Published: January 16, 2008 09:56 pm      

Pittsboro honors founder of In Hope Indiana group

PITTSBORO — Police Chief Christi Patterson presented a certificate and letter of appreciation to Patti Bishop of In Hope Indiana Missing for the organization’s assistance in searching for a missing Pittsboro man in early December.

The body of Clifford “Jack” Obenchain was discovered in a Jay County creek on Dec. 17, nearly two weeks after the 91-year-old delivery driver failed to return home after several routine delivery runs. Investigators found no evidence of foul play in Obenchain’s death and authorities believe that a medical condition may have caused him to become disoriented.

“They were absolutely great in their assistance to a small police department trying to bring a man back home,” Patterson said. “It’s an amazing network of people.”

Bishop and her husband, Ed, established In Hope Indiana Missing in memory of Ed’s daughter, Karen Jo Smith, who disappeared in December of 2000.

In 2004, Smith’s ex-husband, Steve Halcomb, was convicted of first-degree murder and is currently serving a 95-year prison sentence, although Smith’s body has never been recovered.

“We were lucky enough to receive justice,” Bishop said. “But we still don’t have her, so we continue to reach out to others and do whatever we can.”

The Obenchain family was on-hand for the presentation and expressed their gratitude to the Pittsboro Police Department and to the In Hope Indiana Missing organization.

“When something like this happens, you are thrown into a situation and you don’t really know what to do,” Obenchain’s granddaughter Nancy Bray-Boggs said. “It didn’t matter if it was 7 a.m., they were there for us.”

Ed Bishop says that he and his wife can certainly relate to the family’s feelings of frustration.

“It is one of the absolute worst things you can go through,” he said. “You wouldn’t believe the things you start to think about.”

He also noted that he and his wife have encountered many police departments much larger than Pittsboro that have not been nearly as prepared or professional in investigating missing person’s cases.

“This department is an A-plus department and we have worked with all kinds from A to F,” he said.

Patti Bishop added, “No one can ever move fast enough when it’s your loved one. Sometimes that compassion [that police departments have] gets lost. And when there’s screaming, shouting, and crying, we’re listening.”

Not only is the organization listening, but Bishop frequently finds herself in a networking role attempting to drum up resources and support to further expedite and enhance missing persons investigations. In Hope Indiana Missing has nationwide ties that have rendered the organization able to provide local law enforcement with access to items such as search helicopters, heat seeking devices, and additional K-9 assistance.

“We have a lot of resources out there that we want people to know about,” Patti Bishop said.

The Bishops also noted that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va., provides cost-free missing persons training that is open to any law enforcement agency in the country. Patterson is hopeful that her schedule will allow her to attend a training session in the near future.

Bray-Boggs plans to meet with State Senator Connie Lawson on Friday to brainstorm new legislation that might narrow the window between the time that a missing person’s report is filed and the time in which a search might occur.

“Our focus is really on the elderly because I think it happens much more than you hear about in the media,” Bray-Boggs said. “Every second counts, so we are hoping to make some end roads.”

Ironically, the investigation into Obenchain’s disappearance led police investigators to a Motel 6 in Huber Heights, Ohio, where they found not Obenchain, but another Indiana elderly man who had become disoriented and in need of assistance.

For more information on In Hope Indiana Missing, visit the organization’s website at www.inhopeindianamissing.com.

brian.kern@flyergroup.com