Adam Herrman, then 11 Missing 1999 Kansas

Sheriff: Parents didn't report boy missing for a decade (CNN) -- Authorities in Kansas are looking for a boy who disappeared about a decade ago, but was not reported missing until a few weeks ago. "We don't know what happened to Adam Herrman past '99, when he was last seen," Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said at a news conference in El Dorado. "Is he alive, is he dead? That one I can't answer because we don't know," he added. Adam was 11 or 12 when he was last seen, Murphy said. At the time, he was living in a mobile home park in Towanda, a small town in southern Kansas, with his adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman. The couple did not report him missing, Murphy said. A few weeks ago, a person notified Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Children's Unit of a "concern" regarding Adam, Murphy said. The agency did not immediately return CNN's phone call seeking additional information. Wichita attorney Warner Eisenbise, who is representing Adam's adoptive parents, said the couple "really rue the fact that they didn't" report the boy missing. "They feel very guilty" about not doing that, he said in a telephone interview. The couple told him the boy had run away frequently, he said, and they believed him to be either with his biological parents or homeless. Although the Herrmans did not report him missing, "they were very worried about him," he said. Authorities have searched the Pine Ridge Mobile Home Park, where the family had lived, and discovered an "answer" to one of their questions, Murphy said, without explaining. "We did find one of the answers we were looking for, but I am holding that one very tightly," he said. Eisenbise said authorities also executed a search warrant on December 15 at the Herrmans' home in Derby, a town just outside of Wichita. They took the couple's computer, he said. Murphy said the couple is cooperating and had not been charged with anything. Citing a relative, the Wichita Eagle reported the Herrmans had taken Adam into foster care and later adopted him. Michelle Ponce of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, which oversees adoption and foster care, said she could not release any details regard Adam's case, and could confirm only that he had been in foster care at some point, but was no longer in foster care in 1999. Adam had been placed in the Herrmans' care when he was about 2, Murphy said in a phone interview. He had been named Irvin Groeninger III when he was born on June 8, 1987, Murphy said, and it was not clear when his name was changed. His biological parents relinquished their rights as parents about two decades ago, and Adam and his siblings were put in different foster homes, CNN affiliate KWCH reported. "I thought what I was doing for them was in the best interest of the children and evidently it wasn't," Irvin Groeninger told KWCH. "If he was still in my custody this would have never happened." Adam's sister, Tiffany Broadfoot, 22, said she last saw her brother about 14 years ago at a birthday party. A year or two later, he sent her a Christmas card, she said. "And that was the end of my contact with him," she told KWCH. "He had the cutest little round face, little bitty freckles right up here on the tip of his cheek," she remembered. "I'm just awestruck as how something like that could actually happen, and how he could be missing as long as he's been and nobody say anything," she said. Murphy said Adam's name appears on a legal document later than 1999. "We know that he was listed in a legal action as if he was still living at home, and I'm not certain of the date, but it was beyond 1999," he told CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/05/kansas.boy.missing/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Relatives: Boy Missing for 10 Years Was Abused Adam Herrman Last Seen in 1999; Recently Reported Missing By SCOTT MICHELS Jan. 7, 2009

