Missing woman and granddaughter
Gail
Haddock-Dail,
W/F
58 yoa
Hgt. 5'4", Wgt. 160 lbs.
Hair: Brn Eyes: Grn
Heather
Lynn Roberts, W/F
15 yoa
Hgt. 5'3", Wgt. 130 lbs.
Hair: Brn Eyes: Brn
Scars : Multiple Burn Scars Face & Body
If you have any
information, or know the location of the above persons
please contact Commander Greg Thompson @ 939-3188
NEWS ACCOUNTS
Published: Dec 18, 2004
Modified: Dec 18, 2004 8:27 AM
Vanished pair still stir hope
Kinston teen's life inspiring to manyHeather Lynn Roberts and her grandmother,
Gail Haddock-Dail, have been missing since Dec. 7.
By JERRY ALLEGOOD, Staff Writer
KINSTON -- At age 5, Heather Lynn Roberts told her grandmother of dreaming
of angels, visiting heaven and talking with Jesus.
Many who knew her considered Heather, now 15, a miracle child. She survived
multiple birth defects and a house fire at age 8.
Throughout her ordeals, Heather talked of angels, endearing her to many
in Kinston and to collectors nationwide of Precious Moments inspirational
drawings and collectibles.
Before Heather and her grandmother, Gail Haddock-Dail, 55, disappeared
Dec. 7, the Missouri company that makes Precious Moments planned to distribute
a figurine inspired by Heather's dreams.
That remains the plan while her fans draw on Heather's faith to hope that
she and her grandmother will be found safe.
Kinston police reported no new developments Friday in solving the disappearances.
Haddock-Dail told family members Dec. 6 that she was going to visit relatives
in the Roanoke, Va., area, about 250 miles to the northwest. The two had
been living in a Kinston motel because another fire last month severely
damaged their home. The cause of that fire is under investigation.
Haddock-Dail's estranged husband, Glenn Dail, said she called him early
the next morning saying she and Heather were drowning in their van. Dail
said that he separated from his wife of seven years in August but that
they were on good terms.
Police traced the call to cellular phone towers in the Kinston area, about
70 miles southeast of Raleigh. A search of streams, ponds and the Neuse
River turned up no traces of the two, or of Haddock-Dail's blue 1998 Dodge
Caravan.
Larrene Hagaman, a spokeswoman for Precious Moments in Carthage, Mo.,
said Precious Moments collectors' clubs and those who knew Heather and
her grandmother through company newsletters are following the case.
"They feel very attached to Heather," Hagaman said.
The company created a figurine depicting a child with the company's characteristic
teardrop eyes holding a tiny angel and two kittens. It was inspired by
a dream Heather related; in it, Jesus told her she would soon live in
heaven where she could play with her kittens, Baby and Pumpkin.
The company also planned to offer a book written and published by Haddock-Dail
and compact discs of Heather describing her dreams. The book, "Talks
with Angels," describes a series of Heather's dreams and her medical
condition.
But while the pair are missing, the book and the CD will be offered only
to people who request them, the company said.
"We believe it would be inappropriate to use the CD and book to promote
the figurine," Hagaman said in a news release.
According to Haddock-Dail's book, Heather was born with multiple birth
defects and had 26 operations by the time she was 8. Her medical condition
worsened after she was seriously burned in a fire at her home in 1997.
Heather referred to her burn scars as "miracle marks."
Haddock-Dail described an encounter in which someone asked Heather why
the angels allowed her to be burned and scarred. Heather replied, "I
thought about that a lot, but then I thought about Jesus' hands and I
finally figured out that some people don't believe in miracles unless
they see scars!"
Relatives said Haddock-Dail, a registered nurse at Lenoir County Memorial
Hospital, raised the girl as her daughter because Heather's mother, one
of her daughters, was not able to take care of the child.
Hagaman said she and the company founder, artist Steve Butcher, met Haddock-Dail
in 1996 when Haddock-Dail contacted the company about buying items for
Heather's birthday. After learning about Heather's medical condition,
Butcher flew the pair to Carthage for a party in the company's inspiration
park.
Hagaman said Precious Moments collectors raised money for the family after
the 1997 fire. She said she and Haddock-Dail talked often on the phone,
the last time Dec. 6.
Haddock-Dail's daughter and Heather's aunt, Sissy Grubbs of Greenville,
also said she last talked with her mother Dec. 6. She said she didn't
know there was a problem until Dail, her stepfather, called about 3 a.m.
and described her mother's frantic call. Grubbs said Dail called her before
calling authorities.
"We don't know if she actually headed out [for Roanoke] or if something
kept her from leaving," she said.
She said she thinks her mother had planned to return to Kinston because
she had put up a Christmas tree in a new apartment, bought presents and
planned a birthday party for Heather in January.
She said she first thought her mother had been in an accident. "I'm
not sure anymore," she said.
Grubbs said she did not think her mother, a devout Christian, would intentionally
harm herself or Heather. "Mama's life was Heather," she said.
