"Janet and I were called into the Sheriff's Office today. They wanted to tell us about the new team they are putting together to work on Rachel's case. The members of the team will be announced at a press conference tomorrow afternoon." http://www.rachelcookesearch.org/journal_jan2004.html Great news RC! Brief but good interview on KXAN too.
RC, I didn't know where to put this so it ended up here. That task force seems like it is going to be some heavy hitters. And it's about time I'd say. Something occured to me as I was looking at those pictures of you and Janet and our own Tricia too. Good shots. Thanks JR. Here's what occured to me. I've read all kinds of true crime and have seen so many true crime stories on TV about cases that have taken a long tome to solve. When the case is gone over with "fresh" eyes so to speak and there are re-interviews often times the perp is caught as a result of those re-interviews and then it turns out that the bad guy is someone they had interviewed previously but dismissed for one reason or another because of alibi or whereabouts. But then on re-interview something begins to stink and after checking and rechecking the bad guy is caught in a lie. Or the story changes just enough to get some hinky meter to flash. So I hope with all my heart that something like that will happen here too!
Taped abduction sends warning to potential victims 06:50 PM CST on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 By Emily Hummel / KVUE.com It's not easy for any parent to watch the video of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia being abducted from a Sarasota, Florida parking lot. For Robert Cooke, the video is especially disheartening. His daughter Rachel disappeared while jogging near their Georgetown home on Jan. 10, 2002. Cooke says one disturbing element is that Carlie does not seem to try to fight back. "The odds of him pulling out a gun and using it in public are slim. Even if he did fire it as she ran away, he probably wouldn't hit her," says Cooke. "The way he grabbed her arm, we taught 35 women how to get out of that hold just two weeks ago in a M.U.S.T. class." ...snip Southwestern University Police Chief Deborah Brown teaches the class. Brown shows women how to get out of situations where they are grabbed by a potential abductor. "If women will act quickly, deliberately, and do something he is not expecting, they can get away. The biggest mistake is not doing anything." ...snip Brown tells women to fight as soon as they realize the person is not a friend. The M.U.S.T class encourages women to use their number one self-defense tool -- their voices. Especially in threatening situations out in the open, women have a greater chance of getting away, by yelling and drawing attention to themselves and the abductor. Chances are he will just want to get away himself. Cooke says that fighting back and making noise -- doing anything to avoid being taken into a car -- is a women's best chance for survival. He says once a victim gets into the abductor's car, she has less than three hours to live. "These men are not looking for something have to work for to get. They are looking for an easy target," adds Cooke. ...snip The M.U.S.T. techniques are not based on strength. "They stress quick reactions and deliberate moves. ...snip It's okay to fight back." Cooke adds that the common sense tips of being aware of your surroundings and walking with confidence, can lead a potential abductor to move on to someone else. ...snip Click here for more information on the free class: http://rachelalert.org/must.html Meanwhile authorities in Florida are sorting through more than 400 leads in Carlie Brucia's case. ...snip A national hot line has been established to gather information. Two experts from The Center for Missing and Exploited Children are assisting, distributing 16,000 flyers with Carlie's picture throughout the region. A $50,000 reward is being offered. http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/020404kvueMUST-eh.827081bc.html
God Bless Our Robert! He is always out there front and center, advocating for the safety of women and young girls. The MUST program is wonderful. I hope it spreads to every city, town, and hamlet in our country.
M.U.S.T. Pays off! Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 10:44:47 -0600 To: Rachel Alert From: "Deborah L. Brown" Subject: success story I have good news for you. An adult female who took the first MUST seminar in 2002 told me this morning that she was grabbed from behind while in Austin Saturday night (statement edited to protect victim identity). She said that, when he first grabbed her, she knew it was an attack by his groaning sounds he was making. Immediately, she (redacted by JR to avoid giving the bad guys this info!) He released her and fled. She did not see him before or after the attack, so she could not give the police any information......but she is here today..........a little shakey about the situation, but feeling very empowered by what she did as ! ! a REFLEX when h! e grabbed her! Just wanted you guys to know. She is a very attractive woman in her (redacted.) It has made my Monday a good day, for sure! **************************** Deborah L. Brown Chief of Police Southwestern University PO Box 770 Georgetown, Texas 78627-0770