Toni James-Doyle shares the following story about her missing son and the heartbreak she experiences. 

I remember the day quite well, actually, October 30th, 2019. It was a dreary day, Gray and hazy outside, with misting rain. The kind of day when the weather changes from intense humid heat to cool fall bonfire and hoodie weather in the South. My oldest son Bradley Chase Stracener, who was 30 then, woke me up with breakfast in bed. After about an hour of conversation, I followed him to the door, and he said, “I love you, mom. I’ll see you after a while.” I returned the sentiment and watched as he got into the car, then I closed the door as he drove away unbeknownst to me for the last time.

If, for one moment, that day at 1:47 PM, I thought that I was closing the door and never seeing my son again, I would have gotten into the car with him. But, you know, he was only driving about 10 miles to return the car to his girlfriend and back home to work on his pick-up. He never came back. He never even made his destination.

About nightfall is when I began to get an uneasy feeling. Bradley’s girlfriend called and called asking if I had seen him. I knew something was wrong when I realized he had never gotten there. I paced the floor and watched the clock, hour after hour, minute by minute. The silence was deafening. By morning, I could feel panic starting to set in. Yet, I tried to stay calm by telling myself he was a grown man and wasn’t required to report his whereabouts to mom anymore. However, he typically did so out of respect. That’s not to say he didn’t worry me plenty of times, but something didn’t feel right about this situation.

Against my better judgment, I tried to go on with my routine but never left the house because I wanted to be there when he showed up to give him a piece of my mind. After I called everyone I could think of, no one had reported seeing him. His girlfriend was still calling my phone, wanting to know where he was in her car. Finally, I began to shake uncontrollably and remember thinking, “No, no, there’s no way anything has happened to my son.”

It was then that I realized I was in uncharted territory. But I knew I would have to call my son’s uncle, who worked for the Sheriff’s Department, to let him know that Bradley was missing. It was at that precise point I think time stopped for me.

An officer from the Sheriff’s Department was sent to my home to take a report. Then I heard from no one. Even though the information was coming from the same Police Department, no one had the same story about what they were doing to locate my child. Had it not been for my degrees in psychology and criminal justice, perhaps I wouldn’t have known how negligent the authorities were in investigating this case. I tried to look at this outside the box to keep my sanity. I wanted to challenge myself to separate my attachment to my son mentally and figure out what it was I needed to do. It soon became apparent that law enforcement wouldn’t spend extra time or bend backward to try to locate Bradley. So in my panic, I was reminded of something Bradley told me about ways to make it through or how to make it through things you never believed you would. He always used to say to me, “mom, it’s mind over matter. You can’t let yourself panic; you have to breathe and think! You have to think about how to get out of your situation or solve whatever it is you were looking at, no matter how hard it Is. So the number one rule was not to panic, think, and use your brain.

The worst thing you can do in this type of situation would be to allow yourself to go into a frenzied panic; it will do nothing but debilitate you. So I decided it was time to treat this like a standard investigatory case. And I will say there has been very little research on missing persons. In that respect, there have been very few studies on why some missing persons get more media attention or exposure than others and why some seem more critical than others. After all, every missing person, every non-missing person, however you want to categorize it, is still a person. That person is someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, and I could go on and on. But, more importantly, that person is always someone’s child. That child is a living, breathing human being with all their strengths and weaknesses. Their faults, their triumphs, their failures, their successes, their quirks, their pet peeves, their goals, their challenges, their problems, their worries, their hopes, and their dreams all rolled into one.

When I began searching online for someone outside the Police Department, little did I know I had much learning to do. It didn’t take me long to realize that not one single person would feel the pain and anguish I felt about the unknown regarding my son. Unfortunately, there is very little accurate information online to point you in the right direction in this instance. There are plenty of missing persons sites where you can post a missing persons poster, but to have someone to calm fears, reassure you, to say we’re here for you, it’s not going to happen. At least that was my initial perception.

Then, of course, as luck would have it COVID-19 strikes. Those that showed even a tiny fraction of interest were unable to help me because of not being able to cross state lines. In addition, their organization was losing funding because they could not perform their duties due to COVID, like going out of state to search for the missing. There were many reasons why people told me we’re sorry we can’t help you. I felt defeated, helpless, and like a total failure, but then I was reminded of what my son said don’t panic, THINK! I knew then if I, as his mother, didn’t stand up and fight and refuse to give up, then all hope would be lost, and I couldn’t live with the fact of never knowing what happened to my child.

