Adam Herrman Last Seen in 1999; Recently Reported Missing

[One2Snoop]

Relatives: Boy Missing for 10 Years Was Abused
Adam Herrman Last Seen in 1999; Recently Reported Missing
By SCOTT MICHELS
Jan. 7, 2009

A young boy who was not reported missing for nearly 10 years after he disappeared was abused by his adopted mother before he vanished, several relatives alleged on Tuesday.

http://i43.tinypic.com/m8pdhv.jpg

Police in Kansas are searching for Adam Herrman, who was 11 or 12 when he was last seen in a mobile home park in Towanda in 1999. Authorities received a tip about a month ago that Herrman had not been seen in more than nine years.

Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said Monday that his office was investigating the case as if it were a death investigation, but said it is possible Herrman is alive. He asked the public for help locating him.

Murphy said the boy's adopted parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, were considered "people of interest" in the case, though they have not been arrested or charged with a crime.

Through their lawyer, the Herrmans have denied harming the boy. But several immediate family members claim Valerie Herrman mentally and physically abused the boy, at times hitting or slapping him, refusing to feed him and making him sleep in the bathtub without a pillow or blankets.

The Herrmans, who adopted Adam when he was about 2 years old, could not be immediately reached for comment. In an interview with the Wichita Eagle published Wednesday, Valerie Herrman denied that she hit Adam, refused to feed him or kept him chained to the tub, as some of her relatives have alleged.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=6588020&page=1

[One2Snoop]

January 05, 2009
Boy Missing 10 Years Focus of Bizarre Missing Child Case

Police in Butler County, Kansas, are trying to determine what happened to 11-year-old Adam Herrman, a young boy who disappeared roughly 10 years ago. Investigators were unaware Adam was missing until three weeks ago, when a tipster contacted the Exploited and Missing Children's Unit. Officials won't disclose the nature of the tip; however it did cause them to put together a full scale search for the missing boy.

"We don't know what happened to Adam Herrman past 1999, when he was last seen," Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said at today's press conference in El Dorado. "Is he alive, is he dead? That one I can't answer because we don't know."

According to the sheriff's office, Adam and his siblings were taken away from their biological parents in 1989. Adam was roughly two years old at the time. Each of the siblings were placed into foster care and later adopted by different families.

"I had been a little bit not exactly a good parent," Adam's biological mother, Gerri George, told Kansas.com, adding "I still cry, because I miss them."

Adam's adoptive parents have told investigators that he ran away roughly nine years ago and that they did not report him missing. The couple said that Adam had a history of running away and that they had assumed he would come back. When he did not, they allegedly decided not to file a missing child report because they feared getting into trouble with the authorities.

Investigators have been unable to substantiate claims that Adam was a frequent runaway. A relative of his adoptive family allegedly told authorities that they were under the impression that the state had given him back to his biological family.

Last week, authorities searched a Towanda trailer park where Adam had once lived with his adoptive parents. According to residents of the park, investigators used backhoes to search the vacant lot where the family's mobile home once sat. Officers were also seen guiding dogs around the area.

According to Sheriff Murphy, the search did answer one of the investigators' questions; however he failed to elaborate further other than to say that no human remains were found.

On Friday, authorities asked Adam's biological family for DNA samples, so that investigators could have them on hand in the event they would need to make a future comparison.

Both of Adam's adoptive parents have been named "people of interest" in the case; however the sheriff's office has declined to release their names.

Meanwhile, the search for Adam Herrman continues.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Butler County sheriff's office at 800-794-0190

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/01/boy-missing-10.html

[One2Snoop]

Boy's 1999 disappearance raises questions, regrets

By ROXANA HEGEMAN – 19 hours ago

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — No one claims to know what happened that summer in 1999 when 11-year-old Adam Herrman disappeared from the mobile home park where he lived with his adoptive parents.

But the biggest mystery may be why no one reported him missing until nearly a decade later.

The search for Adam — who would be 21 if he is still alive — has confounded authorities and left family members regretting that they did not do more when they noticed he was gone.

His disappearance finally came to light last week when authorities — acting on a tip to the Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Children's Unit — searched the empty lot in Towanda where the family's mobile home once stood.

Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy has refused to say much about the case except that no human remains were found during the search.

The publicity around the search has spawned a flood of tips to the sheriff's office. More tips are expected following Tuesday's release by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of a computer-enhanced photo showing what Adam might look like today.

No charges have been brought against his adoptive parents, Valerie and Doug Herrman. Murphy said consideration of any charges would wait so officials can concentrate on the search for Adam. Investigators plan to scour the banks of the Whitewater River just west of the mobile home park on Saturday.

Doug Herrman, who lives in Derby and owns a masonry business, said Tuesday that the family would not comment.

Family attorney Warner Eisenbise said Adam had a history of running away and that the Herrmans feel "very guilty" they did not report him missing. The family assumed he had found one of his siblings or went back to his biological parents, he said.

The boy's biological father, Irvin Groeninger II, also expressed regret. The Indiana trucker was divorced when authorities took Adam and his siblings from their mother's home after alleged abuse. He says he was cleared of any wrongdoing and tried to get custody of his children, but child welfare officials terminated his parental rights.