A young boy who was not reported missing for nearly 10 years after he disappeared was abused by his adopted mother before he vanished, several relatives alleged on Tuesday. An age progression image shows how Adam Herrman might look in his early 20s. Herrman was last seen in 1999, when he was 11 or 12. His adoptive parents, who failed to report his disappearance for nearly a decade, are considered "people of interest" in the case as authorities expand their search nationwide, a sheriff said Monday. Investigators were focused on finding Herrman. Police in Kansas are searching for Adam Herrman, who was 11 or 12 when he was last seen in a mobile home park in Towanda in 1999. Authorities received a tip about a month ago that Herrman had not been seen in more than nine years. Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said Monday that his office was investigating the case as if it were a death investigation, but said it is possible Herrman is alive. He asked the public for help locating him. Murphy said the boy's adopted parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, were considered "people of interest" in the case, though they have not been arrested or charged with a crime. Through their lawyer, the Herrmans have denied harming the boy. But several immediate family members claim Valerie Herrman mentally and physically abused the boy, at times hitting or slapping him, refusing to feed him and making him sleep in the bathtub without a pillow or blankets. The Herrmans, who adopted Adam when he was about 2 years old, could not be immediately reached for comment. In an interview with the Wichita Eagle published Wednesday, Valerie Herrman denied that she hit Adam, refused to feed him or kept him chained to the tub, as some of her relatives have alleged. "They make it sound like I tortured him, but I loved him," she told the newspaper. On at least two occasions, in 1996 and 1998, police investigated allegations that Adam was abused. Relatives said suspected abuse was reported to child protection officials at least three times, though Adam Herrman continued to live with his adopted family. Abuse Alleged Against Missing Boy's Adopted Mother "She would punch him, pull his hair, use wooden spoons to spank him, push him," said Justin Herrman, one of the Herrmans' biological children, who is now 29. "He wasn't allowed to play. She locked him up in the bathroom, made him do housework all day long." "When she's not acting crazy, my mom is actually a good person," he said. "But when she's in a bad mood, she's a monster." A spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services said state privacy laws prevented her from disclosing whether any alleged abuse had been reported to the office. She said that extensive background checks are done on prospective adoptive parents and that the department investigates allegations of abuse or neglect. According to local police, the police and Social Rehabilitation Services investigated a report of suspected abuse in 1996. The matter was referred for counseling through Social and Rehabilitative Services, according to the Derby police. In 1998, police investigated a second suspected abuse call reported by Adam Herrman's school. The investigation showed that his injuries were from playing sports with his siblings, the police said. The Herrmans' attorney, Warner Eisenbise, said his clients did not harm Adam and were not involved with his disappearance. He said they admitted that they failed to file a police report when Adam disappeared, which is illegal in Kansas, and that they continued to collect state adoption subsidy payments for Adam until he would have turned 18. http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=6588020&page=1

Lawyer: Adam Herrman a Frequent Runaway Eisenbise said Adam Herrman, who was homeschooled at the time of his disappearance, frequently ran away from home and that the Herrmans searched for him after he disappeared. He said they were afraid to report Adam missing for fear that the state would take away their other children. The lawyer said Valerie Herrman admitted to spanking Adam with a belt the night he disappeared. "That's probably the reason he left for the last time," Eisenbise said. Police records show that the Herrmans called police at least once in 1998 to report that Adam Herrman had left home after being grounded. He returned an hour later, police said. Police were called on another occasion in 1994 when he was not on the school bus when it arrived home. He was located soon after. Other family members said the Herrmans recently said they were afraid to call the police after Adam Herrman disappeared. Justin Herrman and Valerie Herrman's brother, Sam Bush, said the couple told them in 1999 that he had been returned to state custody because they couldn't handle him anymore. When relatives asked about Adam Herrman as the years passed, the Herrmans would give updates on his whereabouts, at one point saying he was in a state mental hospital, Herrman and Bush said. "It was all lies," Bush said. Linda Bush, Valerie Herrman's former sister-in-law, said Adam Herrman was timid. He liked trucks and camping, said Justin Herrman. "He reminded me of a forest creature who didn't know if he would be attacked," said Linda Bush. They said Valerie Herrman was loving toward her biological children but not toward Adam Herrman. Linda Bush said Valerie Herrman told her on several occasions that she couldn't stand him and that the boy "gives me the creeps." Sam Bush said he once walked into the bathroom and saw Adam Herrman sleeping in the bathtub without a pillow or blankets. When Sam Bush asked about it, Valerie Herrman said the boy was being punished because he wet the bed, Sam Bush said. He claims she later told him Adam Herrman was sleeping in the bathroom because he was mentally disturbed. Sam Bush said she told him she had found a knife under the boy's bed and he said he was going to kill her in her sleep. Eisenbise said the Herrmans admitted that Adam was forced to sleep in the tub sometimes, but only because the boy had told a psychiatrist that he wanted to kill his adopted parents. Eisenbise said the psychiatrist advised the Herrmans to keep Adam in a locked room at night. Justin Herrman said his mother often would not feed the boy and would hit him, though he said his father never abused the boy. On one occasion when Adam Herrman was 4 or 5, he said, he called the police after his mother pulled his hair and threw him against a wall. By the time the police had arrived, he said, his mother had persuaded him to tell the police that he had made the story up. The officers lectured him about lying, but did nothing else, he said. The Derby police say they do not have a record of an abuse call from Justin Herrman during the 1990s. http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=6588020&page=2

