Please join us for a celebration of the life of Faith Huennerkopf Willison. The celebration is being held at Southgate Baptist Church, 2111 S. Center St Springfield, Ohio on Tuesday, 11/29/11, 6:00-8:00 pm.
We received the report on all the bones found during our farmland search last Friday and Saturday. The forensic tests show that all the bones we found were animal bones.
Thanks again to all who assisted with the search.
The search for the rest of Faith’s remains continues.
We want to thank Equusearch, Clark County Sheriffs office, family, friends and community for helping with the search for Faith’s remains. All evidence found was documented and provided to law enforcement. We are still waiting for forensic evaluation of the bones that were found during the search to see if they belonged to Faith or something else.
We are praying that we will find answers to what happened to our dear sweet Faith.
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/crime/volunteers-search-for-womans-remains-1289914.html
SPRINGFIELD — More than two dozen volunteers spent Friday methodically picking through a large corn field near I-70 as they continued to search for any clue that might lead to new information about Faith Willison’s death.
The skull of Willison, 56, who disappeared in June 2010, was found by a hunter last weekend about a half-mile from where her car was found abandoned near U.S. 40 in Harmony Twp.
Several of the volunteers, largely made up of Willison’s friends, family and past coworkers, said they felt it was their duty to help however possible.
“How could we not?” said Pat Athy, a relative of Willison. “The family has been struggling with this (disappearance).”
Volunteers fanned out into two groups to cover as much ground as possible during the search.
Volunteers walked between rows of faded, yellow corn stalks and searched on their hands and knees through a thin layer of dead leaves and tree branches.
Occasionally, a member of the group called out to detectives who were assisting with the search, and marked what they found with a small orange flag.
Authorities said about 10 small bones were found during the search. It wasn’t clear whether they were animal or human bones. The numerous rows of corn made the search difficult, and authorities said they may have more luck once the field is harvested.
The evidence will be evaluated by medical professionals next week. Along with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, David Rader, a coordinator with Texas EquuSearch assisted in organizing the search. The organization specializes in searching for lost or missing persons.
Willison’s niece, Heather Herier, said her aunt was a kind, hardworking person and her family simply wants to find some closure in the case. How Willison died is not known, but authorities said the skull did not indicate foul play.
Herier said she was pleased to see how many friends and family members gave their time to help.
“I’m happy that on three days notice we were able to get so many people together,” she said.
By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer Updated 4:31 PM Tuesday, November 22, 2011
HARMONY TWP. — A skull found near a creek in Harmony Twp. has been identified as that of a local missing woman.
Faith Willison, 56, disappeared in June 2010. The skull was discovered by a hunter Saturday a half-mile from where Willison’s car was located last year, said Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly.
A pathologist in Columbus examined the skull Tuesday and made a positive identity using dental records.
Willison was last seen about 11:30 p.m. on June 27, 2010. Her car was located around 6:30 a.m. June 28 after a Frito-Lay delivery driver reportedly saw it crash into a tree in the 12400 block of U.S. 40. He called 9-1-1 but by the time he turned around the driver had disappeared, Kelly said.
Authorities searched the area for days using cadaver dogs and a plane but were unable to locate her. Her shoes were found outside of the car, but there was no sign of trauma and the airbags did not deploy, Kelly said.
On Monday, sheriff’s detectives canvassed the area where the skull was found but were unable to locate any further remains. The skull was discovered near a farm field planted with corn, which has been cultivated for the past two years. This year’s crop has not been harvested.
Authorities had been treating the disappearance as a missing persons case. Other evidence was recently found near the crash site, but Kelly declined to elaborate on what that was.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0344 or jessica.heffner@coxinc.com.
The skull that was found in Clark County Saturday were positively identified as the remains of Faith Willison. While this brings a small amount of closure to what happened to Faith, it raises more questions than it answers.
We hope the Clark County Sheriff’s Department will continue to investigate Faith’s disappearance.
By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer 2:59 PM Monday, November 21, 2011
HARMONY TWP. — Authorities are investigating whether a human skull found in Clark County field over the weekend may belong to a local missing woman.
Sheriff’s deputies said the skull was found on Saturday by a hunter near Ohio 40 and Houston Pike, about a half-mile from where 56-year-old Faith Willison went missing.
Her car was found nearby. He had hit a tree, but the air bags did not deploy. Her shoes were found outside of the car, according to Sheriff Gene Kelly.
Other evidence connected to the Willison case has been collected in the area, but no other bones have been found. Detectives are combing the area and going through the creek bed searching for more clues, Kelly said.
“We’re continuing to look and to see if there is any link between this human skull and Faith Willison,” he said.
Darkness and rain prevented detectives from searching the area this weekend. Authorities said they would be taking advantage of the daylight today to comb the south and southwest of Interstate 70.
A Bureau of Investigation pathologist will be attempting to identify the remains and match dental records in Columbus Tuesday, authorities said.
Kelly said the area was searched several times by detectives, cadaver dogs and even a plane but no remains were found.
With photographs taken by News-Sun photographer Barbara Perenic
