Heroes among us

On my way to see the new Bourne movie (holy shit, I'm happy I survived without having a heart attack!) this morning I stopped by the bookstore to grab some joe and see what's what. Sure enough I found a couple of new clips buried in the stacks, one of which was from a recent People assignment, my 4th or 5th "Heroes Among Us" profiles in the last couple of years, that was really an honor to be involved with.

Tim Miller is the director of Texas EquuSearch, a non-profit search and rescue outfit based near Houston founded by Miller in 2000, with which he's conducted 730 searches for missing peoples on behalf of grieving famlies and overworked police departments in 30 states around the country. During that time he and his team have found 200 live people and 71 dead bodies to return home. What makes Miller successful and down right incredible to be around (it was certainly a real honor for me to meet and photograph Tim) is his unrelenting drive in this difficult pursuit. The passion really comes from his trying to make peace with his own daughter Laura's 1984 abduction and murder. From the short article: "Now everytime we find someone, I say, 'Laura, your death was not in vain.'"

I spent a few hours on 2 days with TES at the Big Cypress National Preserve near Everglades City, FL, hunting for the body of Heather "Kitty" Riggio, who went missing on May 6, 2007. Following Tim and other members of the team, along with local and state authorities, as they search was pretty hard even if I wasn't shooting, but with gear (even the very limited amount I used) was dirty, sweaty, bug-infested stuff. This is where TES lives and works though, using any and every tool they can to find success.

I'm planning on trying to continue to do some work with Miller on my own; maybe try to flesh his work and story out beyond what a 1-page feature can deliver. In the mean time, as per tradition, here are a few other out takes from the shooting that I liked.

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Comments (2)

THIS WOMAN IN THE ARTICAL THEY WROTE ABOUT HER NAME IS ''HEATHER RIGGIO'' SOMETIME IN LIVING MIAMI AREA AND WORKING AROUND THE 'MIAMI TYPE CLUBS' SHE HAS AQUIRED A AKA KNOWN AS KITTY THATS WHY YOU SEE HEATHER ' KITTY' RIGGIO WHEN THERE'RE REFERRING TO HER. I HAVE GROWN UP WITH HEATHER AND HER FAMILY. HER OLDER SISTER LISA LEE IS MY BEST FRIEND. I WAS AROUND WHEN THERE MOTHER WAS ALIVE AND I WAS THERE AT THE FUNERAL AND I HAVE SEEN THEM GROW UP AND I HAVE SEEN THEM SUFFER THROUGH THE LOSS OF THEIR MOTHER. HEATHER'S FIRST BOYFRIEND, HER FIRST DANCE, SHE DIDNT HAVE A MOM THERE. HER GRANDMOTHER CYBIL LOVES THOSE GIRLS VERY MUCH. ITS HARD IN TODAYS WORLD AS A GRANDMOTHER TO RAISE TWO TEENAGE BEUTIFAL GIRLS THAT ARE HEARTBROKEN AND SEARCHING RELIGIOUSLY FOR SOME TIHING OR SOME WAY TO MAKE THE PAIN GO AWAY. I KNOW HOW GUILTY SHE MUST FEEL, AND I HOPE SHE KNOWS THIS IS NOT HER FAULT. WE ALL FEEL HORRIBLE AND SO RESPONSIBLE. ME, I FEEL LIKE I DONT EVEN KNOW ACTUALLY. IT IS AN UNDESCRIBABLE FEELING TO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS GIRL. TO KNOW OF SHE IS OK OR NOT IS CONSUMED MY ENTIRE HEART. I THINK ABOUT HEATHER EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY. AT WORK, AT HOME, IM ON THE INTERNET NOW AND ALWAYS, POSTING HER ARTICLES ON AND ALL OVER MY PAGE AND OTHER PEOPLE'S PG'S. IT ITS ABSOLUTLY HEART WRENCHING TO THINK THAT SHE MAY NOT BE ALIVE, AND IF SHE IS ALIVE THAT SHE IS HURT. IF SHE JUST RAN AWAY I THINK HEATHER WOULD'VE CAME HOME NOW REGARDLESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES. SHE KNOWS THAT WE LOVE HER MORE THAN ENOUGH THAT WE WOULDNT STAY MAD AT HER JUST KNOWING SHE'S HOME IS ENOUGH TO MAKE MY HEART SMILE. ITS PASSED THAT NOW AND I WANT HER TO KNOW THAT! HEATHER: I LOVE YOU. NO ONE IS MAD WITH YOU IF YOU LEFT AND DIDNT WANNA COME BACK JUST LET NANA KNOW YOUR OK. ITS LITERALLY KILLING HER, YOUR SISTER IS A MESS, I AM A MESS. YOU HAVE TO COME HOME. WE ARENT GONNA BE OK GOING TO YOUR FUNERAL WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE U BACK! JUST COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK.
I HAVE WROTE A LETTER TO AMERICA'S MOST WANTED TELLING THEM EEVERYTHING I KNOW AND EVERYTHING I THOUGHT AND THINK MAY HAVE HAPPEND WITH HEATHER'S CASE. I HAVE KNOWN HER FOR OVER 12 YEARS AND I KNOW HEATHER. SHE WOULDNT' LET US SUFFER LIKE THIS OVER SOME FIRST CHARGES. SHE WOULD'VE ONLY GOTTEN PROBATION YOU KNOW? WHY RUN? AND IF SHE DID DO THAT, THEY WOULD'VE FOUND HER ALREADY RIGHT? EVEN SOME OF THE SMARTEST CRIMINALS CANT HIDE THIS GOOD......... SHE ISNT RUNNING. I DONT FEEL IN MY GUT THAT SHE IS PASSED ON. U CAN FEEL THAT KINDA ORA AROUND YOU, WELL I CAN, AND EITHER SHE'S OK OR I DEEPLY DONT WANNA SEE THE VERY OBVIOUS! I MISS HER. IF SHE IS A GOOD HIDER..... HEATHER GIVE IT UP BABE COME HOME OR JUST LET ME KNOW YOUR OK COME HIDE AT MY HOUSE LOL I LVOE YOU
HOW YOU CAN HELP?
WELL I HAVE BEEN POSTING HEATHER'S STORY'S ALLLL OVER MY PROFILEL ON MYSPACE AND YOU CAN DO THE SAMEM IF YOU HAVE A PROFILE ANYWHERE. ONE OF THE PAPERS SAID SOMETHING THAT REALLY BOTHERED ME AND IT WAS THAT THEY CANNOT RELEASE THE NAME OF THE MAN THEY KNOW WAS THE LAST ONE TO BE SEEN WITH HEATHER, AND WITH NO BODY, LITTLE EVIDANCE,