Reports to Child Protective Services Sam Bush said he and Linda Bush, who is now his ex-wife, reported the Herrmans to Child Protective Services. He said the agency made the couple undergo counseling but did not take Adam Herrman away from them. Justin Herrman said his parents were reported, by relatives, the school or a counselor, at least three times. Linda Bush said Valerie Herrman called her in late December and almost immediately her voice broke. "She said she had to talk to me and said 'They think we murdered Adam,'" she said. Linda Bush said Valerie Herrman asked her to call detectives and tell them she would never hurt the boy. Linda Bush said she didn't call. "I'm a very honest person and I won't lie," she said. Sam Bush and Justin Herrman said they regretted that they did not do more to protect Adam Herrman. "If there are any other families that see this being done to a child, don't wait until you lay awake at night thinking I should have done more," Sam Bush said. http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=6588020&page=3

MissingBoySearch 1stLd-Writethru 01-08 0747 Missing Kan. boy was taken into custody, returned Eds: UPDATES with details, background. ADDS byline. By ROXANA HEGEMAN Associated Press Writer WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- A Towanda boy whose disappearance went unreported for 10 years was once taken away from his adoptive parents, then returned days later, the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services said Thursday. Adam Herrman was in protective custody for two days in 1996 after a report of physical abuse, said Social and Rehabilitation Services spokeswoman Michelle Ponce. The boy was returned to his adoptive parents, Valerie and Doug Herrman, after authorities reviewed the evidence and found the report unsubstantiated. "We are doing a thorough review of all our case records involving Adam and his family," Ponce said. Adam was 11 years old when he disappeared in 1999 from his adoptive parent's mobile home in Towanda. He would be 21 years old now if he is still alive. His disappearance finally came to light last week when authorities -- acting on a tip to the Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Children's Unit -- searched the empty lot in Towanda where the family's mobile home once stood. No charges have been filed. Murphy said consideration of any charges would wait while officials concentrate on the search. The Herrmans did not return a message seeking comment Thursday. The family's attorney, Warner Eisenbise, has said Adam had a history of running away and that his clients he had done so again when he disappeared in 1999 and felt "very guilty" not reporting it at the time. Eisenbise has said the family had nothing to do with his disappearance, but acknowledged other charges may be coming in connection with the case. The Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services confirmed Thursday that the Herrmans continued to receive adoption subsidy payments for Adam after he was missing, but the agency could not immediately determine how much. The department said it was researching the case. Such subsidies generally are given in situations where the children are difficult to place or in cases in which several siblings are adopted by the same family, she said. The Herrmans adopted Adam and two of his younger siblings, family members have said. "Post-adoption they are a private family like any other," Ponce said. "That said, if our agency were to receive a report of abuse or neglect that certainly would be investigated in any other situation." Families receiving adoption subsidies are required to file a yearly report to verify ongoing legal and financial responsibility for the child, she said. "If there were a situation in which an individual would knowingly supply false information to the state in order to receive benefits, that is a crime," Ponce said. "And that is a crime in which our agency would use all legal remedies at our disposal to rectify." Investigators on Thursday were looking over photographs and diagrams of the family's former mobile home, which were taken a day earlier. That mobile home had been moved to Sedgwick from Towanda, said Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy. "What the investigators were doing were searching it, diagraming it, photographing it so that we have documentation, should this thing go into a courtroom, to show a jury what they were living in at the time," Murphy said. "In a trial you start trying to explain things and it is easier if a jury has got something to look at." The sheriff's office is also now following up on leads from the phone calls and e-mails that have poured in following national media attention on the case. Investigators on Saturday plan to use search dogs to scour a wooded area along the banks of the Whitewater River, just west of the mobile home park in Towanda. No specific tips have led them to that spot, but the area is a popular hangout f tear down every wall he built. "We don't know," Murphy said about that suggestion. http://www.hdnews.net/wirestories/k1038-BC-KS-MissingBoySearch-1stLd-Writethru-01-08-0747

Endangered Missing ADAM HERRMAN DOB: Jun 8, 1987 Missing: Jul 1, 1999 Age Now: 21 Sex: Male Race: White Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue Height: 4'4" (132 cm) Weight: 67 lbs (30 kg) Missing From: TOWANDA KS United States Age Progressed Adam's photo has been age-progressed to 21 years. He was last seen on July 1, 1999. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) Wichita Police Department (Kansas) 1-316-268-4220 Poster Available at: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1111545&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

