Post by admin4laney on Aug 24, 2005 13:33:53 GMT -5
Mystery, search drag on
West Chester woman's family, friends fearful
By Rick Van Sant, Post staff reporter
In a case strikingly similar to Carrie Culberson's disappearance, another young attractive woman abused by an ex-boyfriend has vanished along with her car, a Honda.
''The similarity is very scary, I hope this doesn't turn out the same way,'' Brittany Woodard says of the disappearance of her friend, Alana ''Laney'' Gwinner.
Ms. Gwinner, 23, of West Chester, hasn't been seen since leaving Gilmore Bowling Lanes in Fairfield about 1 a.m. Dec. 10. Her 1993 black Honda Del Sol also is missing.
Ms. Culberson was 22 when she was last seen in her hometown of Blanchester in August 1996. Sixteen months later, she and her 1989 red Honda CRX still haven't been found. An ex-boyfriend who had abused her, Vincent Doan, has been convicted of murdering her.
Ms. Gwinner has scars on her arms from being abused by an ex-boyfriend, say her friends.
Police have interviewed several of Ms. Gwinner's ex-boyfriends, as well as new acquaintances she made while playing pool at the bowling alley the night she disappeared. No arrests have been made.
''We desperately want to find this woman, but every day that passes, it becomes a little more frustrating,'' says Fairfield police Lt. Richard St. John. ''The way things stand right now, the outlook is bleak.''
In still another case, Erica Fraysure, 17, of Brooksville, Ky., has been missing since Oct. 21, when she was seen driving in her car. Her 1988 Bonneville sedan was found abandoned and later the keys to it were recovered near Fronks Lane in Bracken County.
Kentucky State Police investigators do not believe the girl ran away from home. A $7,000 reward has been offered for information leading to her discovery.
In Fairfield, Police Lt. Richard St. John said the similarities between the disappearances of Ms. Gwinner and Ms. Culberson were so striking that police checked for a possible connection, but found none.
Ms. Culberson's mother, Debra Culberson, has called Ms. Gwinner's parents to offer sympathy and support.
''She was very kind,'' said Ms. Gwinner's father, John Gwinner, 60, who said the cases' similarities had ''crossed my mind.''
Gwinner says he has no idea what happened to his daughter.
''I don't even want to speculate,'' he says.
What is known is that Ms. Gwinner went to Gilmore Bowling Lanes the night of Dec. 9 expressly to play pool.
''She's an excellent pool player, she likes to shoot pool seriously,'' says a friend, Angie Smith.
She entered the bowling alley with a male companion, a good friend but not a boyfriend. They had driven there in separate cars after eating at the BW-3 restaurant in Forest Fair Mall.
Ms. Gwinner caused a stir.
''She is beautiful, absolutely beautiful,'' notes Ms. Woodard.
''She was attractive and people noticed her,'' acknowledged Pat Edmondson, who co-owns the bowling alley with her husband, Chuck Edmondson. ''We have a lot of regular customers here, but nobody remembered seeing her before in here.
''Chuck noticed she was a good pool player and played a game of pool with her. Later, he went into the office to take care of some business and when he came back out, she was gone.''
Police say Ms. Gwinner had called a boyfriend in Fairfield about 12:30 a.m. to say she was coming over. Customers estimate it was about 1 a.m. when she left alone. The friend she came with remained at the alley.
What happened to Ms. Gwinner after she left is not known. The boyfriend she had called said she never showed up.
''I believe someone intercepted her,'' says Suzi Damen, a friend of Ms. Gwinner.
Ms. Gwinner was a 1992 graduate of Lakota High School and has working toward a degree in finance at Raymond Walters College. She works full-time as an administrator at Telco Communications in Blue Ash and recently won a promotion.
''She's quiet, polite, professional and very good at what she does,'' says Ms. Damen, a co-worker. ''She's well-liked.''
Ms. Gwinner is white, 5-foot-6, about 110-115 pounds, has long brown hair and hazel eyes. The license plate on her 1993 black Honda del Sol with tinted windows is AKP 3607. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 867-6030.
