01/01/10 - NNHS Newsletter

Carol--

Can you please put out a special newsletter on Karen Belding? She is one of my best friends and we need to get this circulated everywhere immediately.

From http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local-missingwoman-1229,0,6070717.story:
Police seek missing Hampton woman

By Ashley Kelly 247-4778
5:12 p.m. EST, December 28, 2009

HAMPTON - Police are looking for a 67-year-old woman who was reported missing on Dec. 23.

Karen Kay Belding, of Hampton, is disabled and walks with a cane. She may possibly be occupying a 1994 Green Ford Taurus with Virginia tags, KJR-9867, police said. It's unknown what she was wearing at the time she went missing.

Belding's last known address was in the first block of Kingsbury Court.

Dear Friends of Aunt Karen,

Please contact me regarding my aunt, Karen Belding. On 12/23/09 I filed a missing persons report with the Hampton, VA Police Department. I can not find anyone that has had any contact with my aunt since Friday, December 4, 2009. Please let me know if you have had any contact with her. I am going through Aunt Karen's address book and trying to contact everyone by email and telephone. Even if you have not had contact with my aunt, if you can reply to my email and let me know that you have not heard from her that will also be helpful. Aunt Karen's picture and information went on the 5 o'clock news tonight and on our local news websites. Her vehicle is also missing. It is a 94 green Ford Taurus with Virginia tags KJR-9867. Please keep Aunt Karen and our family in your prayers and thank you for any information you can provide.

Sincerely,

Laurie Belding Metzger

Regards,
Jo Ann Stewart

HAMPTON — It's been more than a week since Karen Kay Belding was reported missing, and family and friends say it's unlike her to leave town without notice.

Belding, 67, was last seen the first week of December after attending a concert with friends.

On Dec. 23, longtime friend Patricia Fox went to check on her. A few days earlier, Fox called and e-mailed Belding to invite her for Christmas dinner. Belding lived alone, and this was the first Christmas she would spend without her mother, who died last January, Fox said.

When Fox arrived at Belding's apartment on Kingsbury Court, she noticed that her mailbox was full and her car was missing. There was no answer at the door, so Fox alerted a manager at the apartment complex, and the two went inside.

Things looked normal at Belding's home, Fox said. A book was open on a table, and there was a cup of what looked like hot chocolate or coffee that had hardened, she said. There was a recipe pinned to the stove.

"I don't feel good about this. I think some foul play is involved," Fox said. "She would never just leave like that. None of it makes sense at all."

Belding is disabled and walks with a cane because of problems with her hips. According to police, she might be occupying a 1994 Green Ford Taurus with Virginia tags, KJR-9867. It's unknown what she was wearing at the time she went missing.

"I don't know if something happened and she doesn't know who she is or if she is lost," Belding's niece Laurie Metzger said. "I don't know if it was foul play of if she got in an accident and nobody has found her."

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887).

Thanks, Carol. No news as yet. Friends are planning a candlelight vigil on Tuesday. Please pray.

Regards, Jo Ann

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Anatole France

HAMPTON — It was hard enough for friends and family of Karen Belding to accept that she may never be found. Now they are trying to grasp that she is alive and doesn't want them to know where she is.

Belding, 67, was found in another state, police said Thursday afternoon. According to police, someone recognized Belding and contacted them. A police detective spoke with Belding, who informed them that she was fine, according to Hampton police spokeswoman Allison Quinones.

Belding also told police she left the area on her own and does not want people to know where she is. Police said they could not go into detail about why Belding left.

Belding, a local businesswoman, was last seen by friends the first week in December. She was reported missing to police Dec. 23. Her disappearance prompted a vast network of local family and friends to band together and spread the word about her missing. A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday where 50 people showed up praying that she would be found safe. A Facebook page was set up which attracted more than 400 members. There was a constant network of information about Belding that was created by her friend Gail Kent.

"Something is terribly wrong. This is not normal. This is not Karen," Kent said. "Either she's in distress or it's not really her."

Kent said she was in a daze Thursday afternoon after finding out about Belding.

"It's relief and joy, and at the same time a mixture of exasperation and anger if in fact it is true. I don't believe this is all there is to this story."

The search for Belding caused law enforcement agencies to band together. Hampton police were assisted by the secret service and state police during the search. Belding's information was also entered in the FBI's National Crime Information Center's database.

"You just don't leave a house after 30 years," said Linda Smith, who wants more proof that police have actually located Belding. "You just don't do that."

"I'm thankful she's OK because my mind thought the worst," Belding's friend Patricia Fox said. "I feel she is under extenuating circumstances and it's important for us not to be upset with her. She's always there for her friends and we need to be there for her."


Daronda Robinson, center, wipes a tear Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, during a candlelight vigil for Karen Belding outside Belding's apartment in Hampton. Belding went missing Dec. 23. Robinson is a neighbor of Belding's and although she didn't talk to her much, Robinson said she was a very kind person.	A yellow ribbon is tied around a tree Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, during a candlelight vigil for Karen Belding outside Belding's apartment in Hampton. Belding went missing Dec. 23.	People hold candles Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, during a candlelight vigil for Karen Belding outside Belding's apartment in Hampton. Belding went missing Dec. 23.	Kasie Stein, center, holds a candle Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, during a candlelight vigil for Karen Belding outside Belding's apartment in Hampton. Belding went missing Dec. 23. Stein has known Belding for more than two years and has helped her clean her yard and do odd jobs around the house. "She's an amazing person," Stein said.	Janet Eby holds a candle and a missing person's flyer Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, during a candlelight vigil for Karen Belding outside Belding's apartment in Hampton. Belding went missing Dec. 23.
(Diane Cebula, Daily Press / January 5, 2010)

Police seek missing Hampton woman

No clues about missing Hampton woman

Vigil for missing woman, Karen Belding, in Hampton

Missing Hampton woman is safe