Bradley Stracener

Then I was referred back to CUE Center for Missing Persons (CUE). I had sent in a registration in the very beginning to them about Bradley. I missed a phone call from Monica Caison, or perhaps it was someone else, but I couldn’t meet until COVID precautions were lifted. After that, we were able to move around again. I contacted someone in Louisiana who told me they still couldn’t help. They said if anyone in the United States could, it would be CUE, that they were the best at what they do and were top-notch; I needed to contact them. So once again, I took my chances, and I did.

While I was on the CUE website completing the paperwork again and looking at the services they provide, I thought back over the 16 months and the roller coaster I had been on. I started to empathize with others in my situation. It only takes once for someone to look on the United States Department of justice missing person page called NAMUS and look at the faces of those that have just disappeared. I scrolled through pages and pages of confirmed missing persons. I looked into their eyes and thought about each mother feeling the anguish I was feeling. I decided if I could do one thing in my lifetime, it would be to try and lessen another mother’s heartache.

The things that I had to muddle through and learn because there was no one there to tell me, I had to figure it out on my own regarding my missing person. There is no rule book. Unfortunately, very few law enforcement has received formal training in “missing persons,” much less adopted protocol. While on the website, I registered Bradley’s case and decided in his honor that I would also volunteer with CUE and do everything I could to help others with missing loved ones.

I became a state director for Louisiana for CUE. As such, of course, I couldn’t handle my son’s case but got assigned my case manager Tracy Jones who lives three short hours from me. I don’t have sisters or brothers. I was an only child, but if I were to be able to put a picture of what I would consider a sister would be, just a portrait of Tracy would do. She has been nothing but supportive from day one. We have become so close that she said she feels like Bradley also belongs to her because I’ve made him known to her. My kids know her, and it’s AUNT Tracy to them. We talk on the phone and sometimes until all hours of the morning. Sometimes about Bradley, and a lot of times about a lot of nothingness that we feel comfortable sharing. I guess you would say random girly talk, and I hope one day she will realize precisely how much I love her and how she came to me just in the nick of time. She came to my rescue when I was getting so weak I thought, if only for a moment, I would give up and fall because I couldn’t go anymore.

CUE has restored some of my faith in humanity because they’re real. They’re genuine; they don’t sugarcoat things; they’re always there for you. On May 13th, they started arriving for a massive search for my son. I spoke with Tracy when they all got checked into the motel. They held their meetings, and I couldn’t go because I wasn’t privy to all the information discussed. So I was assigned other jobs like ensuring the food was on location. I made sure I got porta potties and silly things like cool towels for their neck, which they said I spoiled them because they weren’t accustomed to that for a search, but that’s OK. They deserve to be pampered. They earned it as hot as it was in 100 degrees sweltering temperatures.

They came from Florida, South Texas, West Texas, maybe Arkansas or Missouri. I can’t remember where everyone was from; there were so many. But– I remember their faces, each of them making a point to speak to me, their kindness and kind words, and I remember their dogs. I remember that none returned from any search sector that they weren’t bleeding from the briars, underbrush, stickers, and downed trees. Everything was left in the wake of hurricane Laura and hurricane Delta that hadn’t been cleaned up in South Louisiana. Still, they gave it their all — they didn’t give up.

I would hope you never have to have CUE services. I hope you never have to lace up the shoes I wear now. I would have thought one crazy to have told me this years ago; that I would ever have to walk through such an ordeal. I can’t say I embrace it because I don’t, but I had to find my way of dealing with it. I must say the first morning of the search, May 14th, 2022, I was, as always, fashionably late. As I came to the top of the hill where Incident Command was set up, I saw the vehicles and the canine vehicles, the “stay back,” and K9 dog vests, and the dogs, the handlers, and the searchers in gear; I busted out crying because for so long I had tried, and you came through Tracy.