"Basically, I have lost him twice," Groeninger said.

The boy — whom he knows only by his birth name of Irvin Groeninger III — was 18 months old when Groeninger last saw him. He had hoped his son would try to contact him when he was old enough to search for his biological family.

He says he wishes he could tell his son: "I love him and I wish I had fought harder back then to get him and keep him in my custody."

While Adam and two younger siblings were adopted by the Herrmans, Adam's older biological sister, Tiffany Broadfoot, was adopted by another Wichita family. Broadfoot has not seen her brother since a birthday party when he was 7 or 8 years old.

Broadfoot said the first time she called Adam's adoptive mother she was told everything was fine and Adam was doing well. Other times she was told not to call again because Adam and his siblings did not know they were adopted.

In August or September, she called Valerie Herrman again. "The last time I talked to her she was very in my face and very adamant: `You have no business calling here. You have no right. That is not your family. Don't call here. Don't talk to us. Don't do anything. That is not your concern. Back off,'" Broadfoot said.

Linda Bush, a former sister-in-law of Valerie Herrman, remembered Adam as a timid little boy. She has not seen him since he was at least 6 years old.

"He wasn't boisterous, running around making a lot of noise like other children. And he stared a lot. That was strange," Bush said. "He gave me the creeps sometimes because he would stare. But it was nothing to hate him for."

Bush said she remembered Valerie Herrman telling the boy he was stupid.

"It was the tone. It was constant. She constantly berated him and put him down, a hateful tone," Bush said. "It was constant and we couldn't figure out what that boy had ever done to make her hate him like that."

The Herrmans did not treat Adam's two younger siblings the same way, she said.

Bush said she first heard Adam was missing last month, when Valerie Herrman called her and said police thought the boy was missing and may have been murdered. That was the first she heard that Adam had a history of running away.

Bush said the Herrmans told other family members that they had turned Adam back to the Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services. She said she had no reason to believe otherwise because the couple had other foster children who went back to state custody.

"They had turned other children back, whether voluntary or mandated," Bush said. "Nobody had any reason to disbelieve. Who would think of something so heinous happening? Nobody did."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iasFdu7N5QSE3OvpsTUFEZ3yhR3AD95I7EB00

[One2Snoop]

Biological daughter of Adam Herrman's adoptive parents contacts KSN
By KSNW News
KSNW-TV
updated 4:15 p.m. PT, Wed., Jan. 7, 2009

WICHITA, Kansas - The e-mail was sent by Crystal Herrman, verified by those who know her as the biological daughter of Doug and Valerie Herrman.

In her letter, Crystal hints that she and her brother may have been the ones who called authorities last month.

The call began the search for her long lost adopted brother.

"We started this, which was hard against our own parents as we were not adopted," Crystal said. "But we want more than anything to find the truth, answers and justice."

Crystal also talks of Adam being abused.

"We pray every day our parents will come forward," Crystal said. "Do the right thing not only for what they already put Adam through in the past, but to make it right for him now."

Meanwhile, a former relative, who says she remains close to one of Valerie Herrman's sisters, says the sister told her that Valerie recently commented, "They can dig up the whole state of Kansas, they'll never find a body."

While the Herrman's attorney, Warner Eisenbise, admits his clients are worried they could be charged with murder, Eisenbise says there's no evidence to warrant that.

He continues to call the Herrmans good people, who had nothing to do with Adam's disappearance.

Meanwhile, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said Tuesday an intensive search, which will include canines, will be done Saturday in the woods around the Whitewater River area west of Towanda.

"One of the things that we found is a lot of times the woods are a place where stuff is dumped," Murphy said. "When I say stuff, I'm talking about what could be evidence, could be bodies."

The sheriff continues to hope that someone around the county might know Adam's whereabouts. He appeared Tuesday evening on CNN.

"We've searched military records, we've searched social security, birth dates, drivers licenses, we've even looked in the prison systems nationwide," Murphy said on CNN.

The Sheriff also told KSN Tuesday, detectives are preparing a search warrant, but he would not say where it might be executed.

Anyone with information about Adam Herrman is asked to call the Butler County Sheriff's Department at 316-322-4257.

Stay with KSN for the latest on this developing story.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28532417/

[One2Snoop]

Missing Boy's Uncle Blames Sister

Posted: Jan 6, 2009 07:13 PM
Updated: Jan 7, 2009 06:44 AM

By Michael Schwanke (WICHITA, Kan)

Kevin Bush holds nothing back when talking about his sister. "All these years she has lied to her mother and brothers and sisters-all of her relatives," says Bush talking about his sister, Valerie Herrman.

Bush, like Adam Herrman's other family, was told his nephew was given back to the state. "We had no reason to question it," says Bush. "It's a shame my sister has to put us through this. You have no idea how bad it hurts and feels."

Bush is just one of several family members, including Valerie Herrman's own son, who blames Valerie. Bush also talks of abuse-stories of Adam being locked in the bathroom and forced to sleep there. He says the abuse did not go unreported. He also has a theory about what happened to Adam.

"I think there was an accident at that house. I think he's gone." Bush says he has regrets and if given the chance would tell Adam. "That I'm sorry and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lucy love you. I'm sorry, I wish I would have been around more maybe had him come to my house and I want to tell his family I'm sorry. I really am very sorry."

