Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Four Months and No Signs

Today is October 21. I know you all know that but did you know that today is the 4 month anniversary of Anthony's disappearance.... and we have no additional information. For this blog I am going to include comments and thoughts that have been expressed by different family members and friends.

Rena and William (parents) say with tears in their eyes that there isn't a day that goes by that they don't talk about Anthony and all the things that they did together. Every day they think of him and miss him so much. They did so many things with him and not having him here is so hard for them.

Candice (sister) says that she is determined to find Anthony. She will not give up. She misses him so much and desperately longs for answers. She thinks of him everyday and spends time planning the next search or event. She hopes that Anthony knows how desperate we are to find him and how much we care.

Kevin (brother) says he is hoping to cover as much of the surrounding farm land as possible. He wants to eliminate all the land near the farm where the abandoned pick up was found. He hopes that if anyone is aware of Anthony's whereabouts that they will inform the authorities. This would mean so much to our entire family. Today is the four month anniversary of Anthony's disappearance but at times it feels like yesterday that he was with us.

Teresa, that's me, says that each day, week and month that goes by with no additional clues, I find myself really fearful that we may never find him. I worry that if he was a victim of foul play that there will not be justice. I worry that if he was accidentally killed, that we may never find his body. And I worry that if he left on his own accord that we may never learn where he is.

Coletta (close friend) says she still comes home every day thinking that Anthony will just be sitting on the deck just like he used to do. She said Anthony loves to sit out there and just talk.

Joel and Laveta (Uncle and Aunt) says that when they first heard he was missing they never dreamed it would be 4 months later and the family would have no idea where he is. We think of Anthony as our son not just as a nephew. We miss him and just hope and pray we get answers soon.

Dana (cousin) says she feels isolated from the family searches and other activities since she is living in Colorado. She does what she can like keeping Anthony in her prayers and distributing posters. She says that she feels very anxious for every search and can't wait to hear the results of the searches. She hopes we learn something soon.

These are just some of our thoughts and feelings. WE ALL MISS ANTHONY and we all long for the day that we can embrace Anthony or that we get some answers.

This week a new poster was made available. It is through The National Center for Missing Adults. See this link to print it and we would love it if you could post it in a window or send the link to a friend.

www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200905760S

Thanks again for even just taking the time to read this. We appreciate all that everyone has done!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Searches Continue for Anthony

Anthony has been missing for 17 weeks today. Kevin, Anthony's brother, and Candice, Anthony's sister, went on another search this weekend but had no luck.

Some of you have been asking about the terrain of the land.













This first picture shows Candice searching through the trees / thickets.
The second picture is Suzie, Kevin's wife, standing in the tall grass that covers much of the land. In the background, the trees mark another canyon area.
The next photo was taken from the bottom of a canyon looking up. There are numerous canyons and we have walked many at this point. But there are more to walk. We climb in and out where the canyon is shallow. At times even exiting up a 6 to 8 ft wall has been difficult. Luckily Jerry Hawkins, a friend of Anthony's from Cordell, was there to pull Candice and me out of one such canyon.
The picture on the far right is a sink hole. There are numerous sink holes around his farm.

We find ourselves getting very excited and optimistic before the search trip but then are disappointed afterward when we don't find anything. We continue to hope and pray for answers.

I hope these give you a feel for the terrain and the adventure of the search. Thanks again for all of your well wishes, thoughts and prayers.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Anthony Holland has been missing 16 Weeks

Today it has been 16 weeks since Anthony disappeared. His disappearance remains as much a mystery today as it did on June 22nd. OSBI continues to investigate along with the help of the Washita County Sheriff Department.

We have no idea what happened. We hope and pray to find Anthony alive and well somewhere but worry that something worse has happened. We hope and pray to get answers. We feel someone out there may have information that would lead us to Anthony. We hope and pray that this person will step forward.

We will continue to search and will try to keep his pictures in the media and store windows hoping somewhere someone will have seen Anthony.

We miss him very much and long to see him again.

To quote Kelly Jolkowski, the founder of Project Jason (www.projectjason.org) and the mother of missing person, Jason Jolkowski:

"
All missing persons are loved by someone, and their families deserve to find the answers they seek in regards to the disappearance."

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A Heartfelt Thank You

Our family has been amazed at all the help that the good citizens of Cordell and surrounding areas have provided during our search for Anthony.

Many of you have walked the country-side in hot temperatures and on rough terrain. And we appreciate that!

Many of you have mounted horses and helped us in our search. And we appreciate that!

Many of you have continued to pray for Anthony's safety and answers to his whereabouts. And we appreciate that!

Many of you have provided emotional support - suggesting ideas and just listening to us when we need a friend. And we appreciate that!

This has been a difficult time for our family but we are awed by the outpouring of your kindness.

Thanks so much!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Request for help

You can help our family!