Friends said Haddock-Dail also doted on Grubbs' twin daughters.
Bobbi and Jonathan Kleckner of Robersonville, friends of Haddock-Dail
and Grubbs, have supported Grubbs while she waits for information. Bobbi
Kleckner said the lack of information is worrisome but she hasn't given
up hope.
"It's the season for miracles," she said. "If there could
be a miracle, they could really use it."
Staff writer Jerry Allegood can be reached in Greenville at (252) 752-8411
or jerrya@newsobserver.com.
Search is highest priority for police
December 15,2004
Mark Lineberger
Staff Writer
The search for a missing Kinston woman and her granddaughter is the top
priority for the Kinston Department of Public Safety, and will continue
until the pair is found.
"We have devoted the overwhelming majority of our resources to this
search," said Public Safety Director Greg Smith Tuesday. "And
we're continuing to explore all possible avenues."
Teams dragged ponds in eastern Lenoir and western Craven counties Tuesday
for any sign of Janice Gail Haddock-Dail, 58, and 15-year-old Heather
Roberts. The two were to travel from Kinston to a relative's house in
Roanoke, Va. in the early morning hours of Dec. 7.
They never made it. A 3 a.m. call from Haddock-Dail's cell phone to her
estranged husband reportedly was a cry for help. The husband, Glenn Dail,
said his wife screamed that she was drowning. Cellular phone records indicate
the call was made either in Lenoir County or close by.
Several organizations have taken part in a massive search in Lenoir and
Craven counties, at times using sonar-equipped boats, all-terrain vehicles,
dogs and helicopters. Authorities continued Monday to search areas around
the Neuse River, from the boat landing off Neuse Road to Oak Bridge in
the Sandhill area.
Other boats searched the Neuse River near the U.S. 70 bridge at the nearby
wildlife landing, public safety spokesman Woody Spencer said.
Smith said Tuesday's search expanded even deeper into Craven County near
the Vanceboro area.
The investigation into the disappearance has taken on two distinct aspects.
The Public Safety Department's special operations unit is conducting much
of the actual physical search, while a team of at least eight investigators
is dedicated to running down hundreds of tips phoned in since the two
went missing.
"We want people to call in with information, no matter how small,"
Smith said. "It may not seem like much, but it may fit together with
something else we've discovered."
The volume of phone calls has slowed as the search continues, but tips
are still coming in.
While some information will be more helpful than others, Smith said that
investigators are taking each piece into consideration.
No concrete evidence has been turned up, but Smith said the phone-in leads
have "raised some questions."
Smith said callers have painted pictures of several different possible
scenarios, including theories that Haddock-Dail is hiding deliberately,
that she became disoriented and lost and the possibility that foul play
was involved.
Nothing has been completely ruled out Smith said, and investigators want
to be careful about information they release should the search turn into
a criminal investigation.
Every day, the investigation's lead officers meet with Smith in the department's
conference room to share information and plan the next steps in the search.
Comdr. Ronnie Ingram is heading up the search efforts, while Comdr. Greg
Thompson is leading the investigation team. Both efforts are being coordinated
by Assistant Chief Annette Boyd, head of the department's law enforcement
division.
The investigation has at times pointed toward new areas to conduct the
physical search, Smith said. The department received updated cellular
phone information this week that shifted some of the focus to Craven County.
Plans are in the works to use the military's "Pedro" search
and rescue helicopter, while a N.C. Highway Patrol helicopter likely will
search along the possible route Haddock-Dail might have taken to Virginia.
The roads between Kinston and Roanoke, Va., have already been covered
on the ground.
While cellular phones and sonar have played a part in the search, there's
always old-fashioned police work.
"We've interviewed many people," Smith said. "Everybody
from family, friends, acquaintances and people who might have seen (Haddock-Dail
and Roberts)."
In the meantime, Smith said, the search will continue as long as the department
continues to receive relevant information.
"I was asked the question how much all this is costing," Smith
said. "That's not even important right now. You can't put a dollar
value on their lives."
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Kinston Department of
Public Safety at (252) 939-3188.
Mark Lineberger can be reached at (252) 527-3191, Ext. 251, or mlineberger@freedomenc.com.
Search extends to Craven County
December 10, 2004
Mark Lineberger
Staff Writers
Staff Writer
The search continued Thursday for a missing Kinston woman and her 15-year-old
granddaughter while investigators interviewed the woman's estranged huband.
Rain and fog kept a N.C. Highway Patrol helicopter grounded, but search
teams had boats on the Neuse River looking for some sign of Joyce Gail
Haddock-Dail, 58, and her granddaughter, Heather Lynn Roberts.
The two have been missing since early Tuesday, when Haddock-Dail called
her estranged husband, Glenn Dail, and told him she was drowning. Haddock-Dail
and Roberts were supposed to be on their way to see relatives in Virginia,
but the cell phone call appears to have been made in or close to Lenoir
County.
Detectives questioned Dail Thursday morning, in an interview that left
the man fuming.