Bush says he has spoken to his sister since the news of Adam's disappearance. Like the story he told Eyewitness News, Valerie told her brother that Adam ran away and didn't come back. She says the reason she didn't report Adam's disappearance was fear of losing her other children.

Bush says he does not believe that story.

http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=9628429&nav=menu486_2_3

[One2Snoop]

AP Top Kansas News at 5:45 a.m. CST

Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Boy's 1999 disappearance raises questions, regrets

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- No one claims to know what happened that summer in 1999 when 11-year-old Adam Herrman disappeared from the Towanda mobile home park where he lived with his adoptive parents.

But the biggest mystery may be why no one reported him missing until nearly a decade later.

The search for Adam -- who would be 21 if he is still alive -- has confounded authorities and left family members regretting that they did not do more when they noticed he was gone.

His disappearance finally became public knowledge last week when the news media learned that authorities -- acting on a tip to the Sedgwick County Police Department's Exploited and Missing Children's Unit -- were searching the empty lot where the family's mobile home once stood.

Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy has refused to say much about the case except that no human remains were found during the search.

The publicity swirling around the search has spawned a flood of tips to the Butler County sheriff's office. More tips are expected following Tuesday's release by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of a computer-enhanced photo showing what Adam might look like today.

http://www.hdnews.net/wirestories/k1005-BC-KS-KansasToday-01-07-1414

[One2Snoop]

Decade Old Case Poses Challenges for Detectives

Posted: Jan 6, 2009 04:15 PM
Updated: Jan 7, 2009 06:21 AM

By Denise Hnytka (BUTLER COUNTY, Kan.)

The searches are hidden behind walls and what's found, investigators won't say. But after ten years, and no sign of 11 year old Adam Herrman, what can detectives even hope to find?

"Events surrounding that child's disappearance were seen by someone," said WSU Criminologist Dr. Brian Withrow. "But they weren't put into a context until someone adds another piece to the story."

A piece to a puzzle no one knew existed, until now. Wichita State Criminologist Dr. Brian Withrow says as much as investigators are searching, they're also hoping the attention created by the search reaches the right witness. He says the chances of finding physical evidence are slim.

"Particularly if it's a bodily fluid or something like that tends to deteriorate," said Dr. Withrow. "It's still sometimes usable, but can be questionable to get into court."

To build a solid case, detectives are visiting anywhere Adam may have been.

"When they go to court in this case, if they do, they're going to be asked, did they search there? And they need to say, yes we did," said Dr. Withrow.

That means current and former Herrman family homes, even the banks of the Whitewater River near Towanda.

The Butler County Sheriff is hoping the case gets national attention so it reaches someone who knows where Adam is or what happened to him.

http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=9627714&nav=menu486_2_3

[One2Snoop]

Case Raises Questions About Adoption Procedures

Posted: Jan 5, 2009 03:25 PM
Updated: Jan 7, 2009 06:26 AM

By Alana Rocha (TOPEKA, Kan.)

The Adam Herrman case has led many people to question the state's adoption procedures. We asked about the checks and balances that ensure a child will go to a safe home.

We also wanted to know about the role SRS plays once a child is legally adopted.

We called SRS in Topeka. While they told us they could not talk about this case specifically, we did learn about the general process.

Kansas SRS Adoption Process

Adoption is meant to give children a safe, permanent home.

We learned adoptive parents go through an extensive background check. However, once an adoption is finalized, the state is out of the picture.

That all changes if money is involved. Many adoptive families in Kansas receive Medicaid to help them raise a special needs child. Those children with significant medical, emotional or developmental needs.

The state and parents come to an agreement prior to the adoption.

The assistance can be a one-time payment or reoccuring. If it's the latter, Medicaid requires the parents submit an annual written report to verify the money is still needed.

Their word is Medicaid's only source. They never go in person to check.

So how does this apply to Adam Herrman? According to family, his adoptive parents received state assistance, possibly thousands of dollars. Right now we don't know why.

Stay with Eyewitness News and kwch.com for the latest in the case.

http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=9620231&nav=menu486_2_1

[One2Snoop]

Authorities still searching former home of Herrmans

Story Created: Jan 7, 2009 at 10:11 AM CST
Story Updated: Jan 7, 2009 at 6:09 PM CST

SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kansas – Authorities continue searching for clues in the mysterious disappearance of Adam Herrman.

Their most recent move was the issuance of a search warrant and the afternoon search of the former home of Adam’s adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, near the town of Sedgwick on Wednesday.

http://www.ksn.com/news/local/37206494.html

[One2Snoop]

Boy's 1999 Disappearance a Mystery
By ROXANA HEGEMAN, AP
posted: 2 HOURS 12 MINUTES
WICHITA, Kan. (Jan. 7) - No one claims to know what happened that summer in 1999 when 11-year-old Adam Herrman disappeared from the mobile home park where he lived with his adoptive parents.
But the biggest mystery may be why no one reported him missing until nearly a decade later.

