Post by admin4laney on Jul 20, 2005 14:05:07 GMT -5
Friday, December 11, 1998
BY RANDY McNUTT and DAVID ECK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Alana Gwinner
SHARONVILLE - One year ago in Fairfield, Alana "Laney" Gwinner vanished into the night.
On Thursday night, about 40 friends and family members conducted a candlelight vigil here to remember Ms. Gwinner and remind the community that her killer has not been arrested.
"The family contacted us and suggested that we put this all together," said Mindy Durham, a Fairfield resident who grew up with Ms. Gwinner. "The reason behind it is that we want to be visible. You don't hear about her death anymore. We don't want people to forget Laney. We hope the vigil will spark someone's memory."
Ms. Gwinner was last seen leaving Gilmore Lanes on Ohio 4 in Fairfield about 1 a.m. Dec. 10, 1997. She never arrived at her boyfriend's place. Her black 1993 Honda Civic del Sol has not been found.
On Jan. 11, the body of Ms. Gwinner, of Union Township in Butler County, was found near Sugar Bay in Warsaw, Ky., where the Ohio River and Sugar Creek meet.
Tuesday night, Stacy Ross, who had known Laney since grade school, read verse she had written about Laney and her feelings about the death. She talked of a broken heart, the fun they had and reality. Friend Natalie Davis of Mount Lookout said the Gwinner family selected downtown Sharonville as the vigil location for the convenience of Ms. Gwinner's many friends in Cincinnati and Butler County. The 30-minute vigil was quiet and somber. A box of tissues sat nearby.
The friends hugged each other and wept as Michaela Wagers, the mother of a friend, sang "The Rose."
Surrounding the group were mementos of Laney's life, a portrait, plastic badges the friends wore at her memorial service last year, and lots of white candles.
A collage of pictures marked the birthdays, the graduations and parties. Laney's old Kings Island season passes were mounted among the photos.
"Laney's spirit is here with us," said Amy Tipton. "This is a celebraton of her life."
Ms. Durham said the hardest part about the one-year anniversary is knowing Ms. Gwinner's killer is still at large.
"It makes her death even worse," she said.
Ms. Davis said friends wanted to celebrate her life.
"She touched so many people in her 23 years, and we want to talk about it," she said. "We want to share stories. She was funny and happy and she really affected a room."
Authorities think she was dumped into the Great Miami River, about 40 miles upstream from where she was found. Her death is considered a homicide, and there is a $50,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest.
"We want to say to Cincinnati: Get the case back into your thoughts," Ms. Davis said. "Someone somewhere might hear about it and put two and two together, and come up with something. We also want people to be careful. Who knows? Maybe we can play on the guilt of the person who did this.
"It's horrible and upsetting. The world lost something special the night she was taken."
In Fairfield, acting Police Chief thingy St. John said investigators have followed every lead they have received since the beginning.
"We're disappointed that nothing more has come out," he said. "It's extremely disconcerting that the car hasn't even turned up. We had reason to believe the car would turn up earlier this year. Unfortunately, we don't really have any information to point to where the car might be.
"But the case is still very much under investigation. We ask for any new information. It might end up being helpful to us."
Ms. Gwinner's death - and the disappearance of several other young women in the region - shocks Ms. Davis.
"Cincinnati puts on an image of safety, but in a split second anything can change," she said. "You can be comforted by your life, and the people who have touched you, and you can wake up and find it has all been taken from you."
www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/12/11/loc_gwinner11.html
BY RANDY McNUTT and DAVID ECK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Alana Gwinner
SHARONVILLE - One year ago in Fairfield, Alana "Laney" Gwinner vanished into the night.
On Thursday night, about 40 friends and family members conducted a candlelight vigil here to remember Ms. Gwinner and remind the community that her killer has not been arrested.
"The family contacted us and suggested that we put this all together," said Mindy Durham, a Fairfield resident who grew up with Ms. Gwinner. "The reason behind it is that we want to be visible. You don't hear about her death anymore. We don't want people to forget Laney. We hope the vigil will spark someone's memory."
Ms. Gwinner was last seen leaving Gilmore Lanes on Ohio 4 in Fairfield about 1 a.m. Dec. 10, 1997. She never arrived at her boyfriend's place. Her black 1993 Honda Civic del Sol has not been found.
On Jan. 11, the body of Ms. Gwinner, of Union Township in Butler County, was found near Sugar Bay in Warsaw, Ky., where the Ohio River and Sugar Creek meet.
Tuesday night, Stacy Ross, who had known Laney since grade school, read verse she had written about Laney and her feelings about the death. She talked of a broken heart, the fun they had and reality. Friend Natalie Davis of Mount Lookout said the Gwinner family selected downtown Sharonville as the vigil location for the convenience of Ms. Gwinner's many friends in Cincinnati and Butler County. The 30-minute vigil was quiet and somber. A box of tissues sat nearby.
The friends hugged each other and wept as Michaela Wagers, the mother of a friend, sang "The Rose."
Surrounding the group were mementos of Laney's life, a portrait, plastic badges the friends wore at her memorial service last year, and lots of white candles.
A collage of pictures marked the birthdays, the graduations and parties. Laney's old Kings Island season passes were mounted among the photos.
"Laney's spirit is here with us," said Amy Tipton. "This is a celebraton of her life."
Ms. Durham said the hardest part about the one-year anniversary is knowing Ms. Gwinner's killer is still at large.
"It makes her death even worse," she said.
Ms. Davis said friends wanted to celebrate her life.
"She touched so many people in her 23 years, and we want to talk about it," she said. "We want to share stories. She was funny and happy and she really affected a room."
Authorities think she was dumped into the Great Miami River, about 40 miles upstream from where she was found. Her death is considered a homicide, and there is a $50,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest.
"We want to say to Cincinnati: Get the case back into your thoughts," Ms. Davis said. "Someone somewhere might hear about it and put two and two together, and come up with something. We also want people to be careful. Who knows? Maybe we can play on the guilt of the person who did this.
"It's horrible and upsetting. The world lost something special the night she was taken."
In Fairfield, acting Police Chief thingy St. John said investigators have followed every lead they have received since the beginning.
"We're disappointed that nothing more has come out," he said. "It's extremely disconcerting that the car hasn't even turned up. We had reason to believe the car would turn up earlier this year. Unfortunately, we don't really have any information to point to where the car might be.
"But the case is still very much under investigation. We ask for any new information. It might end up being helpful to us."
Ms. Gwinner's death - and the disappearance of several other young women in the region - shocks Ms. Davis.
"Cincinnati puts on an image of safety, but in a split second anything can change," she said. "You can be comforted by your life, and the people who have touched you, and you can wake up and find it has all been taken from you."
www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/12/11/loc_gwinner11.html
