Klaas Foundation Plans Saturday, Sunday Hunt For Amber Harris Volunteers Sought For Weekend Search For 12-Year-Old POSTED: 4:30 pm CST March 2, 2006 UPDATED: 5:13 pm CST March 2, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- The KlaasKids Foundation is in Omaha planning a volunteer search for Amber Harris. The group was formed after the kidnapping and murder of Polly Klaas in California in 1994. Director Brad Dennis said the search that took place for Klaas is still thought to be one of the largest volunteer efforts ever. He's hoping similar resources and experience can help in the search for Harris, who disappeared on Nov. 29 after last being seen on her school bus. "This family was brought into a fraternity no parent wants to belong to," Dennis said. Dennis was intensely involved in the search for Polly Klaas when the 12-year-old was kidnapped from her bedroom at knifepoint. In the weeks that followed, hundreds of volunteers united in a nationwide search to find her. Harris' mother remembers those trying days as they were covered in the national media. "Seeing (Polly's father), Mark Klaas, seeing him crying -- that's what I remember, and I felt so bad for him," said Amber's mother, Melissa Harris. Twelve years later, Melissa Harris is the one appearing on camera, asking for help to find her daughter. Dennis and the KlaasKids Foundation are in Omaha to organize a two-day search for Amber Harris. "We're going to teach them about looking for clues," Dennis said. "You find clues, you find our subject. We'll be looking for what she was wearing. Her coat, her dress, that type of stuff." Dennis said that last year, 37 of the 42 cases the foundation became involved with ended with some type of closure. Melissa Harris said she hopes the group's involvement will mark a turning point in the search for her 12-year-old daughter. "They're so supportive of us. They put their lives on hold to help families, their personal lives, so we appreciate it," Melissa Harris said. Dennis said he met with the Omaha Police Department on Thursday morning, and the volunteer group will plan to extend the search area to places where police have asked them to search. Volunteers will find out where they'll look when they arrive at search headquarters on Saturday morning. You can join the search. Registration begins Saturday at 9 a.m. at the OIC Building at 2427 N. 24th St. Search teams will work until 5 p.m. The same schedule is planned for Sunday. Only people 18 years and older can participate. You must bring a photo ID. Organizers remind volunteers to dress appropriately for the weather. Two weeks ago, Amber Harris' book bag was found in an Omaha alley. Police said tests are still being run on the bag. http://www.ketv.com/news/7624970/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

Search For Amber Under Way National Group Searches For Local Girl POSTED: 9:54 am CST March 4, 2006 UPDATED: 10:11 am CST March 4, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- The search for a missing Omaha 12-year-old, led by a national group, was under way in Omaha Saturday morning. The KlaasKids Foundation is leading a two-day volunteer search for Amber Harris. The group was formed after the kidnapping and murder of Polly Klaas in California in 1994. Harris' bookbag was found two weeks ago in an Omaha alley. Police said tests are still being run on the bag. The foundation's director, Brad Dennis, said the search that took place for Klaas is still thought to be one of the largest volunteer efforts ever. He said on Thursday that he’s hoping similar resources and experience can help in the search for Harris, who disappeared on Nov. 29 after last being seen on her school bus. "This family was brought into a fraternity no parent wants to belong to," Dennis said. Dennis was intensely involved in the search for Polly Klaas when the 12-year-old was kidnapped from her bedroom at knifepoint. In the weeks that followed, hundreds of volunteers united in a nationwide search to find her. Harris' mother said on Thursday that she remembers those trying days as they were covered by national media. "Seeing (Polly's father), Mark Klaas, seeing him crying -- that's what I remember, and I felt so bad for him," said Amber's mother, Melissa Harris. Twelve years later, Melissa Harris is the one appearing on camera, asking for help to find her daughter. Dennis said the KlaasKids Foundation is going to help volunteers by teaching them how to search for a missing person. "We're going to teach them about looking for clues," Dennis said. "You find clues, you find our subject. We'll be looking for what she was wearing. Her coat, her dress, that type of stuff." Dennis said that last year, 37 of the 42 cases the foundation became involved with ended with some type of closure. Melissa Harris said she hopes the group's involvement will mark a turning point in the search for her 12-year-old daughter. "They're so supportive of us. They put their lives on hold to help families, their personal lives, so we appreciate it," Melissa Harris said. Dennis said he met with the Omaha Police Department on Thursday morning, and the volunteer group will plan to extend the search area to places where police have asked them to search. Volunteers will find out where they'll look when they arrive at search headquarters on Saturday morning. You can join the search. Registration for the second day begins Sunday at 9 a.m. at the OIC Building at 2427 N. 24th St. Search teams will work until 5 p.m. Only people 18 years and older can participate. You must bring a photo ID. Organizers remind volunteers to dress appropriately for the weather. http://www.ketv.com/news/7682690/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