They all came through for me. They made a trip here for someone they didn’t know without pay or reimbursement just because that is their contribution. These people are so selfless; they all volunteer, so they will never get rich doing it. It was over 100 degrees outside, and they couldn’t have enjoyed it. They did it out of love. Love, love for another person that they didn’t even know, and although we didn’t find my son in the two days they were here, I do have the promise that they will be back as soon as deer season is over when it’s safe for them to enter the woods again because we at CUE, never give up, never give in, we’re all CUESTRONG!

We ask that you join us in sharing this story on your social media profiles in the hope it generates the tip that will help us find Bradley and bring him home.

Details on Bradley’s case: https://ncmissingpersons.org/bradley-chace-stracener/

If you have any information on this case, please contact CUE Center for Missing Persons at (910) 343-1131 or call the CUE Center 24-hour tip line at (910) 232-1687. All information submitted to CUE Center for Missing Persons is confidential.

Community United Effort (CUE) a Center for Missing Persons is offering a Five-thousand dollar Reward for information that will bring forth a resolve to the whereabouts of Casey Berry who currently has been missing for 5, 589 days. The one-hundred-day Reward will begin at on June 4, 2022 and will expire onSeptember 12, 2022 at midnight. The Reward is being offered for  information that willlead to the direct location and recovery of Casey Berry, cash, no questions asked. “We are looking to bring Casey Berry home and are not involved in the investigative nature of this case”, said CUE founder, Monica Caison. CUE has provided family support services to Casey’s family over the years and hosted awareness campaigns and have actively searched for the missing man, which to date has not been found.

Casey Berry vanished from Blanca/Alamosa area, Colorado on February 14, 2007 at approximately 9:00 am that morning and  no one has seen or heard from him again. Casey grew up in Central California where he attended Reedley High School. He played football and baseball and took forestry classes while attending college. Once married, with his wife and child he resided between Alamosa and San Luis, Colorado. Many of his acquaintances were unknown to his family and it is believed that Casey Berry may have been murdered. “Our family has lived with information that has surfaced over the years concerning Casey that are more like horror stories with no conclusion, we just want to end our nightmare”, said his mother, Terri Erskine.” It has been over fifteen years without my son and none of us are getting any younger”, she added.

At the time Casey disappeared he was twenty-five years old and had dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, stood over six foot tall and weighed 150 lbs. Distinguishing Characteristics: white male, hair was in dreadlocks. His upper teeth were crooked and one upper
eyetooth is missing. He has previously broken his nose and his hand; pins/plates surgically implanted in his hand resulting in visual scaring. Casey has a three-quarter inch light brown birthmark on his neck. Berry has a tattoo of a peace symbol on each
forearm and a marijuana leaf outline on his shoulder.

CUE Center For Missing Persons
P.O. Box 12714 Contact:
Wilmington, N.C. 28405 Monica Caison
(910) 343-1131 (910) 232-1687
www.ncmissingpersons.org cuecenter@aol.com

To read more of Casey Berry’s disappearance click here at

Casey Berry

If anyone has information concerning the whereabouts of Casey Berry please contact
the CBI (720) 295-6642 (this line is dedicated to missing persons only) or Jordan Colfax
PI (720) 689-7751 or the 24 hour line at the CUE Center for Missing Persons (910) 232-
1687. Callers can remain anonymous.

Often times in our lives we feel the need to give back, to think about somebody other than ourselves, to do something that can help someone else, to make our world a better place to livin. We may find ourselves so blessed that we want to bless others by giving what we can to our community, to those in our country or elsewhere in the world, to crisis situations and tragedies.

Giving is good, we feel good about ourselves and it’s even better when we see the difference that our giving makes. This “giving back” is not just about donating our money, but very often our time and our talent. “Giving Tuesday” is the perfect way to become part of the change we wish to see in our world.

My hope is that this December 1 st , you will consider joining hundreds of millions of people globally and give back, and when you do, I hope you will consider CUE Center for Missing Persons.

14 years ago my 34 year old sister Allison Foy went missing in Wilmington North Carolina. She was recovered almost 2 years after her disappearance and today she remains the victim of an unsolved homicide. This personal story is not about Allison, it is about CUE Center. Our family is just one of over 12,000 families that CUE has helped since their inception in 1994. I know without the help of CUE and their amazing volunteers my sister Allison would have never been recovered.

