Body found near Vernon not Michael Tapley Family Continues Search By Karen Warnick The Western Watchmen
Michael Tapley’s family received word on Monday November 10 that the body found near Vernon was not his. The family had sent dental records to the coroner’s office in hopes of a positive ID. It has been 9 months since Michael went missing and the family has not given up hope that they will find his body. Members of his family came to Snowflake over the weekend of November 8 and 9 to continue the search of his 40 acre property. They are convinced that he is not alive as the police seem to believe and have concentrated their efforts on finding his body to bring needed closure and justice. They live in the valley and have conducted at least a dozen or so searches since February, hoping to find some trace or clue. Cadaver dogs have searched several times and the family is considering using them again. The family has consulted numerous psychics. The majority indicate that he is not alive and is buried on or near his property. At this point in time, using psychics is about the only way in which a clue can be obtained. Short of a confession, or someone with information coming forward, there is little else the family can do. Besides the psychics, the family has walked the 40 acres looking for anything unusual that might indicate a body was buried. Every day, week and month that goes by, makes the chance of finding anything unlikely. Michael’s parents Joe and Shirley, his brother Tom, his daughter Christina, her fiancé Justin Day, family friend Kendra Schmidt, and a local friend were at the property on Sunday to continue the search. This writer was there along with a friend to help the family. The quiet dedication shown by all those involved and the determination to remain active in the search and not give up, makes wanting to help these people easy. It’s heartbreaking to any family when one of their own goes missing. It’s even more so when there is no closure. According to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), there are over three quarters of million people missing in the U.S. at any given time. In their database for Arizona, there are over 100 missing persons reported. Michael is one of them. The family has also created a webpage with info: http://sites.google.com/site/justiceformichael Michael’s sister, Kim Palmer has said that she sometimes feels it’s hopeless but really wants some kind of closure. “Knowing that he is just out there somewhere, discarded like garbage, is heartbreaking. I just want to find him so we can put him and us to rest.” When asked about other efforts made by the family, Michael’s mother Shirley said, “We are kind of in a holding pattern. We have contacted the media, most of which remains uninvolved. We are also putting out flyers in the valley and on the mountain.” She along with the rest of the family fervently hopes that someone with information will develop a conscience and come forward. Anyone with information can contact this writer at: karen@thewesternwatchmen.com and the Navajo County Sheriff’s office at 928-532-6060. |