Search Strengthens Volunteers look for clues The search for missing Amber Harris grew in numbers of people Saturday as over 100 volunteers pitched in to look for the 12-year-old girl. It was cold and windy, but 170 volunteers worked in small groups with other volunteers following in cars. The search is organized by The Klaas Kids Foundation, a national missing children's organization relying on volunteers to go door-to-door. Searchers searched through empty lots, looking for any sign of the girl. "If my kids were gone, I would hope anyone and everyone would be up helping me find my kids for me," said Nickie Puentes. "You can't just sit back and know there's a child out there, and God knows what's happening to her and just wait for somebody else to do it." The search continues starting at 9 a.m. Sunday. Searchers are to dress warm and bring a picture ID to the search headquarters at the O.I.C. building at 2724 North 24th Street. http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/2407586.html

Day 2 Of Search For Missing Girl Begins Nearly 200 Volunteers Helped Look On Saturday POSTED: 9:37 am CST March 5, 2006 UPDATED: 9:50 am CST March 5, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- The search continued Sunday morning for a missing Omaha 12-year-old. On Saturday, volunteers spent the day outside looking for clues they hoped would lead them to Amber Harris. They found several items, and delivered them to the Harris family for identification, but none of them belonged to Amber. No one has seen Harris for 97 days. The KlassKids Foundation of California is leading the current search. Nearly 200 volunteers showed up Saturday to help. They were taught how to search and what to look for. When a volunteer identified something of interest, they flagged it with orange tape, and a professional was dispatched to that area to deal with the item. Many volunteers said that they don’t know Harris, but want to help find her. "I have a 13-year-old daughter, and the story just touched me the first time I heard it, and I felt like I needed to be involved today," said volunteer Mel Dodenhof. "Amber Harris was -- is -- a true friend of my daughter," said the Rev. David Perry, who helped in Saturday’s search. Amber's parents, Michael and Melissa Harris, said they're grateful to the volunteers, and hoped even more would show up for the second day of the search effort. During each day's search, the Harrises stay at the OIC Building and wait for updates from searchers. They said every report is getting them closer to Amber. "A lot of people want to know what they can do to help, and this is the one big thing. And it means the world to us," said Melissa Harris. Amber Harris was last seen wearing light blue jeans, a black and white wind breaker, and white K Swiss tennis shoes. http://www.ketv.com/news/7711056/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

333 Turn Out To Search For Missing Girl Items Tagged By Volunteers Turned Over To Police POSTED: 7:57 am CST March 6, 2006 UPDATED: 8:15 am CST March 6, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- Police may have some new leads to follow in the case of a missing Omaha 12-year-old, though none of the items volunteers found during a two-day search for Amber Harris belonged to the girl. Hundreds of volunteers turned out on Saturday and again Sunday to help the KlaasKids Foundation hunt for Harris, who has been missing since Nov. 29. Foundation director Brad Dennis said his group came to Omaha with a very broad search plan, and had planned to revise it depending on the number of volunteers. Dennis said he was pleasantly surprised by the large number of people who showed up to help -- 333 total -- especially for a case that's already three months old. "Our responsibility as a citizen -- if you're able to help, you got to help," said volunteer Lily Gorham. The effort touched Harris' parents, Melissa and Michael. "Means more than anything in the entire world," Melissa Harris said. The searchers hit 27 identified sites all over the city. They collected items such as clothing, lip balm, outerwear, notebooks and cell phones. Now that the items have been flagged, the KlassKids Foundation said it will turn all reports over to Omaha police. Dennis called the effort a job well done. "Niney percent of our searching is just clearing areas, and eliminating areas, which is always a very valuable asset to law enforcement, because now we're eliminating areas for them as well in their investigation," Dennis said. The Salvation Army and some local businesses volunteered their efforts, too, providing food and water for search teams. The OIC Building provided the space for the search and rescue headquarters. Copyright 2006 by KETV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed http://www.ketv.com/news/7740522/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