The search for Adam — who would be 21 if he is still alive — has confounded authorities and left family members regretting that they did not do more when they noticed he was gone.
His disappearance finally came to light last week when authorities — acting on a tip to the Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Children's Unit — searched the empty lot in Towanda where the family's mobile home once stood.
Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said no human remains were found.
Authorities searched a Sedgewick County house Wednesday. Murphy declined to say how the house was connected to the investigation, but local media reported Adam's adoptive parents, Valerie and Doug Herrman, lived there after moving from Towanda.
The publicity around the search has spawned a flood of tips to the sheriff's office.
No charges have been brought against the Herrmans. Murphy said consideration of any charges would wait so officials can concentrate on the search for Adam. Investigators plan to scour the banks of the Whitewater River just west of the mobile home park on Saturday.

Doug Herrman, who lives in Derby and owns a masonry business, said Tuesday that the family would not comment.
Family attorney Warner Eisenbise said Adam had a history of running away and that the Herrmans feel "very guilty" they did not report him missing. The family assumed he had found one of his siblings or went back to his biological parents, he said.
Asked on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday if his clients had anything to do with Adam's disappearance, Eisenbise replied: "Not at all. Nothing at all."
The boy's biological father, Irvin Groeninger II, also expressed regret. The Indiana trucker was divorced when authorities took Adam and his siblings from their mother's home after alleged abuse. He says he was cleared of any wrongdoing and tried to get custody of his children, but child welfare officials terminated his parental rights.
"Basically, I have lost him twice," Groeninger said.
The boy — whom he knows only by his birth name of Irvin Groeninger III — was 18 months old when Groeninger last saw him. He had hoped his son would try to contact him when he was old enough to search for his biological family.
He says he wishes he could tell his son: "I love him and I wish I had fought harder back then to get him and keep him in my custody."
While Adam and two younger siblings were adopted by the Herrmans, Adam's older biological sister, Tiffany Broadfoot, was adopted by another Wichita family. Broadfoot has not seen her brother since a birthday party when he was 7 or 8 years old.
Broadfoot said the first time she called Adam's adoptive mother she was told everything was fine and Adam was doing well. Other times she was told not to call again because Adam and his siblings did not know they were adopted.
In August or September, she called Valerie Herrman again. "The last time I talked to her she was very in my face and very adamant: 'You have no business calling here. You have no right. That is not your family. Don't call here. Don't talk to us. Don't do anything. That is not your concern. Back off,'" Broadfoot said.
Linda Bush, a former sister-in-law of Valerie Herrman, remembered Adam as a timid little boy. She has not seen him since he was at least 6 years old.
"He wasn't boisterous, running around making a lot of noise like other children. And he stared a lot. That was strange," Bush said. "He gave me the creeps sometimes because he would stare. But it was nothing to hate him for."
Bush said she remembered Valerie Herrman telling the boy he was stupid.
"It was the tone. It was constant. She constantly berated him and put him down, a hateful tone," Bush said. "It was constant and we couldn't figure out what that boy had ever done to make her hate him like that."
The Herrmans did not treat Adam's two younger siblings the same way, she said.
Bush said she first heard Adam was missing last month, when Valerie Herrman called her and said police thought the boy was missing and may have been murdered. That was the first she heard that Adam had a history of running away.
Bush said the Herrmans told other family members that they had turned Adam back to the Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services. She said she had no reason to believe otherwise because the couple had other foster children who went back to state custody.
"They had turned other children back, whether voluntary or mandated," Bush said. "Nobody had any reason to disbelieve. Who would think of something so heinous happening? Nobody did."

http://news.aol.com/article/hunt-begins-for-boy-missing-10-years/294287

[applesandorange]

This is so sad. The parents IMO are guilty. Why lie to relatives if the boy ran away? Why not report it? They have guilt written all over them. Even their own daughter says the boys was abused. Poor Adam :rose:

[One2Snoop]

This is so sad. The parents IMO are guilty. Why lie to relatives if the boy ran away? Why not report it? They have guilt written all over them. Even their own daughter says the boys was abused. Poor Adam :rose:

I agree A&O - something very hinkey about this entire situation. The following is what bothers me most - and I don't understand why the bio dad was denied custody. I heard the bio mom on Larry King tonight say something about she was abused as a child and child welfare was concerned her kids would suffer the same thing she did as a child. WTH? It's behavioral and with counseling she had the option to change that behavior and not pass it on to her own children. But I don't get the whole bio dad thing - I mean things had to be really bad in that house for child welfare services to take those kids away - what a freakin' screwed up mess - I feel sorry for Adam because he was the one who was truly lost throughout this entire mess - not even in the literal sense but he's actually missing. :flamemad:

Family attorney Warner Eisenbise said Adam had a history of running away and that the Herrmans feel "very guilty" they did not report him missing. The family assumed he had found one of his siblings or went back to his biological parents, he said.
Asked on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday if his clients had anything to do with Adam's disappearance, Eisenbise replied: "Not at all. Nothing at all."
The boy's biological father, Irvin Groeninger II, also expressed regret. The Indiana trucker was divorced when authorities took Adam and his siblings from their mother's home after alleged abuse. He says he was cleared of any wrongdoing and tried to get custody of his children, but child welfare officials terminated his parental rights.

If a parent is cleared of wrongdoing I don't understand why his parental rights were terminated? :confused: That doesn't add up IMO.

