Amber Alerts and other Missing Case discussions > Other Missing Cases

Search for Missing Florida Woman Goes Viral

(1/1)

goinsfl:
5/23/2009


ST. PETERSBURG, FAL -- Usually, when someone vanishes, you'll see fliers along the road and stories on the news.

But the family of Laura Nimbach, 22, is going far beyond that to find the missing Pinellas County woman. Laura's family lives in Michigan and Colorado, but she disappeared in St. Petersburg. So, they're organizing in force online.

Thanks to the magic of the internet, the search has gone viral.

"It's up everywhere. You just put Laura's name into the internet, and you see it," said Laura's cousin Mary Hackstock, who lives in Tampa.

A Google search of Laura's name is evidence of their hard work: a Facebook group, blog posts, and tweets on Twitter. The search has ballooned from there, with information on everything from a wedding blog to a website dedicated to knitters.

Complete strangers even responded to their ad on Craig's List, asking for volunteers to post fliers around St. Petersburg.

"We just knew we had to do this to get her name out there," said Amanda Bott, Laura's childhood friend.

To help in the search for Laura Nimbach, you can follow it on Twitter at FndLauraNimbach, or join the Finding Laura Nimbach Facebook group.

A beautiful woman with a sparkling personality, Laura's family jokes she is the "golden child" of the family. She'd paid part of her way through Catholic high school and her family says she was always driven to succeed.

But, according to her friends, the past year had changed Laura. They say she'd gotten involved in an abusive relationship. She'd also developed an addiction to Oxycodone.

In February, Laura's friends say she was living in a domestic violence shelter in Clearwater. She walked off on February 16. The next day, a deputy sheriff found her sleeping behind a building in the 4800 block of 49th Street in St. Petersburg. She told the deputy she was heading to St. Petersburg after leaving her boyfriend.

Laura's family reported her missing on March 31st.

Police say Laura has a tattoo that reads "LN" on her left wrist and a flowered, tribal tattoo on her lower back.

If you've seen Laura or have information on her whereabouts, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS. Tips can remain anonymous.

"If she was just somewhere on drugs, she would call," Hackstock choked through tears. "We don't even know if she's alive... Laura, please come home."

Watch 10 Connects News This Morning at 6:30 a.m. on Monday for a live interview with Skype from Fruita, Colorado with Laura's older sister, Rene Benedetto.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=138555&catid=4

Navigation

[0] Message Index