Police Will Examine All Evidence Collected In 2-Day Search KlaasKids Foundation Declares Search Successful POSTED: 3:22 pm CST March 6, 2006 UPDATED: 5:14 pm CST March 6, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- A two-day search by a national missing children's organization did not find a missing Omaha 12-year-old, but the group said the search for Amber Harris was successful, and Omaha police said they'll look into every clue the group found. Hundreds of volunteers turned out on Saturday and again Sunday to help the KlaasKids Foundation hunt for Harris, who has been missing since Nov. 29. Foundation director Brad Dennis said his group came to Omaha with a very broad search plan. The searchers hit 25 identified sites all over the city. They collected items such as clothing, lip balm, outerwear, notebooks and cell phones. On Monday night, Dennis said, he'll meet with the Harris family to figure out what's next in this case. "We went door to door, neighborhood canvassing, they searched vacant lots, woods," Dennis said. "We covered an amazing amount of territory here in north Omaha. It's extremely hopeful by the number of things our searchers found, the information they collected." Dennis said he can't say exactly how many items the volunteers tagged for investigators, but they said they gave police a 26-page report detailing hundreds of items. Omaha police told KETV NewsWatch 7 that the search was done in a professional manner, and it may help in the investigation. "Anything that's recovered we'll investigate and look into. The search did eliminate a geographic area we will not have to search again," said Omaha police Sgt. Teresa Negron. The KlassKids Foundation said it isn't done in Omaha. Dennis said he will continue to guide the Harris family, and future searches will be planned as needed. Copyright 2006 by KETV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.ketv.com/news/7751957/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

Amber Search Escalates New tools put to use Pictures of Amber Harris have been all over television, newspapers and the Internet. Now her picture and her story are going on the road. Semi trucks make up a lot of the traffic we see on the interstate. Now, along with their cargo, truck drivers can take Amber's story and picture with them. Project Jason teamed with Through the Gears, a free magazine for truck drivers, to make this possible. Each month they put a missing person on the cover hoping truck drivers will spread the story. This is Amber's month on the front cover. Inside, there is a page devoted to information about the missing 12-year-old from Omaha. Kelly Jolkowski has been working with the Harris family since the week Amber disappeared. She's the driving force behind Project Jason named for her son who disappeared as an adult five years ago. On Friday night, Jolkowski and the Harris family announced several new initiatives to keep the search for the missing girl moving forward. Aside from the magazine there's Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person campaign. They'll send Amber's bio and her picture on a pin to anyone who wants it. They're also encouraging people to Download amber's poster and keep putting it up. Jolkowski says, "The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a poster campaign. Their stats are very good for having the person be found because of seeing the person on a poster. I believe they're running about 60%, which is very high." Amber's father, Michael Harris says, "We're just trying to use every resource we can to bring our daughter home." Amber's mother, Melissa Harris adds that, "I want her face embedded in people's minds; her pretty face. We don't want anyone to forget her face. Even after she's found, I'm going to work with Kelly. I'm not going to stop." While still searching for their children, Harris and Jolkowski want the state to keep doing more for the hundreds of people listed as missing in Nebraska. Jolkowski was instrumental in passing a law that created the state's new missing person clearing house Web site. They both want to know why there are only a handful of pictures on the site. Jolkowski says, "That was never the intent of the law - just some text. It was photos too. I just don't understand why it would take so long to get the photos." According to the state patrol's Web site, 168 people are listed as missing in Omaha alone. That includes Amber Harris. There is a substantial reward for information leading to Amber. http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/2446227.html

Prayer Service Held For Harris UPDATED: March 15, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- There was a prayer service for a missing Omaha girl on Tuesday night. Dozens of people attended the service at Trinity Church, near 156th Street and West Dodge Road for Amber Harris. Harris' parents believe every vigil makes a difference in their quest to bring their daughter home, they said. Kelly Jolkowski was at the event. Her son, Jason, is still missing, and she said she understands the Harris' crusade. "This child belongs to the whole community," Jolkowski said. "Everyone should be pitching in no matter what part of town they live in. We're all one community." A national TV show will be in town next week to profile the Harris case. The 12-year-old was last seen on Nov. 29. If you have information about where she is, call (800) 78-CRIME or (402) 444-5600. http://www.ketv.com/news/8026095/detail.html

Benefit Planned For Amber Harris POSTED: 11:48 am CST March 20, 2006 UPDATED: 12:01 pm CST March 20, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- A benefit is planned Saturday for the family of Amber Harris. The 12-year-old has been missing since November. The benefit is scheduled Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Blackburn High School at 2606 Hamilton St. The Pancake Man will be on hand and there will be a talent show. The donation at the door is $10, or you can just eat pancakes for $8. http://www.ketv.com/family/8141938/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

Search For Amber Talent showcase raises money for reward Several entertainers performed at a Blackburn High School talent showcase Saturday in an attempt to raise money for the Amber Harris Reward Fund and spark interest in the missing 12-year-old girl. Nearly four months after her disappearance, Amber's story has stayed fresh in many peoples' minds as the push to raise her reward fund continues. A talent showcase at Blackburn High School Saturday was a part of that push. "It means a lot to me," said Chloe Drake, talent showcase contestant. "Because that's somebody's baby. It's good that everybody's here to support the cause." "They're still thinking about Amber," said Michael Harris, Amber's father. "So that's more eyes out there. That's people coming in, taking some time and that feels good." Amber's mother, Melissa, says support from the community is important. She also had a message for her daughter. "If you think we haven't been looking for you, we've been out there almost four months," she said. "If you can, without being harmed, get away and come home." For more information about Amber's disappearance, go to SearchForAmber.com http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/2523186.html