[applesandorange]

I agree A&O - something very hinkey about this entire situation. The following is what bothers me most - and I don't understand why the bio dad was denied custody. I heard the bio mom on Larry King tonight say something about she was abused as a child and child welfare was concerned her kids would suffer the same thing she did as a child. WTH? It's behavioral and with counseling she had the option to change that behavior and not pass it on to her own children. But I don't get the whole bio dad thing - I mean things had to be really bad in that house for child welfare services to take those kids away - what a freakin' screwed up mess - I feel sorry for Adam because he was the one who was truly lost throughout this entire mess - not even in the literal sense but he's actually missing. :flamemad:



If a parent is cleared of wrongdoing I don't understand why his parental rights were terminated? :confused: That doesn't add up IMO.


From my understanding once your rights are terminated they can't be given back. IF they took his rights before he was cleared this could make sense.

This thing is very hinkey you're right. Poor Adam really was alone.

[FDInLaw]

This is so sad! :mad:

[lighthousedazy]

Search along river turns up no clues in missing boy case
BY BRENT D. WISTROM, The Wichita Eagle

A six-hour search today along the Whitewater River yielded no clues about what happened to Adam Herrman, who disappeared from a mobile home here a decade ago when he was 11 years old.

http://www.kansas.com/

[lighthousedazy]

Search along river turns up no clues in missing boy case
BY BRENT D. WISTROM, The Wichita Eagle

A six-hour search today along the Whitewater River yielded no clues about what happened to Adam Herrman, who disappeared from a mobile home here a decade ago when he was 11 years old.

http://www.kansas.com/
Correct link for above article:
http://www.kansas.com/news/breaking/story/657685.html

[One2Snoop]

Thanks LHD for the update! :seeya:

[lighthousedazy]

Thanks LHD for the update! :seeya:This case has grabbed me like Tara Grinstead and Caylee Anthony and others. Adam is near the same age as my youngest son.

[lighthousedazy]

SRS to review contacts with Adam Herrman
Comments (0) Recommend (4)
BY TIM POTTER
The Wichita Eagle
A state senator has asked the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to conduct an audit of any contact it had with Adam Herrman over the years.

State Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita, said Friday that she has asked Don Jordan, secretary of SRS, to undertake the audit regarding Adam, who disappeared in 1999 at age 11 from his Towanda home. Authorities only recently discovered his disappearance.

"We need to... find out if indeed the state or the system lost this child somewhere," said Schodorf, assistant Senate majority leader.

"Were there signs that this child needed to be taken out of the home, and the state didn't see this? What role did the state play, and did they lose him?"

"It is just a mystery," she said.

"Maybe everything was done correctly."

SRS is conducting a "very thorough review," spokeswoman Michelle Ponce said.

"We will be cooperating fully with any criminal investigation," she said.

The Eagle has filed a request with SRS under the state's open-records law for information about Adam.

Derby police and SRS said they investigated at least two reports of suspected abuse of Adam -- in 1996 and 1998.

After the 1996 report, Adam was removed from the home of his adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, and spent two days at the Wichita Children's Home before being returned to the Herrmans.

Schodorf said she also has questions about how Adam ended up being withdrawn from a Derby public school and being home-schooled by his adoptive mother around the time he disappeared.

The state does not require records of students who are home-schooled, said Dea Lieber, general counsel for the State Department of Education. State law requires only that a home school provide its name and address, she said. State records show a Herrman School with a Derby address, listed as a non-accredited private school as of January 1998.

Schodorf said it is too soon to tell whether more scrutiny is needed when children are withdrawn from school.

"I think we've got to piece together this boy's life and then decide if the state needs to change their regulations," she said. "And it's probably too hard to tell now."

Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com

http://www.kansas.com/news/story/658932.html

[SaraSidle]

SRS to review contacts with Adam Herrman
Comments (0) Recommend (4)
BY TIM POTTER
The Wichita Eagle
A state senator has asked the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to conduct an audit of any contact it had with Adam Herrman over the years.

State Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita, said Friday that she has asked Don Jordan, secretary of SRS, to undertake the audit regarding Adam, who disappeared in 1999 at age 11 from his Towanda home. Authorities only recently discovered his disappearance.

"We need to... find out if indeed the state or the system lost this child somewhere," said Schodorf, assistant Senate majority leader.

"Were there signs that this child needed to be taken out of the home, and the state didn't see this? What role did the state play, and did they lose him?"

"It is just a mystery," she said.

"Maybe everything was done correctly."

SRS is conducting a "very thorough review," spokeswoman Michelle Ponce said.

"We will be cooperating fully with any criminal investigation," she said.

The Eagle has filed a request with SRS under the state's open-records law for information about Adam.

Derby police and SRS said they investigated at least two reports of suspected abuse of Adam -- in 1996 and 1998.

After the 1996 report, Adam was removed from the home of his adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, and spent two days at the Wichita Children's Home before being returned to the Herrmans.

Schodorf said she also has questions about how Adam ended up being withdrawn from a Derby public school and being home-schooled by his adoptive mother around the time he disappeared.

The state does not require records of students who are home-schooled, said Dea Lieber, general counsel for the State Department of Education. State law requires only that a home school provide its name and address, she said. State records show a Herrman School with a Derby address, listed as a non-accredited private school as of January 1998.

