At least I did. It is so sad to see you at your job and you not even acknowledge me. You look right through me. I thank God that we were never all that close because it would devastate me even more. I truly feel sorry for you, You say your happy but really your probably living in your own little hell. And as or all the talk about "looking at the source", you should be ashamed. You told me yourself about the types of abuse that you had to go through with your new husband that you love so much and then have the nerve to turn around and say that you never said those things. You are even more cold-hearted than you were when we were growing up. Good Luck with your new family. And Happy Belated Birthday
Post a Comment