Adoptive Parents Named as Suspects in Herrman Case Posted: Jan 17, 2009 11:52 AM EST Updated: Jan 17, 2009 01:42 PM EST By Megan Strader (Butler County, Kan.) Valerie and Doug Herrman have moved from persons of interest to suspects in the Adam Herrman missing persons case. Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy confrims for KWCH the department is ready call Adam's adoptive parents suspects, but says no charges have been filed and no arrests have been made. According to Butler County Attorney Jan Satterfield, there is the potential for first degree murder charges. Adam Herrman went missing from his Towanda home 10 years ago, but no one reported it until just last month. Several searches have been conducted in the last few weeks, but no human remains have been found. In an earlier interview, Valerie Hermann said Adam ran away and after a few weeks they were too scared to report it. Family members have come forward accusing the Herrman's of abusing Adam, but Valerie has denied those accusations. She did, however, admit to spanking him with a belt and making him sleep in the bathtub after finding knives in Adam's room. http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=9690811

Search for missing boy to resume Saturday Posted on Tue, Jan. 20, 2009 BY TIM POTTER The Wichita Eagle Investigators searching for remains of an 11-year-old boy who disappeared in 1999 will look again along the Whitewater River near Towanda, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said Tuesday. "We are going back to the river Saturday," searching for any evidence that could be connected to Adam Herrman's disappearance, Murphy said. As with a search for Adam earlier this month, investigators on Saturday will be assisted by anthropology experts and search dogs, Murphy said. Saturday's search, which will begin around 8 a.m., will go farther south along the Whitewater, for about 2 miles. The river runs along the west side of Towanda. Valerie Herrman told The Eagle that Adam ran away the first week in May 1999 and never returned. She said that Adam ran away after she spanked him with a belt. The Herrmans said they didn't report Adam missing because they feared the spanking would prompt authorities to take away Adam and his two younger siblings. For years, the Herrmans explained Adam's absence to relatives by saying he had been returned to the state's custody because he had behavior problems, the relatives said. The relatives told The Eagle that Valerie Herrman had abused Adam for years -- an allegation she denies. In an interview Friday, Butler County's chief prosecutor, County Attorney Jan Satterfield, said that the Herrmans are suspects in his disappearance and that the investigation could result in first-degree felony murder charges, with the underlying crime being child abuse. The Herrmans have not been charged with any crime, and Valerie Herrman's attorney, Warner Eisenbise, has said that Valerie Herrman denies harming Adam. Attorney Dan Monnat, whose firm is representing Doug Herrman, said, "Doug Hermann is innocent of any act resulting in the disappearance of Adam Herrman." On Tuesday, Murphy said that his detectives are "still working through leads," including "a few leads that have sparked our interest." He wouldn't elaborate. He asked that anyone with information about the case call investigators at 316-322-8817 or e-mail detectives at crimetips@bucoks.com. http://www.kansas.com/news/breaking/story/671046.html

What's the Difference Between Person of Interest and Suspect? Posted: Jan 19, 2009 06:40 PM EST Updated: Jan 19, 2009 06:40 PM EST by Denise Hnytka (BUTLER COUNTY, Kan) They've been under suspicion for weeks. But now, the adoptive parents of Adam Herrman are being called suspects in the boy's disappearance. The Butler County Sheriff previously called them 'persons of interest'. What do those terms mean? What do they say about the investigation? We talked to Wichita attorney Steve Joseph. He is not involved in the case, but says that those terms legally mean nothing. He says a 'person of interest' is a just relatively new way to describe a suspect. Joseph believes law enforcement uses both terms to talk about a person they believe could have involvement in a crime. Doug and Valerie Herrman have told Eyewitness News that their 11 year old adoptive son Adam ran away in 1999. When he didn't come home after a few weeks, they say they were afraid to report him missing. They told people that the boy had gone back to the state's custody. Steve Joseph says it makes sense that the parents would be the first place to start an investigation. "It's just drama," he said. "People like it. It's fun. It's exciting. It's interesting. It's what makes it a big deal that they're suspects now. But it doesn't mean much as part of a practical investigation." The Hermann's have not been charged with any crime and are denying allegations by other family members that Adam was abused. They've now hired separate attorneys. Joseph says this is an appropriate step in the case to avoid a conflict of interest. "You can't represent both people because their interests may not be identical. They are each entitled to separate counsel, separate advice," said Joseph. Eyewitness News talked to Doug Herrman's attorney, Dan Monnat. He says calling Doug or Valerie a 'person of interest' has no legal significance. "It's no surprise that the parents of a missing child would be automatically considered by law enforcement as suspects in the case," said Monnat. http://www.kansascw.com/Global/story.asp?S=9698562