Schodorf said it is too soon to tell whether more scrutiny is needed when children are withdrawn from school.

"I think we've got to piece together this boy's life and then decide if the state needs to change their regulations," she said. "And it's probably too hard to tell now."

Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com

http://www.kansas.com/news/story/658932.html

so does anyone have feelings on whether he is alive?

[lighthousedazy]

so does anyone have feelings on whether he is alive?I fear the worst, but I have a small hope that he did run away or was just lost in the system. :rose:

[SaraSidle]

I fear the worst, but I have a small hope that he did run away or was just lost in the system. :rose:

I believe the worst also. shows how morbid I am but this really does not make a whole lof ot sense otherwise. IMO sara

[One2Snoop]

January 14, 2009

Searchers Look for Child Skeletal Remains in Adam Herrman Case

Adam HerrmanOne of the cases we have been following here recently is the unexplained disappearance of Adam Herrman, an 11-year-old boy who went missing from Butler County, Kansas, roughly 10 years ago. The case first came to light three weeks ago, when a tipster contacted the Exploited and Missing Children's Unit.

In my last article, I covered law enforcement’s search of a mobile home that was once owned by Adam's adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman. Since that time, investigators have conducted a search of a wooded area along the Whitewater River in southern Kansas.

During the search, the sheriff's department, along with assistance from a team of anthropologists, looked for areas where there were indentations in the ground. They also examined bones in the area to determine if they were animal or human. Nothing of interest was found; however they were able to rule the area out as a place of interest.

The most recent search in this case occurred today, when authorities again returned to the Towanda trailer park where the Herrman's mobile home once sat. According to the Butler County Sheriff, his department decided to return to the park after they received a tip from someone who reported seeing unusual activity at the Herrman home in 1999. The tip was of interest to investigators because that is the same year Adam was last seen. It is also the year that the Herrmans constructed a shed on the property.

During today's search, the sheriff's office cordoned off the area with crime scene tape and used a backhoe to move the shed from the foundation it had sat on for the last ten years. Afterwards, they began digging into the earth, searching for skeletal remains and any other potential evidence related to the case.

"We'd like to find remains, but we're talking 9-10 years here," Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said. "It's a long shot."

No remains were found during today's search; however investigators did find some "trash," which peaked their interest. The sheriff's office will not comment on what the trash consisted of, but they have said it is connected to something they found during the first search. They have also said that it is not something they would normally expect to find buried in the ground.

Investigators are now going to reexamine the case to determine their next move.

"It is not cold," Murphy said. "It's very active. It's going to stay active, and it's going to come to a conclusion sooner or later."

Caylee AnthonyIn related news, Kendall Stanley, managing editor of Petoskeynews.com, published a Caylee Anthony article on Monday, which mentioned the Adam Herrman case. Within the article, titled "Enough with the Caylee Anthony story," Stanley complained about the ongoing coverage of Caylee's case. The article regurgitated similar complaints that have been expressed on the Web in recent weeks; however it also went on to complain about Adam's case.

"And now we’re going to have to contend with Adam Herrman, the Kansas 11-year-old who hasn’t been seen since 1999 and who’d now be 21 if still alive," Stanley wrote.

While the argument that the media should back off the Anthony case is something some people might be able to relate to, the suggestion that the public will now be burdened with the coverage of another missing child - who has not yet been found - is something that many others might find offensive. Click here to read the article.

Anyone with information about Adam's case is asked to call the Butler County sheriff's office at 800-794-0190.

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/01/searchers-look.html

[One2Snoop]

Posted on Fri, Jan. 16, 2009
Tips still sought in missing boy case

BY TIM POTTER
The Wichita Eagle

Butler County investigators aren't planning any searches in the near future for remains of an 11-year-old boy who disappeared in 1999 but are continuing to investigate and seek tips, Sheriff Craig Murphy said today.

Anyone with information about Adam Herrman can call investigators at 316-322-8817 or e-mail investigators at crimetips@bucoks.com, Murphy said.

An excavation Wednesday at the Towanda mobile home lot where Adam was last seen in 1999 didn't turn up any remains, but investigators are analyzing some things they found in the dig, Murphy said, without elaborating.

Murphy has said that Adam disappeared from his adoptive parents' home nearly 10 years ago. Investigators only recently learned of the disappearance.

Murphy has said that investigators are treating the disappearance as a death but haven't ruled out the possibility that Adam is alive. He would be 21 now. Investigators have released a computer-generated image of what he might look like today.

http://www.kansas.com/news/breaking/story/665939.html

[lighthousedazy]

Posted on Wed, Jan. 21, 2009e-mail print RSS reprint
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Search for missing boy to resume
Officials will look for Adam Herrman again Saturday along the Whitewater River, the Butler County sheriff said.
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BY TIM POTTER
The Wichita Eagle
Investigators searching for remains of an 11-year-old boy who disappeared in 1999 will look again along the Whitewater River near Towanda, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said Tuesday.

"We are going back to the river Saturday," searching for any evidence that could be connected to Adam Herrman's disappearance, Murphy said.

As with a search for Adam earlier this month, investigators on Saturday will be assisted by anthropology experts and search dogs, Murphy said.

