Unconfirmed reports she is a sister ~ MISSING

[pucca]

http://www.kptv.com/story/19838032/gresham-woman-missing-police-consider-it-suspicious

GRESHAM, OR (KPTV) -

Search crews converged on a park in Sandy Wednesday in the search for a missing Gresham woman.

Photos

Whitney Heichel's car was found parked at WalMart hours after she failed to show up for work at Starbucks. SLIDESHOW: See photos

ALSO: Missing children cases

Investigators closed Dodge Park to the public. It's not known what led them to that park or if any evidence had been located Wednesday afternoon.

It comes on the same day that the search for clues in the disappearance of Whitney Heichel stretched east of Gresham where detectives believe the woman's SUV may have been seen.

Police consider the 21-year-old's disappearance to be suspicious.

Her black 1999 Ford Explorer with tinted taillights and an Oregon license plate 189 EJZ may have been in the east Multnomah County area, east of Gresham and possibly into Sandy, between 6:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tuesday, detectives said.

Whitney Heichel was scheduled to work a 7 a.m. shift Tuesday at an East Gresham Starbucks on Northeast Burnside Road. The coffee shop is a two-minute drive from the apartment she shares with her husband, Clint Heichel.

"She got dressed this morning, normal everything. Kissed me goodbye, said goodbye," he said Tuesday. "That was 6:45 this morning."

Clint Heichel said his wife is not responding to text messages or phone calls, which is unusual behavior.

Family and friends began distributing flyers and searching for Whitney Heichel shortly after her manager called to say she did not arrive for her shift. Clint Heichel said he called police after driving to the home of his wife's parents and a hospital in the area, as well as calling family and friends.

Police released a timeline of the investigation:

•At 6:45 a.m. Heichel left her apartment at the 700 block of SE Hwy 26 to go to work.

•At 7:00 a.m. Heichel was supposed to be at work at Starbucks in East Gresham near Powell and Burnside, approximately five minutes from her home. She did not arrive.

•At 9:56 a.m., Heichel's husband called 911 to report her missing.

• At 12:30 p.m., friends and family reported that Heichel's ATM card was used at the gas station. Detectives have since verified that the card was used and her vehicle was indeed at the station at 9:14 a.m.

•At 1 p.m., family and friends that were looking for Heichel and distributing flyers, found her vehicle parked at the WalMart in Wood Village at 23500 NE Sandy. The vehicle's passenger side window had been broken out.

"The passenger side window was busted out, the backseats were down, there was mud on her tires, which it wasn't that way the night before," said Clint Heichel.

He added, "It just is weird that we found her truck, completely off the path that she would take to go to work."

Gresham police said there is surveillance video showing Whitney Heichel's SUV at the gas station, but the video is poor quality and detectives cannot determine who is driving the car. They also cannot determine if the passenger window was broken at that time.

A Major Crimes Team of 24 detectives has been activated and is following leads in areas police believe Whitney Heichel may have been. Meanwhile, state crime lab forensics investigators are processing the SUV for evidence.

On Tuesday, family and friends were doing their part, too. They searched the Heichels' neighborhood and the surrounding community Tuesday.

"I hope she's OK," said Clint Heichel. "Anyone who has a loved one or is married knows if your spouse goes missing and there's no word … I don't know what to say, I don't know what to think, I don't know what to do."

If you have seen Whitney Heichel or saw her vehicle before it was recovered, call the Gresham police tip line at 503-618-2719.

Copyright 2012 KPTV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

[markndawoods]

Yep, she is our sister.

CO put the call out to the elders to mention this to our congs and keep her and the family in our prayers.

I hate this system...

[Joey]

Very tragic,I will be praying for her and her family.

[Joey]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/starbucks-barista-whitney-heichel-missing-frantic-search-underway-article-1.1185800

This article says she is one of our sisters.

[MelFromOz]

This is just awful awful news, I pray Jehovah gives her family and her congregation the strength they need to get through this no matter what the outcome. I am on the verge of tears just thinking about this, please please come home safe and sound if you can Whitney:(

[CHecker]

One of our sisters is missing and needs our prayers. Here is the local news story

http://www.kptv.com/story/19838032/gresham-woman-missing-police-consider-it-suspicious#.UIBd7X7lFTk.email

Please pray for her safe return

[Joey]

Still no news on this sister

[Lewis]

Progress was made, a cellphone was found.

NBC News Article

[ava]

I hate these kind of news stories, young women going missing, they are so sad. I have a 16 yr old daughter and I worry constantly about her.

I am hoping and praying for good news for this family!!!!!

[vmhlbethaniaqldaus]

I just saw this today...from a Brother in a Northside congregation. How sad for Whitney and her family.