Search to resume along Whitewater River By Staff reports El Dorado Times Fri Jan 23, 2009, 09:33 AM CST El Dorado, Kan. - Butler County Sheriff Investigators will resume their search along the Whitewater River Saturday morning in the Adam Herrman case. Sheriff Craig Murphy said this search is not a result of any new information, but is simply a result of continuing the search of the river area started two weeks ago. He added there will probably be another search after this one. “Due to the area covering several miles, we are doing it in segments,” he said. Investigators also continue to receive tips that they are sifting through, as well as compiling and writing reports. http://www.eldoradotimes.com/news/x403275630/Search-to-resume-along-Whitewater-River

Posted on Sun, Jan. 25, 2009 Bathroom at center of search for Adam Herrman BY TIM POTTER The Wichita Eagle In a recent search of the home where 11-year-old Adam Herrman lived when he disappeared in 1999, investigators spent three hours checking a bathroom for clues and used a chemical that can detect blood traces, the current homeowner said. Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said Saturday he couldn't comment on whether investigators obtained evidence but confirmed that the search focused on the bathroom. "We looked at every inch of that bathroom," Murphy said in Towanda, where search teams Saturday scoured the east bank of the Whitewater River but found no remains of the missing boy. His decade-old disappearance was discovered late last year after a tip to authorities. Close relatives of Adam's adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, have said they saw him being kept for long periods in the bathroom, when the manufactured home sat in a Towanda mobile home park, before being moved to Sedgwick County. Valerie Herrman has said that she kept her adoptive son in a bathroom at night, with plenty of bedding, on the advice of a psychiatrist after he threatened the family. A new search along the Whitewater River at Towanda on Saturday found "nothing of any interest," Murphy said. It was the second search that investigators have conducted along the river this month, looking for Adam's remains. When he disappeared about 10 years ago, he and his adoptive family were living in a Towanda mobile home park east of the river. In the months after he disappeared, the family moved the manufactured home to a lot in rural northwest Sedgwick County. Investigators searched the home at that site on Jan. 7. The Herrmans now live in Derby. Dan McDaniel, the home's current owner, told The Eagle on Friday that investigators focused on a bathroom off the hallway. McDaniel said he knows the investigators used luminol -- a chemical used to detect tiny traces of blood -- because they provided directions for cleaning up powdery residue left by the forensic tool. Investigators worked in the bathroom for about three hours but apparently didn't dismantle or remove anything in the bathroom, he said. They didn't say whether they detected any blood, he said. The investigators apologized for the disruption, McDaniel said, but it didn't bother him. "That's a minimal disruption if it helps solve a case like this," he said. McDaniel's wife, Sheri, said of Adam, who would be 21 now, "I just hope that maybe he's still alive." Murphy has said that investigators have not ruled out that Adam is alive, but Murphy also has consistently said that investigators are looking for Adam's remains. The McDaniels, in their 50s, have lived in the home since May 2003. Although the couple know that the home is being investigated as part of a possible homicide, Dan McDaniel said it doesn't bother him. "As far as living in the home, no, I'm not uncomfortable," he said. "The house hasn't done anything wrong." 'Not entertainment' On Saturday, at the search staging area in Towanda, Murphy said he agreed with a recent comment The Eagle obtained from Butler County Attorney Jan Satterfield, the county's chief prosecutor. Satterfield said publicly for the first time that Doug and Valerie Herrman are suspects in their adoptive son's disappearance. "Yes, they are very possible suspects," Murphy said Saturday. Satterfield also told The Eagle that the investigation could result in first-degree felony murder charges, with the underlying crime being child abuse. On Thursday, Satterfield said that investigators are "making progress" and are giving her regular briefings about the case. Satterfield said she is reviewing state child welfare records and medical records on Adam. He was the Herrmans' foster child before his adoption by them was finalized in August 1993, when he was 6. No charges have been filed against the Herrmans, and they and their attorneys have said they are innocent. Referring to the Herrmans, Murphy said they have been the focus of the investigation because they had responsibility for Adam. Noting that the case has drawn the attention of national talk shows, Murphy said, "It makes (for) interesting conversations." But he added, "They don't know what we know." "This is not entertainment," Murphy said. "This is about Adam Herrman, a boy who went missing. What happened to him, and who's responsible?" River search continues For several hours Saturday, starting about 10 a.m., about 15 people searched woods along the Whitewater River on the southwest side of Towanda. The searchers included Butler County sheriff's investigators, Wichita police with the Wichita-Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Child Unit, and a Wichita State University forensic anthropology expert and four students. One of the students carried a small digging tool. In a tree line, a search dog darted through waist-deep weeds with its head down. Murphy said the search dogs are trained to detect blood, tissue and bones. Shortly after the search began, Murphy said, "We don't know what we're going to find. We don't know what to expect." He said the search location is not the result of a tip but is based on common sense -- that it is in a secluded area along a body of water, where the boy's remains could be found. "We feel it's our duty to at least look, even though it's 10 years later," he said. Earlier this month, investigators searched along another section of the Whitewater. The search started around K-254 on the outskirts of Towanda and has moved south. So far, the search has covered about three miles. In a couple weeks, investigators will conduct a third search south along the river, Murphy said. Investigators began looking for Adam late last year after learning from a tip that he has been missing since 1999, when he lived at the Towanda mobile home park with his adoptive parents. The Herrmans said in an Eagle interview that Adam ran away after Valerie Herrman spanked him with a belt. They said they searched for him but he didn't return. Valerie Herrman said they didn't report him missing because they feared the spanking would lead authorities to take Adam and his younger siblings from them. For years, the Herrmans explained Adam's absence to relatives by saying he had been returned to the state's custody because he had behavior problems, the relatives said. The relatives told The Eagle that Valerie Herrman had abused Adam for years -- an allegation she denies. Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com. http://www.kansas.com/news/crime-courts/story/676254.html