Saturday's search, which will begin around 8 a.m., will go farther south along the Whitewater, for about 2 miles. The river runs along the west side of Towanda.

Valerie Herrman told The Eagle that Adam ran away the first week in May 1999 and never returned.

She said that Adam ran away after she spanked him with a belt. The Herrmans said they didn't report Adam missing because they feared the spanking would prompt authorities to take away Adam and his two younger siblings. For years, the Herrmans explained Adam's absence to relatives by saying he had been returned to the state's custody because he had behavior problems, the relatives said.

The relatives told The Eagle that Valerie Herrman had abused Adam for years -- an allegation she denies.

In an interview Friday, Butler County's chief prosecutor, County Attorney Jan Satterfield, said that the Herrmans are suspects in his disappearance and that the investigation could result in first-degree felony murder charges, with the underlying crime being child abuse.

The Herrmans have not been charged with any crime, and Valerie Herrman's attorney, Warner Eisenbise, has said that Valerie Herrman denies harming Adam.

Attorney Dan Monnat, whose firm is representing Doug Herrman, said, "Doug Hermann is innocent of any act resulting in the disappearance of Adam Herrman."

On Tuesday, Murphy said that his detectives are "still working through leads," including "a few leads that have sparked our interest." He wouldn't elaborate.

He asked that anyone with information about the case call investigators at 316-322-8817 or e-mail detectives at crimetips@bucoks.com.

Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com
http://www.kansas.com/news/story/671111.html

[LetsBeConcerned]

Dr. Phil will talk with the family of Adam Herrman.

Friday - January 23, 2009

Behind the Headlines
Dr. Phil takes an in-depth look at unbelievable news stories that have captivated millions. Adam Herrman, 21, vanished from his Kansas home 10 years ago, but his adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie, only reported him missing last month! Dr. Phil talks to the young man’s biological parents, Gerri and Irvin, who haven’t seen each other in 22 years. What do they think happened to their child? Who’s to blame for the disappearance of Adam Herrman, and is there any chance that the young man is still alive? Nancy Grace, the host of Headline News, weighs in. Then, millions were inspired by the safe landing of USAirways Flight 1549, also dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson.” Three passengers, Brad, Joshua and Denise, say they’re thankful to be alive, but they’re still haunted by memories of that fateful day. How can they deal with the psychological affects of the plane crash and move on with their lives?

http://www.drphil.com/shows/

[SaraSidle]

Posted on Wed, Jan. 21, 2009e-mail print RSS reprint
AIM Digg it del.icio.us Facebook
Search for missing boy to resume
Officials will look for Adam Herrman again Saturday along the Whitewater River, the Butler County sheriff said.
Comments (0) Recommend (21)
BY TIM POTTER
The Wichita Eagle
Investigators searching for remains of an 11-year-old boy who disappeared in 1999 will look again along the Whitewater River near Towanda, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said Tuesday.

"We are going back to the river Saturday," searching for any evidence that could be connected to Adam Herrman's disappearance, Murphy said.

As with a search for Adam earlier this month, investigators on Saturday will be assisted by anthropology experts and search dogs, Murphy said.

Saturday's search, which will begin around 8 a.m., will go farther south along the Whitewater, for about 2 miles. The river runs along the west side of Towanda.

Valerie Herrman told The Eagle that Adam ran away the first week in May 1999 and never returned.

She said that Adam ran away after she spanked him with a belt. The Herrmans said they didn't report Adam missing because they feared the spanking would prompt authorities to take away Adam and his two younger siblings. For years, the Herrmans explained Adam's absence to relatives by saying he had been returned to the state's custody because he had behavior problems, the relatives said.

The relatives told The Eagle that Valerie Herrman had abused Adam for years -- an allegation she denies.

In an interview Friday, Butler County's chief prosecutor, County Attorney Jan Satterfield, said that the Herrmans are suspects in his disappearance and that the investigation could result in first-degree felony murder charges, with the underlying crime being child abuse.

The Herrmans have not been charged with any crime, and Valerie Herrman's attorney, Warner Eisenbise, has said that Valerie Herrman denies harming Adam.

Attorney Dan Monnat, whose firm is representing Doug Herrman, said, "Doug Hermann is innocent of any act resulting in the disappearance of Adam Herrman."

On Tuesday, Murphy said that his detectives are "still working through leads," including "a few leads that have sparked our interest." He wouldn't elaborate.

He asked that anyone with information about the case call investigators at 316-322-8817 or e-mail detectives at crimetips@bucoks.com.

Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com
http://www.kansas.com/news/story/671111.html

this is so strange LHD what do you think?

[susie31023]

This is such a sad case. I believe he was probably murdered. Sadly we will probably never know for sure. So many of these cases are happening now it's almost too much to bear.