From advocacy to professional boots on the ground searches, to National Road Tours and Conferences, help with media and working alongside law enforcement, CUE is there for families every day, working to bring home our missing.

This is an organization that never says no, and never asks for money from families. CUE is funded by small grants and donations from people like you. ALL MONIES go directly to search efforts and to help bring missing loved ones home. No one in CUE receives any money including the founder Monica Caison.

On a personal note CUE gave my family hope in the case of my sister, they taught us how to be her voice and advocate, they helped with press and law enforcement, not to mention multiple searches. More than that, they cared, they showed up and never judged. The organization became my family and helped me endure and persevere and endure. So much so, that today I am one of the NJ State Outreach Coordinators for CUE Center, giving back to those families who have walked in my shoes.

We need your help, with over 600,000 missing annually, we cannot do this alone. This “GivingTuesday” please consider donating to this one of a kind organization that changes people’s lives and indeed our world. Every dollar helps and if you cannot give monetarily please consider volunteering, we seek volunteers in all areas, not just search.

Visit our website and click on the Giving Tuesday tab, become a “Community Hero” by donating $25.00 a month or click on our volunteer button and join the family. Imagine if someone you loved never came home? Far too many families are going to sleep tonight not knowing what happened to their loved one. Be a part of the solution and on December 1 st giveback to CUE, because “Every Missing Person is somebody’s child.”

“If you’re good to your horse, your horse will be good to you.” 

(Michael White, CUE South Carolina State Outreach Coordinator)

When the call for volunteer horse teams went out during a search in 2013, Michael White responded. It seemed like a natural fit as he grew up with a lifelong love for horses and trail riding.

The search through wooded areas and along roadsides was an experience that left a lasting impression. Michael decided this was a way to use his skills for the benefit of missing persons. CUE Center for Missing Persons Founder, Monica Caison, asked him to coordinate future searches involving horses to better organize the efforts of the team. Michael, and his handpicked team of the six best horse searchers, can tap into approximately 50 others if needed. In the past 7 years, he has participated in more than 30 horse searches for CUE Center.  

The misconception that anyone can ride a horse is not necessarily true.

It is important to recognize that a person and their horse have very special relationships. White related, “My horses are members of my family. They greet me. They have their own personalities and have to trust you. They need more space, are a little more territorial and are herd animals by nature. There is definite pecking order among the herd.”

Most are familiar with the breed of horses who work ranches and herd cows as the strong American Quarter Horse, which are typically used for searching. Tennessee Walkers are also used for searching and have a smoother gait for the ease of the rider.  

Horses have many advantages when it concerns searching for missing persons. Anatomically, they have very good eyesight, a keen sense of smell as well as ears that move independently directing the rider where to go. Horses provide searchers a better way to see what is approaching and can even protect upcoming crime scenes before entry.

Some horses fear water, but most are very skilled at searching wooded areas and hilly terrain. In addition, they can cover wide open fields more efficiently than all-terrain vehicles. They work in tandem with the ATVs by coming up from behind and have a higher perspective. 

Typically, law enforcement don’t have a contingent of horses at their disposal for searching. If they utilize horses, they may be used to direct traffic, monitor park activity, etc. However, professional riders are available to assist and have a great respect for equine searches.

Michael White related a particular case in which he felt the horse team made a difference. Requested to assist in the search of a 74 year old man who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the team was brought in. The man supposedly walked away from his neighborhood while pushing a bicycle for about 10 miles. There was an extensive three day search in which the horses covered areas adjacent to a four lane highway bordered by woods and ditches. Although he was not recovered, White felt a sense of satisfaction that his horse team had done an excellent job.  

Michael is very proud of his association with the CUE Center and feels that volunteering for CUE is one of the best things you can do to help someone else.

Plans are in the works for the CUE Center to create equine training sessions and a certification program for future growth.

Donations of time, skills and funds are always appreciated. 

CUE Center is all volunteer and free of charge to the families it serves. To learn how to volunteer or donate please visit:

 http://ncmissingpersons.org 

“ You Are Braver Than You Believe; Stronger than You Actually Seem…And Smarter than You Think.”  Winnie the Pooh

The innocence of children has to be colored with the realities of today’s world. There is indeed a fine line between educating and alarming kids, and yet, it must be done with finesse, in a way that ultimately provides the necessary tools for living.  