It is also sad to see the negativity on the facebook page that has been set up to help spread the word and get the general populous help.

I hope our sister is found safe and sound. I also pray for the family. Jehovah has sent his angels to help her endure, wherever she may be at the present.

[rocket]

Unfortunatly she was murdered. Her body was recoverd today and a person was arrested in conection with her death. Our prayers go out to the family and her congregation.

More info HERE

[Travis515100]

I followed this story too, I was hoping she would be ok, but at the same time I kind of new she was murdered. Especially after they found her cell 3 days later. I was looking on her FB and saw some of her pics. I started to cry. I wish I could of gone back in time and try to prevented this from happening.

[Joey]

[MelFromOz]

It's so heartbreaking, the poor sweet girl, what she must have gone through, I pray Jehovah helps her family get through this terrible time:(

Prov 2:21,22

[Micah]

Missing sister is confirmed dead.

GRESHAM, Ore. - Police announced Friday night in a somber news conference that they had found the body of missing 21-year-old Whitney Heichel on Larch Mountain and had made an arrest in the case.

Police said they received information that led them to Holt, who they said was an acquaintance of Whitney and her husband, Clint. Police also said that he lived in the same apartment complex as the couple.

Whitney Heichel left for her job at a Starbucks Tuesday morning and disappeared. Her SUV was found at 11:17 a.m. that day in the parking lot of a Wood Village Walmart.

[Micah]

I followed this story too, I was hoping she would be ok, but at the same time I kind of new she was murdered. Especially after they found her cell 3 days later. I was looking on her FB and saw some of her pics. I started to cry. I wish I could of gone back in time and try to prevented this from happening.

I am looking at the pictures as well, and I am seeing a baby to a little boy. Is it hers??? Does anyone know??? Man I can't stop crying....... THIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!

[sunshine]

Yep, she is our sister.

CO put the call out to the elders to mention this to our congs and keep her and the family in our prayers.

I hate this system...

I will speak to Jehovah tonight - it hurts my heart very much.

When oh when will this rotten system be finished with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rocket]

This story strikes close to home more so than I at first thought. Whitney's aunt goes to the same Salem, OR Congregation as my older sister and is related to a friend of yet another sister in the Salem ASL Congregation. Many from the Salem, OR area will be attending the memorial service. Our hearts ache for the family and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

[ibcharlene]

It is such a small world for Jehovah's people, isn't it? We travel quite a bit or know friends that have. We get to know each other and the bond is 3-corded for sure. If the world were to think about this story they might be surprised by the WORLD-WIDE response to the pain of Whitney and her family.

While I didn't know Whitney or her family, I have friends who did. We used to live on the north coast of Cali and have many wonderful friends there. The daughters and daughter-in-law of one of my closest sisters (in Crescent City, CA) used to go to Portland Ore. and would stay with Whitney and her family. Their families were understandably very close. That is how I initially heard that Whitney had been abducted. My husband came home from service this afternoon and told me one of our older sisters knows Whitney's family. We are in Greeneville TN! Jehovah has given us a very large and loving family, hasn't he? What a blessing! Whitney's death and the response among Jehovah's people is testimony to the love Jehovah's people have for each other. So again Satan loses.

You won't hear it often but I love you, my brothers and sisters!

[moosic]

Daily Mail news

Our poor sister! Only a 5 minute journey and it still happened! Why does Satan have to be so evil?! Many, many prayers are being said throughout the world and may Jehovah bless them and their efforts and help them through this tragic time. I'm so sorry.

I'm so glad we have the hope of seeing our loved ones again.

[Micah]

Jehovah's Witnesses community mourns loss

This is the part that is confusing to me:

Vaughn declined to comment on accusations against Holt, who is a Jehovah's Witness and was acquainted with both the Heichels, possibly through Jehovah's Witness gatherings, investigators said.

So, are they saying the suspect is a brother??? Or am I misinterpreting the words???

[nvl]

I am confused, too, Micah. It sounds like they are saying the suspect is a brother, but I think (hope) I am reading that wrong.

[Greenfield]

Evidently, they are saying the suspect is a brother. However, the media has been known to sometimes refer to non-Witnesses as Witnesses simply because they attended some meetings and/or read literature. Whether he was actually a Witness is anybody's guess. I would certainly hope not. Plus you never know how biased the source(s) for that statement might be.

[rocket]

Evidently, they are saying the suspect is a brother. However, the media has been known to sometimes refer to non-Witnesses as Witnesses simply because they attended some meetings and/or read literature. Whether he was actually a Witness is anybody's guess. I would certainly hope not. Plus you never know how biased the source(s) for that statement might be.

One Source

Will hopefully have more answers than questions shortly.

[Bluetape]

I saw that too, does anyone know if he was a witness?