The Search Goes On
Law Enforcement Agencies Search Land Near Corrie Anderson’s HomeBy Robert Rizzuto rrizzuto@post-journal.com
Article Photos
Fact Box
TIMELINE
Oct. 28, 2008- Corrie Anderson is last seen leaving the Lake county Dodge dealership on Washington Street around 1:10 p.m.
When she fails to meet her son's teacher to discuss planning a Halloween party, her mother is nervous and contacts authorities.
Oct. 29- The next day, the New York State Police alert the public that Corrie Anderson is missing and they release a description of her Dodge Caravan.
Oct. 30- Corrie Anderson's dark-blue van is found on an access road off of Kortwright Road at the north-end of the Wellman State Forest, just a mile or so from her Wellman Road home.
Oct. 31- Troopers lead an extensive search of wooded areas in Busti near Ms. Anderson's home, but don't find the clues they're looking for.
Nov. 1- Hundreds of community members gather at the Lakewood Baptist Church for a prayer vigil in honor of Ms. Anderson.
Nov. 5- Police search a plot of land in Ellery owned by Kenneth Anderson, Corrie's estranged husband.
Nov. 6 & 7- Police search another plot of land in Busti, near Ms. Anderson's home.
Nov. 11- The Corrie Anderson Family Fund is established at JCC by Ms. Anderson's colleagues.
Nov. 20- A community search is postponed due to a heavy snowfall and the beginning of hunting season.
Nov. 21- State Police announce that New York and Pennsylvania CrimeStoppers organizations are offering rewards for information leading to Ms. Anderson's whereabouts or to a conviction of her assailant, if any.
Nov. 28- At a press conference in Ms. Anderson's garage, her family announces that they have establishes a family reward for information as well as a Web site for their missing loved one.
Dec. 8- The non-profit search and rescue group, Texas Equusearch, announced that they will help Ms. Anderson's family look for the missing woman.
Jan. 24, 2009- Ms. Anderson's family gathers in front of a billboard with her picture on Washington Street in Jamestown which was donated by Advertising Advantage.
Feb. 21- The Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Club hosts a dice run to benefit the family reward fund.
March 15- Ms. Anderson's family hosts a spaghetti dinner at the Ashville Fireman's Training Grounds to raise money for the family reward fund.
March 26- Texas Equusearch delays the planned community search, citing rain in the forecast.
March 31- Tim Miller, Texas Equusearch founder and director, comes to Jamestown to personally announce that the group is here to help Ms. Anderson's family get closure.
April 15- Texas Equusearch officially withdraws from the search, and the family struggles to maintain contact with those who volunteered through the search group.
April 16- The family enlists 3 View Search Services to aid in the community search, which is now only 2 days away.
April 18 & 19- Hundreds of community members donate their time to search for Ms. Anderson in various locations around the county.
April 21- Police investigate several suspicious sites discovered during the community search, but do not find anything conclusive.
April 26- 3 View Search Services sends a team into the sky for an extensive aerial imaging operation.
June 25- Numerous law enforcement agencies converge on Busti and conduct a multi-faceted search.
Article Links
» Corrie's Web SiteBusti was swarming with law enforcement Thursday, as a significant plot of land was scoured from swamp to trees for clues about what happened to Corrie Anderson, the missing mother of three from Busti.
Ms. Anderson was last seen on Oct. 28, 2008, leaving the Lake County Dodge dealership on Washington Street in Jamestown, where she paid her boyfriend Mike Samuelson a visit around lunch time. Since then, her family, friends, loved ones and strangers alike have been searching for answers.
The latest search spanned a significant piece of land which sits at the north end of the Wellman State Forest, not far from Ms. Anderson's home or the spot where her Dodge Caravan was found abandoned.
"What we're doing is expanding the search area around Corrie's house where we did some searches last fall," said Greg Holt, senior investigator with the New York State Police. "This area is generally swampy and we wanted to get in here as soon as we could when it was as dry as possible."
The state police led a diverse and highly technical search Thursday, with assistance from the New York State Forest Rangers, the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department, the Lakewood-Busti Police Department and the City of Salamanca Police Department.
Each law enforcement agency brought its owns specialized skill sets for the search, including aviation patrols, divers, ATV patrols, forensic specialists and K-9 search and cadaver dogs. And every step each searcher takes is mapped by global positional systems to ensure that every inch of land that was intended to be searched is indeed covered.
3 View Search Services, the non-profit group that stepped up to help Ms. Anderson's family after Texas Equusearch suddenly withdrew in April, has been busy on the case since they coordinated the community search April 18-19.
"Recently we sent out a team that did extensive aerial imaging and those pictures are being shared with law enforcement," said Shawn Henady, founder and executive director of 3 View Search Services. "We will offer our support to law enforcement when a follow-up takes place in the coming weeks."
During the aerial imaging operation, photographers covered several areas of interest and literally took thousands of high-quality pictures. Those pictures have almost entirely been processed, and based on whatever the search group's experts find, perhaps another search will be forthcoming.
"Law enforcement is truly doing an excellent job with this investigation and we try to support them in any way we can," Henady said. "I know the family is concerned that the case was becoming cold because law enforcement isn't always in a position where they can tell them what they're working on, but this proves that it is still very active."
Holt reaffirmed that the case is not cold nor has he or his team given up or slowed in pursuit of the truth.
"We still are taking information the people bring to us and are interviewing people on a constant basis." Holt said. "This investigation is still open and active and it isn't going on the back burner."
Ms. Anderson's family issued a statement requesting further prayers from the community and thanking everyone for their support during their time of strife.
Ms. Anderson's family is offering a $15,000 reward for information about her whereabouts or information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for her disappearance. The money is in addition to the rewards being offered by local CrimeStoppers agencies.
Anyone with any information about Ms. Anderson's disappearance or her whereabouts is asked to call the New York State Police at 665-3113, the Greater Buffalo Metropolitan Crime Stoppers at 856-5600, or the Warren County, Pa. Crime Stoppers at 800-83-CRIME (27463). All calls will be kept confidential and rewards can be collected anonymously.
For more information, visit www.findcorrie.com.