[lighthousedazy]

This is such a sad case. I believe he was probably murdered. Sadly we will probably never know for sure. So many of these cases are happening now it's almost too much to bear.So true. I just can't stand it. Poor little guy. My baby is just a year older than Adam. :rose:

[susie31023]

So true. I just can't stand it. Poor little guy. My baby is just a year older than Adam. :rose:

What i really don't understand is if family and friends knew he was being abused why no one reported it. If it was me I would be reporting it to anyone who would listen to me. So very very sad. May the Angels in Heaven watch over him where ever he is:rose:. And may whoever hurt him rot in He **:flamemad:

[f0revery0urs]

This is so sad! How do you not report someone missing for 10 years?! Oh, he went for a 10 year walk?! Come on now! In my opinion, parents are to blame. Parent's abused him and took it too far and possibly killed him? Wow. People are sick.

[dan_uk]

Murder convictions happen even without a body

http://www.kansas.com/news/crime-courts/story/700600.html

[dan_uk]

Adam Herrman's Adoptive Parents Officially Named Suspects


http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/37790354.html

http://www.augustagazette.com/homepage/x497796081/Murder-charges-possible-in-Adam-Herrman-case

[dan_uk]

Investigators find items of interest

http://www.eldoradotimes.com/news/x1017440535/Investigators-find-items-of-interest

[dan_uk]

Missing Kansas Boy Was Abused, Says Kin

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/07/national/main4703849.shtml

[dan_uk]

Adam Herrman case moving 'behind closed doors,' sheriff says


As Butler County investigators conducted two searches Saturday for a boy who disappeared in 1999, Sheriff Craig Murphy said detectives are preparing to present their case to a prosecutor in the next few weeks.

Murphy said the investigation -- marked by several visible searches that he announced in advance -- now moves "behind closed doors." Detectives will be readying their findings for Butler County Attorney Jan Satterfield.

Neither of Saturday's searches uncovered remains of Adam Herrman, Murphy said. One of the searches Saturday came in response to a tip and took place along the Whitewater River near Santa Fe Lake and Parallel roads, about three miles northwest of Towanda.

The second search occurred later Saturday at a manufactured home in rural northwest Sedgwick County -- the same home where investigators spent hours searching last month. Much of the previous search focused on a bathroom where relatives alleged that Adam was kept for long periods. The manufactured home had been moved to its current location from a Towanda mobile home park where authorities say Adam disappeared a decade ago, at age 11, while living with his adoptive parents.

Authorities have been treating his disappearance -- discovered only late last year -- as a possible homicide.

Murphy had previously announced the location for Saturday's first search -- along the Whitewater -- and held a briefing for reporters on nearby Parallel Road on Saturday morning. But he declined to say much about Saturday's second search -- in northwest Sedgwick County -- and did not announce it in advance.

An Eagle reporter arrived as the second search was ending at the Sedgwick County home shortly after noon. That search team included at least one search dog.

The earlier search Saturday, along a northern segment of the Whitewater, marks the last planned search near Towanda unless tips prompt more searches, Murphy said.

He said the number of tips about the case has dwindled, possibly because the case is drawing less interest.

Satterfield, Butler County's chief prosecutor, will decide what charges, if any, could be filed, Murphy said.

Satterfield has told The Eagle that Adam's adoptive parents, Valerie and Doug Herrman, who now live in Derby, are suspects in an investigation that could lead to murder charges, based on an underlying crime of child abuse. Neither of the Herrmans has been arrested.

Several of Valerie Herrman's close relatives have said they saw her abuse Adam. She left a message at The Eagle last week saying her relatives are lying. The Herrmans and their attorneys say they are innocent.

Some of the investigation has occurred in public: Murphy gave news media advance notice of several searches, four along the Whitewater near Towanda and one in the Towanda mobile home park. Near each search site, he gave briefings to reporters and let news crews take photographs of search teams at a distance.

Now, Murphy said, "we'll go behind closed doors" to complete the investigation. The work will involve continued brainstorming by detectives, follow-up interviews of tipsters and paperwork to help Satterfield review the investigation, he said.

Murphy, who has been an investigator for decades, said that the Herrman case is "unique to my career."

Much of the challenge to solving the mystery is that "we started 10 years behind," he said.

"It's not even a cold case. We've literally had to start a case with no information," he said.

One of the difficulties investigators have encountered is that many of the people who lived at the mobile home park when Adam disappeared have moved since then, and detectives haven't been able to interview some of them, Murphy said.

Valerie Herrman has told The Eagle that Adam, who was being home-schooled by her, ran away after she spanked him with a belt in early May 1999 and didn't return.

She said that she and her husband searched for Adam but didn't report him missing because they feared it would cause authorities to take Adam and two younger adopted siblings from their custody.

Relatives said Valerie Herrman had told them that Adam was no longer with her because he had been returned to the state's custody. Authorities discovered his disappearance late last year after his older, adoptive sister -- who had been trying to locate him -- voiced concerns about his welfare to authorities.

http://www.kansas.com/news/story/708192.html

[dan_uk]

Judge Blocks Records For Missing Kan. Boy

EL DORADO, Kan. -- A Kansas judge is blocking the release to the media of agency records for an 11-year-old boy who was missing for nearly a decade before anyone notified authorities.

Three media outlets, including The Associated Press, filed an open records request with the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. The request was filed under a Kansas statute that allows release of records when a child dies or nearly dies related to abuse.

Butler County District Judge Mike Ward rules Friday that since no official determination has been made that Adam Herrman is dead, those records should remain private unless homicide charges are filed.

http://www.kmbc.com/news/18871253/detail.html