Monica Caison, Founder of the CUE Center for Missing Persons based in Wilmington, NC, conceptualized an educational, illustrated activity book known as “Safe and Found: Who Comes to Look for You.” It covers a variety of topics to increase a child’s safety awareness. 

This entertaining 23 page book has the potential to engage children from kindergarten through 5th grade and beyond. It accomplishes this through reading, active listening, coloring, doing word games and stimulating discussion.

Since its inception in March of 2013, over 5,700 activity books have been printed and distributed to a variety of agencies and groups in over 28 states. 

Introducing Ms. McKinley Lanier – Outstanding Teen!

McKinley Lanier, Miss Wilmington Outstanding Teen

McKinley Lanier won the title and crown of Miss Wilmington Outstanding Teen for 2020-21. As her platform, she chose to partner with Monica Caison and work with the CUE Center focusing on educating children about safety awareness.  The reason McKinley chose the “Safe and Found” Program grew from her own personal experience;  when she was three years old she became temporarily lost at Disney World. 

A brochure was created for McKinley and currently she has promoted the program in 15 schools and spoken to over 500 students in North Carolina about the important information offered in the book.  

McKinley’s ultimate goal is to identify a teen representative for the “Safe and Found” Program in all 50 states and to collaborate with CUE’s State Outreach Coordinators for further education and outreach.  

 “McKinley is inspired by the verse “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3 We are so very proud of McKinley, she works hard to share her platform with others.” -Glynis Lanier, McKinley’s mother

A Closer Look

The content of “Safe and Found: Who Comes to Look for You?” includes an explanation of the color blue as a safety color and how it stands out in the wilderness, who/how to trust, and what they will see during a search process. The end of the booklet features games to test a child’s knowledge and recall of the concepts discussed. 

The booklet is eye-catching, vividly illustrated by John Santillo, and allows for coloring.  The written content was crafted to capture the imagination and comprehension of children by Anita Sullivan whose brother, Michael Austin Davis has been missing since June, 2007 from Jacksonville, FL. 

“Safe and Found” is versatile and can be used to teach children at churches, schools, family gatherings, civic groups, junior police academies, and more.  

If you would like to assist the CUE Center, or McKinley Lanier with scheduling a presentation, contact:  

CUE Center for Missing Persons 

P.O. Box 12714 

Wilmington, North Carolina 28404 

Requests should be addressed Attention: Permission Presentations

Or Email: cuecenter@aol.com

The CUE Center, an all volunteer  501-C3 non-profit organization for the past 26 years, thankfully accepts any and all donations. https://ncmissingpersons.org/donate/ 

Zachary Malinowski, was a 19 year old young man from Aynor, SC who went missing on August 25, 2013. Additionally, his hopes and dreams for the future vanished.

Zach was a typical teen with many friends who dabbled in songwriting and recording, playing basketball, and video games. His family describes him as funny, mischievous, and perhaps thought himself  to be invincible to the dangers of the world as young people often do. 

On that August summer night, Zach dropped off friends after playing basketball and visited another friend prior to leaving to get something to eat. Although his car was located by searchers torched and burned, he has not been located. Charges against suspects have been filed, but the judicial process is pending. More information is needed to achieve resolution in this case.  

Zach’s family, and the community surrounding Aynor, continues to be very active in seeking justice.

“The CUE Center for Missing Persons opened up a whole new world that didn’t exist to them,” according to Zach’s cousin Jessica. The Cue Center has provided support, education, ground searches and other resources in an effort to locate him over the past 7 years. The grief and unknowing has irrevocably altered his family both in negative and positive ways. 

Jessica, who works in social services, related that Zach “was a good kid deep down, but never had the opportunity to mature past the stage of invincibility. They stole that from him.” 

Zach’s family and friends want accountability and to hear the word guilty. They also want to hear, “We’ve got Zach. He’s coming home.” 

August 25, 2020 marks the 7 year anniversary of Zach’s disappearance. CUE Center for Missing Persons joins with family members to sponsor an awareness event featuring 3,000 color flyers of Zach attached to pizza boxes delivered to customers throughout Horry County. 

What is the message to be learned from his event? His family’s ultimate desire is to inspire at least one person to change their path or to decide to do the right thing for another family. 

