'Texas group to join search for missing woman' 10.24.07

Texas group to join search for missing woman
By Dwayne Bremer
Oct 24, 2007, 09:18
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World renowned search group Texas Equusearch is coming to Hancock County in three weeks to assist in the search for missing mother Brandi Hawkins Laurent.It has been nearly three months now since Laurent--a 29-year-old mother of two-- went missing from her Kiln home.Since then a massive effort by friends and family to find her has captured the hearts of many, but unfortunately Brandi has not been found and not one solid lead has materialized.Texas Equusearch, a non-profit organization based in Dickinson Tx., has now been called in to help.Over the past eight years Texas Equusearch has conducted hundreds of searches both in the United States and internationally.The group was also a major contributer in the infamous case of Natalee Holloway, an Alabama teen, who went missing during a vacation trip to Aruba in May 2005.Equusearch began in 2000, with the purpose of providing search and recovery teams for finding missing persons.The group was dedicated to the memory of Laura MIller, a young woman who was abducted and murdered in 1984. She was the daughter of director Tim Miller.Teams are comprised of volunteers of various experience, but the groups specialty is searches in wooded or hard to reach areas by means of horse back or walking.Cindy Wisdom, a case manager said the group will be conducting two searches on November 10 and 11. A command center will be set up, but Wisdom said that location is still undetermined."We will be starting in the area where she went missing and then follow on a few leads," Wisdom said Monday.Sheriff's investigator Rita Blaize Watson--who is the lead investigator in Laurent's disappearance--said Tuesday, the sheriff's department welcomes the help from Equusearch."This group has a good reputation and they rely on a lot of volunteers," she said.Watson said the case has been tedious so far, and the sheriff's department is still getting a lot of leads.Two chilling leads discovered last week have garnered a lot attention by investigators and Brandi's loved ones alike.The first is a message left on an internet website where friends were symbolically lighting candles for Brandi. The message was posted by someone calling them-self "A messenger of God from Mississippi."The message quotes a passage from the bible and a text written in a foreign language which translated may say "Brandi is located in the woods of Lakeshore."Some have dismissed the message as a cruel hoax, but Watson said nothing can be ruled out at this time."We don't know if it is real or not," she said. "A lot of the leads we are getting now have to do with where we may find Brandi's body."Watson said despite some morbid leads, the case is still being treated as a missing persons case.Another clue can be found on www.zerogossip.com.In a blog, Brandi's husband Leo is quoted as saying Brandi's friend Pomeca Vaughn may know where Brandi is."If I knew any way to get in touch with Pomeca at this point, I would go get her myself as I believe she has the answers that everyone is looking for," Leo said. "I wish I could give more , but like I said I can not paint a pretty picture out of the truth."Vaughn gave a statement to police the day after Brandi went missing. In her statement, Vaughn claims to have seen Brandi "sick in bed" the evening before she went missing.The next day, Leo first reported her missing.Watson said Leo Laurent told officers he and Brandi had had a disagreement about midnight the previous evening, and a short time later, Brandi left the couple's home at the Pecan Park trailer park.Leo told officers he drove around the trailer park and surrounding area, but Brandi was not to be found, Watson said.Brandi was last seen wearing a tank-top, tan pants or shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, Watson said. The Equusearch team was alerted to the case by Brandi's mother Anita Moody and Brandi's friend Andrea Dominach.Wisdom said Equusearch will be bringing about 10 team leaders and they will rely on volunteer help to conduct the search."It comes down to getting boots on the ground," she said. "We have been successful because we don't close our door to the public."She said having support from the local law enforcement agencies is a huge plus."You guys have a great sheriff's department," she said. "I know because I've worked with a lot of them."Equusearch has produced tremendous results in their eight years of service.Wisdom said the group has been involved in about 800 cases. Of the 800 cases, 300 people have been returned safely, including three Amber Alerts.The group has also found about 75 bodies of missing people, most recently the group found the remains of a missing woman in Illinois last month.Wisdom said anyone wishing to volunteer for the search can call 1-281-309-9500 or visit www.tesasequusearch.com.Volunteers must be 18-years of age and capable of walking for extended periods, she said.
© Copyright 2007 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

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