Missing Girls from Our Area

UPDATE:  Thanks to WCNC's Dianne Gallagher for pointing out that Tayviona Vandiver was located after two weeks.  Her name didn't come up in a search before posting this story except for the Charlotte Observer/WCNC partner link posted August 5 which shows her as "still missing" as of August 14.  It seems WCNC didn't tell the Observer, either.   Apologies for the error but so happy to know she is safe.  See the story at WCNC.com direct story here:

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/12-year-old-girl-missing-in-Charlotte-217802281.html

The Charlotte Observer is reporting about Rowan County only recently reported missing by her brother, even though authorities now say she’s been gone since 2011.  The full story can be found here, with excerpts shown below:

Police: Missing girl’s parents are being uncooperative

Investigators searching for a missing Rowan County teenager say nothing the girl’s adoptive parents told them during two days’ worth of questioning was true, and the family is not being cooperative.

Erica Parsons’ older brother reported her missing last week. It appears the last time people at the family home on Miller Chapel Road in Salisbury saw her was November 2011.

No one knows where Erica Lynn Parsons is, or who she left with in 2011

What isn’t in the Observer story but has been reported in other media is that both the maternal grandmothers have been dead since years prior to the time frame the adoptive parents claim Erica went to live with her grandmother, driven away with some unknown person.

WBTV reported tonight on the one week delay between the missing persons report and posting Erica’s information on the Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s site (http://www.missingkids.com).  What they didn’t report and what is notable is that another young girl from our area is also missing, but not on the site either: 

The full story from the Charlotte Observer on Monday, Aug. 05, 2013 is here:

A 12-year-old Charlotte girl is still missing.

Tayviona Vandiver was last seen at her house on Cold Water Lane on July 23.

She is 5-foot-5 and 110 pounds. She is black and has black hair, and police say she may need medical attention.

Officers say Vandiver has run away before, but never for this length of time. She is known to frequent the Redman Road area near the Forest Ridge and East Walk apartment complexes.

Anyone with information should call 911.

EXTRA TELEVISION COVERAGE FOR TAYVIONA?

Tayviona is not listed on the Missing Kids site.  She hasn’t been reported as found.  She is likely not the only child from our area who isn’t safely at home.  Please watch for her as well. 

Please talk to your children about their own safety and about how to help their friends—that they should “tell on” their friends to keep them safe.  If there are secrets too big for kids to handle, go get the right adult to help.  And keep trying until everyone is somewhere safe. 

Meanwhile, look for these two girls to bring them home, and make sure if you see them you tell them they are loved and people are only interested in having them home safe:

Photo Credit:  Charlotte Observer
TAYVIONA VANDIVER, Age 12, current picture, 5' 5"
Missing from CHARLOTTE

Photo Credit: Charlotte Observer
ERICA LYNN PARSONS
Photo from 2011
Missing from ROWAN COUNTY

SAFETY INFORMATION

There are a number of sites with good resources for having conversations with your kids.  One specific list comes from the www.missingkids.com site (see www.take25.org/FamilyResources ) and could make a big difference.  Remember, it’s not just one conversation.  Of course, nobody wants to scare kids, but we do want to prepare kids:

Child safety is a serious subject, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an enjoyable time talking about it with children. Sing songs, tell stories, play games, and interact with kids in a way that makes them feel safer. Consider the following topics as you begin the conversation.

• Teach children their full names, address, and home telephone number
• Make sure they know your full name
• Make sure children know how to reach you at work or on your cell phone
• Teach children how and when to use 911 and make sure children have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency
• Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone 
• Set rules with children about having visitors over when you’re not home and how to answer the telephone

See the same site to click on links for:

• ·       Conversation Starters
• ·       Safety Tips
• ·       Child ID kit
• ·       Emergency Contact for Parents
• ·       Bookmark (Nat’l. Center’s rules of safety)
• ·       Series of Mini Lessons
• ·       Activity Lessons
• ·       Parent Presentation

With the excitement of a new school season starting and everyday pressures, it’s a good time to review and teach your kids.

Family event in Charlotte this Saturday

Petapalooza at Charlotte Nature Museum

Saturday, July 20, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Join Charlotte Nature Museum to celebrate our favorite animal companions and learn about responsible pet ownership when the Museum hosts its July Creature Feature, Petapalooza.

Did you know both humans and cats have identical regions of the brain responsible for emotion? Nobody who loves their cat or dog would be surprised by this.