AND LITTLE PUBLIC OUTCRY

THE DET'ECTIVE'S ARE GOING TO HAV E A DIFFICULT CASE IN FRONT OF THEM.

WELL WHAT THE HELL MAN? I CANT BELEIVE WHAT I JUST READ. THAT GIRL IS WORTH FINDING? THAT'S SOMEONE'S BABY. SOMEONES GRANDDAUGHTER AND SOMEONE'S SISTER..... AND SHE IS MY FRIEND! I NEED YOUR HELP IF YOU HAD THE TIME TO READ THIS YOU HAVE THE TIME TO COPY THIS VERY MESSAGE AND POST IT AGAIN OR POST IT ON YOUR PROFILE AND COPY THE ADRESS'S FOR HEATHER'S STORY'S IF YOU CANT FIND THEM GO TO MY PAGE AND MSG ME I WILL TELL YOU BETTER YET I WILL MAKE IT EASY I WILL SEND THEM TO YOU MYSELF K JUST CLICK ON MYSPACE.COM AND SEARCH FOR AMBER CARLINI UNDER THE FULL NAME BUBBLE OK? IT WILL BRING UP ME AKA CUTUPANGELS

THANK YOU SO MUCH........ FROM ME AND HEATHER TOO.

AMBEER

TEXAS EQUUSEARCH - TIM MILLER: Please help FIND South Florida mother, Lilly Aramburo!!! Lilly VANISHED without a trace, June 1, 2007. She's never been seen or heard from since. You said you'd help find her but that was months ago. Nothing's been done, her case is now cold and we are desperately seeking your HELP to locate her. PLEASE, HELP FIND LILLY ARAMBURO. I BEG YOU...

http://justiceinmiami.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/missinglillyaramburo

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