Dail said Wednesday that police planned to administer a lie detector test
during their meeting, something police would neither confirm nor deny.
Dail wouldn't elaborate on how the interview went, but seemed disturbed.
"If things go like I think they're going, I'm going to be a very
ill man," Dail said. "They're trying to prosecute an innocent
man."
Kinston Public Safety Director Greg Smith wouldn't comment about how Dail
fits into the investigation, only confirming that Dail met with detectives.
"We are pursuing all avenues," Smith said. "We're looking
at different leads and have conducted a number of interviews."
Thursday's search focused east of N.C. 11 and into Craven County, Smith
said. As the search went on, the effort was joined by agencies across
the region, including the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office, Craven County
Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshal's Office, the North Carolina State
Bureau of Investigation, the North Lenoir Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department,
the Lenoir County Department of Emergency Services and the state Highway
Patrol, Kinston Public Safety Spokesman Woody Spencer said.
Away from the front lines of the search, authorities worked to track down
leads - nothing about the disappearance has been conclusively ruled out.
Investigators with the Kinston Department of Public Safety have fielded
more than 200 phone calls from people offering tips and information about
this case.
"Our entire investigative division is on this following every lead
they can find," Smith said.
Janice Haddock-Dail, 58, has brown hair and green eyes. She stands 5-feet
4-inches tall and weighs 160 pounds.
Heather Lynn Roberts, 15, has brown hair and brown eyes, is 5-feet 3-inches
tall and weighs 130 pounds. She has multiple burn scars on her face and
body.
Both women are white. They were riding in a blue 1998 Dodge Caravan with
North Carolina license plate number GAIL-RN.
Roberts has numerous medical conditions resulting from birth defects and
severe burn injuries. She requires a portable oxygen source around the
clock to breath.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Kinston Department of
Public Safety at (252) 939-3188.
Mark Lineberger can be reached at (252) 527-3191, Ext. 251, or mlineberger@freedomenc.com
Modified: Dec 9, 2004 3:00 AM
Search goes on for missing pair
Authorities have one lead: a frantic phone call, apparently from a sinking
vanGail Haddock-Dail, left, and Heather Lynn Roberts were the subjects
of an air, ground and water search.
Photo Courtesy of the Kinston Department of Public Safety
By JERRY ALLEGOOD, Staff Writer
KINSTON -- Authorities are continuing to search for a Kinston woman and
her granddaughter who reportedly disappeared after making a frantic cell
phone call in which the woman said they were drowning.
Greg Smith, director of the Kinston Department of Public Safety, said
Wednesday that investigators had found no trace of Gail Haddock-Dail,
58, and her granddaughter, Heather Lynn Roberts, 15, despite an air, ground
and water search in the Kinston area Tuesday. The pair were en route to
Roanoke, Va., to visit relatives, according to a missing persons report.
Glenn Dail, the woman's estranged husband, said in an interview that his
wife apparently called him from her van about 3 a.m. Tuesday in "absolute
T-total panic."
"She said, 'Glenn, we're in the water, we're drowning,' " he
said. "I could hear her beating on the windows and Heather screaming
in the background."
He said the phone connection ended, and he could not reach her when he
tried to call back.
Dail, a paramedic in Kinston and Duplin County, said he contacted authorities
in Lenoir County and in Roanoke.
Dail said he separated from his wife of seven years in August but they
had remained on good terms. He said he planned to take a polygraph or
lie detector examination today at the request of the police.
"I want closure," he said. "I want to know something, good,
bad or indifferent."
Kinston officials held a news conference to outline the investigation
as interest grew locally and national media reported on the case.
Smith told reporters that Haddock-Dail's last phone call was relayed from
two cellular telephone towers in the Kinston area, indicating that she
was within a 10-mile radius of the towers when she called. Investigators
searched ponds, streams and the Neuse River area around the towers, he
said.
He said federal agencies were attempting to pinpoint the location of the
call, but ground searches had been called off.
Smith declined to speculate on the disappearance, saying "all possibilities
are open."
The woman and her granddaughter had been staying at a Kinston motel since
a fire at their home last month. Smith said the fire was still being investigated,
and the cause had not been determined. He said the woman and her granddaughter
escaped serious injury by climbing out a window.
Haddock-Dail was a registered nurse who worked at Lenoir Memorial Hospital,
her husband said. He said she doted on Heather, whom she had raised like
a daughter.
Heather was badly burned in a fire years ago and had scars on her face
and body, he said.
Dail said he talked with his wife about 4 p.m. Monday. He said they had
plans for him to help her move Wednesday from the motel to an apartment.
He said it would be unlike her to do anything that would harm Heather
or to disappear without letting someone know what she was doing.
Police said they are searching for Haddock-Dail's blue 1998 Dodge Caravan
with North Carolina license plate GAIL-RN.
Anyone with information may call the Kinston Department of Public Safety
at (252) 939-3188.
Staff writer Jerry Allegood can be reached in Greenville at (252) 752-
8411 or jerrya@newsobserver.com.
SPEAK OUT IN THE FORUM