At Petapalooza, get nose-to-nose and beak-to-beak with rescued and exotic animals including:

·         Blue and gold macaw [Ara ararauna]

·         Bearded dragons [Pogona vitticeps]

·         Corn snake [Elaphe guttatus]

·         Red-tailed boa [Boa constrictor]

·         Lionhead rabbit [Oryctolagus cuniculus]

·       Did you know an estimated 5,000-18,000 Burmese pythons live in southern Florida due to people releasing them into the wild? Find out why you should never release a pet outdoors and the dangers that doing so can have on the environment and the pet itself.

• ·       ‘Paws’ in the Naturalist Lab to make your own unique pet from a rock.
• ·       Stop in for the Puppet Show Don’t Make a Pet of Me and furry tales such as “The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” by Trina Hakes, “Pets at Stop in for the Puppet Show Don’t Make a Pet of Me and furry tales such as “The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” by Trina Hakes, “Pets at the White House” by Carl Carmer and “Our New Kitten” by Harriett Hains. 

Call 704.372.6261 x300 or visit charlottenaturemuseum.org for more information. 

Creature Features, supported by The Guild of Discovery Place and Charlotte Nature Museum, are monthly special events and include crafts, puppet shows and storytelling. Creature Feature activities are free with Museum admission. 

Admission: $6 ages two & older,

Free: Younger-than-two & Members

Parking is free.

Charlotte Nature Museum is located at 1658 Sterling Road,

Charlotte (Adjacent to Freedom Park).

Hours are: Tuesday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday noon – 5:00 p.m.; and closed on Monday.

Charlotte Nature Museum offers visitors the chance to get close to wildlife and walk among free-flying butterflies in Butterfly Pavilion, observe live animals in Creature Cavern, buzz by Insect Alley or just hang out in Our Big Backyard. Visitors can learn together during workshops, summer camps and more. Daily programming including hands-on activities provide the opportunity for structured learning and informal play for kids of all ages. Charlotte Nature Museum is operated by Discovery Place, Inc.

FREE EVENT at DISCOVERY PLACE "Avian Adventure"

Sunday, April 14, 2013
Discovery Place in downtown Charlotte presents an "Avian Adventure" from 2 - 4 p.m.

A North Carolina Science Festival event

(Information directly from Discovery Place site:)

Learn all you ever wanted to know about birds with presentations from regional experts, live animal encounters, crafts and more.

You'll get the chance to examine bird nests, bird mounts and eggs from Discovery Place's own collection. Kids can combine feathers and fun to make their very own bird craft to take home. No feeding required!

Exhibits also include:

Carolina Raptor Center (CRC)
Meet a resident raptor and talk with rehabilitators and veterinary staff. Find out how CRC is dedicated to environmental stewardship and the conservation of birds of prey through education, research, and the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned raptors.

Mecklenburg Audubon Society
All about birds: what to look for in different seasons, where to look for specific birds, bird migration, what to feed specific birds at feeders, how to use binoculars, birding etiquette, and citizen science projects.

Habitat and Wildlife Keepers (HAWK)
HAWK is a chapter of the NC Wildlife Federation. Learn how to attract back yard birds by providing food, water, shelter and places to raise young. 

Companion Parrots Re-homed (CPR)
Although companion parrots may be domestic they are not domesticated. Get a bird’s eye view with a parrot and learn about their wild side. 

Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary
Over the years many species of birds have been spotted in the garden. Come hear about the birds that visitors at Wing Haven are most likely to see and learn how you might attract them to your garden.

Do Chickens Have Fur?
Meet Silkie Chickens who have fur-like feathers. Get to know Katie Anderson who breeds these unique chickens and find out about raising back yard chickens and harvesting eggs. 

Christopher Baldwin, Educator/Naturalist
Skulls, beaks and talons, oh my! Why do some birds eat seeds and other birds eat meat? Learn how the dietary preference of a bird maps to the shape and function of its beak.

Charlotte Nature Museum
Everybody loves babies! See baby quail and find out about the multitude of birding experiences at Charlotte Nature Museum. 

Birdhouse on the Greenway
Not all nest boxes are the same. Find out why one size does not fit all. Also, learn to match the right feed with the right bird.

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue (CWR)
Carolina Waterfowl Rescue is a non-profit wildlife rescue run by federally-licensed migratory bird rehabilitators specializing in waterfowl. CWR treats more than 2,000 birds a year.

Join us for two short presentations:
• 2:30 p.m. - Case Studies from a Regional Avian Medical/Surgical Referral Center. Presented by Carolina Raptor Center 
• 3:15 p.m. - What’s For Dinner? Set up a buffet in your yard designed to entice specific birds and discourage unwanted pests. Presented by Debbie Foster, Habitat & Wildlife Keepers

FREE admission to event; parking not included.

Please park on Level 3 of the Discovery Place Parking Deck.

Click here to visit the Discovery Place site with details