Joyful news from Helena‘s mother:

PRAISE GOD!!!!  OUR DAUGHTER IS HOME SAFE AND SOUND!!!!! 

If you are in the area and available for flyer recovery, I will joyfully be at the park from 9-5 Saturday only to coordinate flyer retrieval instead of dispersal!!!

Thank you all for all your help, prayers and support. This is an awesome community of homeschoolers and friends—I could not have made it through this without your prayers and support.

Please do not forget all the missing & runaway children out there—they need our help too.

Thank you so very very very very much – words can not express my gratitude.

Susan Nowicke

I can only imagine the depths of the family’s relief. As the days wore on after Helene’s disappearance, Susan’s emails to our city homeschooling list were a sobering reminder of how little support ‘the system’ has for parents seeking beloved runaway children. Because of Helena’s phone call to a friend a few days after her disappearance, she was classified as a runaway—and runaway numbers are so high that law enforcement agencies do not take on these cases and make any attempt to locate the children.

The family’s attempts to raise media interest—for TV news coverage would surely have been the fastest way to get Helena’s picture before a wide audience, thus greatly increasing the chances of locating her—were uniformly rebuffed because, they were told, this was "just another runaway."

"Just another runaway"—whose parents love her dearly and were desperate for her safe return. "Just another runaway"—who, although she may have left home voluntarily, certainly did so under puzzling circumstances, leaving behind all personal belongings including money, her phone, her jacket and clothing, and her iPod.

That phrase, just another runaway, as if "runaway" equals "throwaway," turns my stomach.

Helena’s family intends to keep the Find Helena website active as a resource for other families of missing children:

Please, in the coming days—continue to check back at this site. It is our hope to use this site to help others that are facing the same fearful situation that we did. They are still waiting for their joyful reunions. I pray that you will extend to them the kindness & support you have shown to our family.