If you have any information or tips, contact the Horry County Police (843-915-7995) or the CUE Center for Missing Persons at their 24 hour confidential tip line (910-232-1697). 

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.”

— John Crosby

In an effort to reach out to youth and involve them in the issue of missing persons and volunteerism, CUE Center for Missing Persons initiated internship and mentoring programs for high school and college students.

The Senior High School Mentoring Program provides mentoring to local area high schools by way of sponsoring students in their senior year on missing person related projects and half of the semester grade. Open High Schools for participation began in 1999 listing New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender Counties in North Carolina. To date (2020) the organization has mentored 41 projects for senior High School students.

The Senior College Internship Program was established in 1998 and to date (2020) has processed 77 senior students providing anywhere from 25 to 150 hours each to the organization with credited volunteer service hours. Many colleges in North Carolina are enrolled with CUE for this program. Leading areas of studies are creative writing, criminal justice, social work, and marketing.

Students are incorporated in roadside rallies, family vigils, as well as reviewing and validating incoming information. They also have the opportunity to learn about case management and search organization.

Students have provided approximately 10,000 hours of volunteerism to the organization.

Mary Bethea, current Vice President of the Board of Directors, was a struggling student without a purpose. Under the direction of Monica Caison, she entered the Senior College Internship Program and found her course for the next several years. Additionally, Mary obtained her AWDA-K9 working dog certification and participated in searches.

“CUE has done so much more for me than I have done for them.” Mary Bethea

Mary’s career choice was to become a private investigator and she credits her experiences in the mentoring program with CUE Center as the influence for her decision.  She honed her skills by working a case from the onset, assisted in locating the victim and supporting the family. She fully grasped the importance of CUE’s mission by attending the funeral of the victim where she was recognized with gratitude from the family.

For a complete look at CUE’s training and educational programs, please visit this page on our website: https://ncmissingpersons.org/programs/

Monica Caison Founder of nonprofit CUE Center for Missing Persons

“Seven out of 10 nonprofit workers are women, while at Fortune 500 companies, 86 percent of corporate executives are men. The nonprofit sector is predominantly female; the private sector is mainly male.”

Community United Effort (CUE) Center for Missing Persons based in Wilmington, NC serves those who are missing and their families nationally with the help of State Outreach Coordinators and a large delegation of volunteers. Founded over 25 years ago by Monica Caison, her leadership stretches from the daily operations to organizing and participating in searches for the missing. One of few missing persons organizations that can make that claim.

According to national reports we have a silent epidemic with nearly 650,000 missing persons reported annually. CUE Center for Missing Persons aids in searching, educating the public, and advocating for families with a missing loved one. The organization has a solid track record of assisting well over 12,000 families since its inception in 1994.

Monica Caison’s organization is built from the public sector including business leaders, students, law enforcement, victim advocates, professionally trained field search teams, certified K9s, and missing person experts. There are currently over 15,000 volunteers from across the nation assisting with requests that come in to the organization. There are no paid employees, or board members, including Caison who receives no salary.

It is reported that the average number of nonprofit volunteer hours per person rose from 130 to 137 from 2008 to 2017. Mathematically, this works out to just 11.5 hours per month. Also reported was that only 7.5 percent of all nonprofit executive staffs are women.

Furthermore, the vast majority of nonprofits consists of small organizations spending less than $500,000 annually. Overall, 80 cents of every dollar of nonprofit revenue in the United States comes from government grants or contracts and fees for services. Only about 10 percent of overall nonprofit funding comes from individual donations and another 4 percent from foundations.

Additionally, data reveals that women managing nonprofits is primarily confined to serving women’s issues including focusing on body image, marginalized women, breast cancer; camps for kids, and the exploitation of women through domestic violence and sexual assault.

CUE Center for Missing Persons serves people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds. Acceptance, cooperation, and teamwork are hallmarks in carrying out the mission to assist those who request help.

“I offer myself to those who have nowhere else to turn. These desperate people who ask for my help have unique situations. Yet, however unique, they are bound together with the commonality of being the loved one of a missing person.”