Publication date: 12-19-97
West Chester woman's family, friends fearful
By Rick Van Sant, Post staff reporter
In a case strikingly similar to Carrie Culberson's disappearance, another young attractive woman abused by an ex-boyfriend has vanished along with her car, a Honda.
''The similarity is very scary, I hope this doesn't turn out the same way,'' Brittany Woodard says of the disappearance of her friend, Alana ''Laney'' Gwinner.
Ms. Gwinner, 23, of West Chester, hasn't been seen since leaving Gilmore Bowling Lanes in Fairfield about 1 a.m. Dec. 10. Her 1993 black Honda Del Sol also is missing.
Ms. Culberson was 22 when she was last seen in her hometown of Blanchester in August 1996. Sixteen months later, she and her 1989 red Honda CRX still haven't been found. An ex-boyfriend who had abused her, Vincent Doan, has been convicted of murdering her.
Ms. Gwinner has scars on her arms from being abused by an ex-boyfriend, say her friends.
Police have interviewed several of Ms. Gwinner's ex-boyfriends, as well as new acquaintances she made while playing pool at the bowling alley the night she disappeared. No arrests have been made.
''We desperately want to find this woman, but every day that passes, it becomes a little more frustrating,'' says Fairfield police Lt. Richard St. John. ''The way things stand right now, the outlook is bleak.''
In still another case, Erica Fraysure, 17, of Brooksville, Ky., has been missing since Oct. 21, when she was seen driving in her car. Her 1988 Bonneville sedan was found abandoned and later the keys to it were recovered near Fronks Lane in Bracken County.
Kentucky State Police investigators do not believe the girl ran away from home. A $7,000 reward has been offered for information leading to her discovery.
In Fairfield, Police Lt. Richard St. John said the similarities between the disappearances of Ms. Gwinner and Ms. Culberson were so striking that police checked for a possible connection, but found none.
Ms. Culberson's mother, Debra Culberson, has called Ms. Gwinner's parents to offer sympathy and support.
''She was very kind,'' said Ms. Gwinner's father, John Gwinner, 60, who said the cases' similarities had ''crossed my mind.''
Gwinner says he has no idea what happened to his daughter.
''I don't even want to speculate,'' he says.
What is known is that Ms. Gwinner went to Gilmore Bowling Lanes the night of Dec. 9 expressly to play pool.
''She's an excellent pool player, she likes to shoot pool seriously,'' says a friend, Angie Smith.
She entered the bowling alley with a male companion, a good friend but not a boyfriend. They had driven there in separate cars after eating at the BW-3 restaurant in Forest Fair Mall.
Ms. Gwinner caused a stir.
''She is beautiful, absolutely beautiful,'' notes Ms. Woodard.
''She was attractive and people noticed her,'' acknowledged Pat Edmondson, who co-owns the bowling alley with her husband, Chuck Edmondson. ''We have a lot of regular customers here, but nobody remembered seeing her before in here.
''Chuck noticed she was a good pool player and played a game of pool with her. Later, he went into the office to take care of some business and when he came back out, she was gone.''
Police say Ms. Gwinner had called a boyfriend in Fairfield about 12:30 a.m. to say she was coming over. Customers estimate it was about 1 a.m. when she left alone. The friend she came with remained at the alley.
What happened to Ms. Gwinner after she left is not known. The boyfriend she had called said she never showed up.
''I believe someone intercepted her,'' says Suzi Damen, a friend of Ms. Gwinner.
Ms. Gwinner was a 1992 graduate of Lakota High School and has working toward a degree in finance at Raymond Walters College. She works full-time as an administrator at Telco Communications in Blue Ash and recently won a promotion.
''She's quiet, polite, professional and very good at what she does,'' says Ms. Damen, a co-worker. ''She's well-liked.''
Ms. Gwinner is white, 5-foot-6, about 110-115 pounds, has long brown hair and hazel eyes. The license plate on her 1993 black Honda del Sol with tinted windows is AKP 3607. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 867-6030.
Publication date: 12-19-97