Tomorrow Anthony will be missing for 15 weeks. Below are links to posters. We would love it if you print one (or more) to hang in your work place, church, school, etc.

http://www.projectjason.org/aan/AAN_AnthonyHolland.pdf

http://texasequusearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/HollandAnthony.pdf

http://missingpersonsregistry.com/Home/Poster/tabid/95/personid/80951/language/en-US/Default.aspx



We thank you in advance for this!

Article - written for national truckers magazine



We Miss Anthony Holland
By William, Rena, Candice, Kevin Holland and Joel, Laveta, Teresa, Dana and Brian Rippetoe


Our son and brother, Anthony Holland, has lived in Cordell, Oklahoma for over 30 years. He worked for himself as a Snap-On dealer and successfully supported his wife and 2 sons until Fathers Day, June 21, 2009, when he suddenly disappeared. He was last seen at his home at 4:30 PM. His abandoned pick-up was found the following day on one of his farms located about 8 miles from his home. On Wednesday, June 24th, his cell phone was found on that same land. Anthony had attended a Gun Show in Elk City, Oklahoma, on June 20th and June 21st, where he purchased guns and Christmas gifts. Those remain at his home along with his wallet, checkbook, credit cards, cash and drivers license.

Anthony’s favorite pastimes are visiting with family and friends, attending Flea Markets, Gun Shows and shopping at used-book stores. He loved to read western books and spending time outdoors. His favorite activities included hunting, fishing, hiking and exploring the country-side. If Anthony has chosen to disappear and just walked off on his own accord, then we feel he would love to visit the coastal areas, Colorado, New Mexico, The Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana.

Each of us remembers what we were doing and where we were when we received the news of his disappearance. We all believed he would be coming back home, then as hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks, we have grown weary with fear. It is so very devastating not knowing if Anthony has been hurt and we just didn't get to him in time or if he is all alone wondering if his family even cares enough to come and look for him. We have not and will not lose hope that he is still alive, of course the fear of never seeing Anthony again is never far from our minds. Life is truly a roller coaster for our family right now. We all have a complete void in our lives right now. We have no where to go to speak to Anthony whether it be at a family function, on the phone, or a grave sight. We pray for God to provide strength and guidance.

There have been many searches that included divers, spelunkers, cadaver dogs and tracking dogs. Many local citizens have gone out in the heat and searched the rough terrain. The family and friends continue to do searches. We appreciate all the help that everyone has provided. We acknowledge the work that you as truck drivers do in bringing closure to cases. The relief you bring to families is impossible to put into words. We also acknowledge the help that Project Jason provides to families of the missing. We are so thankful for this wonderful network of help.

In the hope that Anthony is out there, we hope and pray that he may have caught a ride with one of you or visited with you at a truck stop or over a meal. Anthony is very social and would not hesitate to walk up and talk to a stranger. All his friends say he can talk to anyone. If you did get to talk with Anthony, he would likely tell you all about his life experiences and his recent travels. He would consider you a friend for life for any one act of kindness.

If you have any information on Anthony’s whereabouts please call:
Agent Joe Ferrero with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation at 800-522-8017 or
Sheriff Larry Burrows with the Washita Co. Sheriff’s Department at 580-832-2334.

We all miss Anthony so much and just long for the day to embrace him again. Thanks so much for your help and may God bless you in all that you do.

Web Links about Anthony's Disappearance

Below are some of web links where you can read more about Anthony, print posters or watch a video:

http://texasequusearch.org/2009/08/missing-anthony-holland-51-yrs-cordell-ok-062109/

http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=6835.0

http://www.ok.gov/osbi/Investigative/Missing_Persons/index.html

http://www.nampn.org/hot/holland_anthony.html

http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=10854496

http://missingpersonsregistry.com/MissingPersonDetails/tabid/369/indexid/80951/Default.aspx

About Anthony

Anthony is 51 years old. He has lived in Cordell with his wife for over 30 years. He and his wife have 2 sons. He is a business owner. He had a Snap-On route and owned numerous pieces of property and businesses.

His favorite pastimes include hunting, fishing, exploring his farms and just talking with friends. He would talk for hours.

He is missed by all of us very much.

Search Continues For Anthony Holland

Many air searches and ground searches were done during that first week that Anthony was missing. These included tracking dogs, cadaver dogs, spelunkers and divers. No trace of Anthony.

Searches continue for the last 3 months with no luck. The family along with two friends of Anthony went out last weekend. We searched some of the property neighboring the farm where his cell and pick-up were found.

We appreciate all the help that local citizens and friends have provided. The list of contributors is long. They will never fully understand how much their help has meant to us.

Anthony Holland is missing

Anthony Holland disappeared from Cordell, Oklahoma on Father's Day. He left his home on June 21, 2009 around 5:30 PM. He later called home around 6:30 PM. That was the last known contact.

His pickup was found abandoned on land that he owned southeast of Cordell on the next day. Then on Wednesday (06/24/2009) his cell phone was found on that same land.