-Monica Caison

Debra Asbury age progression by Diana Trepkov

New age-progression for Debra Asbury, missing since 1994

In addition to the many tensions and difficulties that everyone is facing right now, thousands of families have the added stress of not knowing what happened to someone they love – and not being able to go out looking for them.

“There are so many people going through that right now,” explained CUE founder Monica Caison. “In-person searches are difficult and going out in search teams is almost impossible while we’re trying to maintain our physical distance. But we at CUE remain committed to these families and to helping them find answers whenever we can, however we can.”

In the case of Debra Jean Asbury, that has meant working with a renowned forensic artist to develop an image showing how the Davidson County woman would likely look now, close to 26 years after she was reported missing.

According to law enforcement reports, on Sept. 26, 1994, Ms. Asbury set food out to defrost on the kitchen counter of her Westside Drive home in Lexington. The young mother of four told her sister she was going to meet her boyfriend at a nearby convenience store, and at about 8 a.m., she set out on foot and headed toward the store — without her purse, keys or identification. Ms. Asbury, whom police say had been involved in domestic disputes with both her boyfriend and her ex-husband at different times, never returned home. She would now be 53 years old.

“The longer someone has been missing, the more important age-progression becomes,” Mrs. Caison said. “Hair and clothing styles change, age does its thing, weight fluctuates, et cetera, so it takes an expert to do age-progression in a way that captures the person’s spirit.”

Ms. Asbury’s age-progression was developed by well-respected Canadian forensic artist Diana Trepkov (www.forensicsbydiana.com), the author of Faceless, Voiceless: From Search to Closure, A Forensic Artist’s Inspirational Approach to the Missing and Unidentified. Ms. Trepkov has appeared on CNN and presented her work at an FBI conference.

“Law enforcement is stretched thin everywhere, and unfortunately, that can prevent developments in missing persons cases,” Mrs. Caison said. “We are hopeful that Diana’s insightful artwork will lead us to information about Debra Asbury’s whereabouts.”

If anyone has information concerning Ms. Asbury, please call the Lexington Police Department at (336) 243-3312 or the CUE Center’s 24-hour hotline: (910) 232-1687.

Danny Atkins missing from Longs, South Carolina

Danny Atkins was 63 years old at the time of his disappearance and was living in Longs, South Carolina. Danny went missing on January 20th 2015 and has not been heard from since. His car was found on Hickman Road in Tabor City, North Carolina 2 days after his disappearance. Some Tabor City residents have said they saw him near his vehicle and saw him walking along the road towards the nearby Food Lion. Danny’s brother Patrick was going to pick him up for a doctor’s appointment that day and when he arrived he was not at home. 

Danny, or “Pop” as he was affectionately called, was a retired telephone service tech and sometime bartender. He got the nickname “Pop” from his friends who named him that after Pop in Fresh like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. At the time he went missing his brother Patrick recalled that he was becoming forgetful; “He would have moments of confusion and then perfect clarity.”  “Danny was a very outgoing guy who never said anything negative about anyone and found the good in everyone.“ his brother Patrick recalled.

CUE became involved in the case from the beginning and performed ground searches, helped get media involved, worked with law enforcement and even offered a reward. Time passes and 4 and a half years later there are still no answers. As missing persons families know all too well, it is the not knowing that is the hardest part. All families seek resolution, some even call it closure. In the end all families want to bring home their loved one and begin to move forward. That only happens when there are answers. 

There are the never-ending questions of are they still alive, were they harmed, are they just lost, how could this happen, why did this happen, will I ever see them again and the list goes on. As the years go by people begin to forget, but the families of that loved one never do. 

And so, families of the missing move forward by having hope, which on many days, and after many years is often elusive. Because after the media coverage ends and people stop asking, that is what is left, it is also what is needed most!

Cue Center never gives up and works in that hope daily. They continue to work on Danny “Pop” Atkins case. Danny’s brother wants that resolution and answers, he needs them. Danny was liked by everyone and was the life of the party according to his brother. Was he just at the wrong place at the wrong time? Why didn’t he wait for his brother to get him that day, and where was he headed before he had car trouble? We hope to get answers to these questions as we hope to bring Danny home.

If you or anyone you know has any information on this case please contact CUE Center for Missing Persons at (910)232-1687 you may remain anonymous. Or contact the investigating agency; Horry County Sheriff (843) 251-3637