Posted on Thu, Feb. 05, 2009 Search for missing boy to resume Saturday near river BY TIM POTTER The Wichita Eagle Butler County sheriff's investigators on Saturday will make their third search along the Whitewater River near Towanda looking for remains of a boy who disappeared 10 years ago. Then on Feb. 21, investigators plan to scour woods south of the mobile home park where Adam Herrman lived when he disappeared in 1999 at age 11, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said today. Besides looking for human remains, investigators will be checking any discarded items they find to see if they could be connected to Adam's disappearance, Murphy said. http://www.kansas.com/news/breaking/story/689540.html

Search along Whitewater River continues for Adam Herrman's remains BY TIM POTTER The Wichita Eagle Butler County sheriff's investigators on Saturday will make their third search along the Whitewater River near Towanda looking for the remains of a boy who disappeared 10 years ago. Then, on Feb. 21, investigators plan to scour woods south of the mobile home park where Adam Herrman lived when he disappeared at age 11, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said Thursday. Besides looking for human remains, investigators will check any discarded items they find to see if they could be connected to Adam's disappearance, Murphy said. The disappearance was discovered late last year when Adam's older, adoptive sister brought her concerns about him to authorities. That led to the discovery that he had been missing for nearly 10 years. His adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman of Derby, have said that he ran away and that they didn't report it because they feared it would lead to them losing custody of him and his younger siblings. Relatives have said that the Herrmans explained Adam's absence by saying he went back into state custody. Murphy said the remaining searches are not in response to a specific tip. He said it makes sense to search the secluded areas near where Adam lived. Although Murphy has not ruled out that Adam is alive, he has consistently said that his department is looking for Adam's remains. Two previous searches along the Whitewater, on the west side of Towanda, used search dogs and anthropological experts. Investigators also have excavated part of the Towanda lot where the Herrmans' house sat when he disappeared. Investigators are still analyzing trash unearthed there to see if it has any connection to Adam's disappearance, Murphy said. Detectives have been going through reports this week, "making sure (of) the accuracy of the information that we've gleaned from interviews," Murphy said. Butler County's chief prosecutor, County Attorney Jan Satterfield, has said that the investigation could result in murder charges and that Doug and Valerie Herrman are suspects. The Herrmans have not been arrested or charged, and they and their attorneys have said they are innocent. Close relatives of the Herrmans have said Valerie Herrman abused Adam over the years. She has denied the accusations in an interview with The Eagle. Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com. http://www.kansas.com/news/story/690093.html