National Show To Profile Missing Girl POSTED: 3:33 pm CDT April 3, 2006 UPDATED: 3:52 pm CDT April 3, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- A national crime show will profile a missing Omaha girl in coming weeks. "America's Most Wanted" will be in town this week to shoot footage for a profile of 12-year-old Amber Harris. Producers will tape re-enactments of the disappearance and interview Harris' parents. Harris was last seen getting off her school bus in November. If you know anything about where she is, call (402) 444-5600 or (800) 78-CRIME. http://www.ketv.com/news/8443271/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

'Most Wanted' To Recreate Harris Disappearance POSTED: 8:58 am CDT April 6, 2006 UPDATED: 9:07 am CDT April 6, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- A crew from the crime-fighting TV show "America's Most Wanted" is in Omaha. Producers want to recreate the disappearance of Amber Harris. Crews spent the day in the neighborhood where Harris was last seen, and talked to some of the detectives involved in the case. The producers said they plan on Thursday to re-enact how Harris vanished. Harris was last seen Nov. 29 leaving a school bus. http://www.ketv.com/news/8505768/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

Remains Found In Hummel Park; Harris Family Contacted Few Details Known About Remains Found In Omaha POSTED: 11:29 am CDT May 12, 2006 UPDATED: 1:39 pm CDT May 12, 2006 OMAHA, Neb. -- The Omaha Police Department is investigating into what appears to be human remains found in Hummel Park. Police said officers went to the park on Thursday at about 8:45 p.m. when someone reported finding the remains. Preliminary indications showed that the remains appear to be human. Melissa Harris, mother of Amber Harris, told KETV NewsWatch 7 that Omaha police contacted her to let her know about human remains being found in Hummel Park. Amber Harris, 12, disappeared in November. Melissa Harris said police didn't know if the remains were that of female, male or an adult or child when the spoke with her. Officers told Harris they should have some of those details on Friday. http://www.ketv.com/news/9206521/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news

Harris' kin await word on ID of remains Published Saturday May 13, 2006 BY KAREN SLOAN AND LYNN SAFRANEK The family of Amber Harris, the missing 12-year-old Omaha girl, spent Friday waiting for more information about human remains discovered at a north Omaha park. Amber Harris is about 5 feet tall, weighs 120 pounds and was wearing light blue jeans, a black and white windbreaker, and K-Swiss shoes Nov. 29. If you have any information, call 444-5600 or 444-5636. Hours after they were first notified of the finding, police still had not determined whether the remains belonged to Amber, who has been missing since Nov. 29. The remains were found about 8:45 p.m. Thursday at Hummel Park, 11808 John J. Pershing Drive. A full search of the area got under way Friday morning. Officers still were at the park Friday afternoon. Amber's mother, Melissa Harris, said Omaha police alerted her early Friday to the discovery. "I've just been bawling all morning," Harris said. "We've got to be open to the possibility that it could be Amber. We just don't know right now." Police did not provide her with any more information about the possible identity of the person. At 4:30 p.m. Friday, detectives contacted the family to let them know there still was no new information. Melissa Harris said she didn't recall whether searchers had looked through Hummel Park for her daughter. On Friday, police had cordoned off a large swath of the park, northwest of the park's Day Camp. The Day Camp is not yet open for the summer. The entire park is 202 acres, much of which is densely wooded. The search area extends nearly a mile south of Ponca Road, between North River Drive and 36th Street. A dirt road and nature trail run through the search area, which was marked by yellow police tape. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=2169257

Benefit For Amber Somber group turns out As police tried to identify apparent remains found in Hummel Park, Melissa Harris waited at home Friday night while the rest of the family went to a concert to benefit the Amber Harris reward fund. Amber's father, Michael Harris says, "We don't want to sit around waiting for the phone to ring. We decided to come out here and support the cause." The concert was organized, in part, by Amber's classmates at Beveridge Middle School and even though her story has been heard by thousands in Omaha only a small group turned out Friday night. Amber's principal, Cara Riggs says, "It's a little somber. I wonder if people didn't come because they are home worried." Ashleigh Reis didn't want to stay away. The teenager was one of the last to see Amber. They rode the same school bus on the day that Amber vanished. As a camera recorded the last known images of Amber, Ashleigh says Amber told her she would give her a call. That's a call she says she still waits for six months later. Ashleigh says, "If Amber's still alive she can see me and see how much everyone cares for her. If she's dead she's in their hearts. She's in mine too." Michael Harris says, "We want to do everything we can to get info out there, find out the whereabouts of our daughter, Amber Harris." Anyone who has information on Amber should call 444-5600. http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/2796721.html