Posted on Sat, Feb. 14, 2009 Adam Herrman's brother-in-law regrets not acting BY TIM POTTER The Wichita Eagle In hindsight, Adam Herrman's adoptive brother-in-law says, he feels guilty for not calling police about an incident he says he witnessed a year or so before the boy disappeared. Back then, the brother-in-law said, he was upset and confused -- but did not call authorities -- over an incident at a Derby house where Adam lived with his adoptive parents before moving to Towanda. Adam, who was 10 or 11 at the time, grasped his arm and asked for help, the brother-in-law said. His first name is Steven; he asked that his last name not be used to protect his children's privacy. Late last year, Steven learned that Adam has been missing since 1999. The discovery that he has been missing for a decade has triggered an investigation in which the Butler County prosecutor has said that Adam's adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, are suspects and that murder charges are possible, based on an underlying crime of a child abuse. Doug and Valerie Herrman and their lawyers say they are innocent. 'Steven, help me' Steven, now 40, said the incident occurred at a duplex in the 300 block of South Willow. He said he was visiting his in-laws' duplex and went to use a basement bathroom. But the light wouldn't turn on because the bulb had been removed. As he was closing the bathroom door, from inside the bathroom, a small hand grasped his arm, he said. "Steven, help me," the person said, in a flat tone, he said. Steven said he realized it was Adam. He said he had Adam move over to a lighted area in the basement and told him to sit in a recliner. Steven said he saw a yellowish bruise around Adam's eye and scratches of more than an inch long on the boy's face. The scratches appeared to be healing. He didn't visit the house very often and didn't remember seeing injuries on Adam before, he said. Describing his feelings at the time, Steven said, "I just didn't understand. Why's he asking for help? Why's he in the bathroom" -- in the dark? "Maybe I should have sat down and talked to him a little longer," he said. Steven said he told Adam to stay there and went outside to talk to Doug Herrman, who was working by the garage. Steven said he was upset. He said he told Doug Herrman something like, "You need to fix this, or I'm calling the police." Days later, Steven said, Doug Herrman told him that he, Valerie and Adam were attending counseling sessions and that everything was OK. Steven said that at the time he felt assured that the situation was resolved. Later, when he saw Adam, "He looked fine." 'She's very caring' Some of Valerie Herrman's close relatives have accused her of abusing Adam over the years. She told The Eagle that she sometimes kept Adam in a bathroom, on the advice of a psychiatrist, after he threatened the family. Her attorney, Warner Eisenbise, declined to comment on Steven's account of his visit to the Derby duplex. Eisenbise defended Valerie Herrman, saying, "I've gotten to know Valerie very well. She's very emotional. She's very caring." He said he expects there could be character witnesses who would say that "she baby sat their children, and she was wonderful. She's not the evil person" that some of her relatives have described, he said. Dan Monnat, whose law firm is representing Doug Herrman, also declined to comment on Steven's account but defended his client. "Doug Herrman is innocent of causing any harm to Adam Herrman," Monnat said. At the storm shelter Months after the incident at the duplex, Steven said that he and his wife, Crystal, who is the Herrmans' oldest biological child, moved to a Towanda mobile home park. The Herrmans had moved there from Derby, and Valerie Herrman managed the park. Steven and his wife lived a few lots from the Herrmans. Steven said he remembers tornado sirens sounding twice while they lived there. The first time, he saw Adam with others gathered in the park's storm shelter. The shelter sat next to the lot where the Herrmans' manufactured home sat. Weeks later, when the tornado siren sounded again, Steven said he didn't see Adam at the shelter. He said someone asked Valerie Herrman where Adam was. She said Adam was at home because he was "being bad," Steven said. Steven said it angered him because he thought Adam would have been at risk if a tornado hit. In an Eagle interview, Valerie Herrman said Adam ran away in the first week of May 1999 after she spanked him with a belt. Adam was 11 at the time. The Herrmans have said they searched for Adam but couldn't find him. Valerie Herrman said they didn't report Adam missing because they feared the spanking would have caused authorities to take him and his younger siblings into state custody. Relatives have said that the Herrmans explained Adam's absence by saying that he had gone back to state custody. In late 2008, Steven's wife, Crystal, took her concerns about Adam's welfare to authorities in Sedgwick County. She had searched the Internet but had not been able to locate Adam. After authorities checked, they determined that Adam has been missing since 1999. Steven said that after his wife brought her concerns to authorities, he told investigators about the incident at the Derby house. Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com. http://www.kansas.com/news/story/699720.html

View Full Version: Adam Herrman, then 11 Missing 1999 Kansas