Published: February 01, 2006 11:56 am      

Katcher's mom tackles Springfield

SPRINGFIELD - Ryan Katcher's mother testifies today in Springfield on behalf of legislation that will place greater emphasis on missing persons cases.

Reps. Bill Black, R-Danville, and Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, sponsored the legislation.

"Linda Katcher Griffith has been searching for her son, Ryan, since his disappearance five years ago," Black said.

The Oakwood High School graduate was 19 when his family and friends saw him last.

"Ryan, who was a sophomore at the University of Illinois, was last seen at 2 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2000, when a friend drove him home from a party. Many people believe you must wait to file a missing persons report," Black said.

"Unfortunately, the trail can go cold very quickly if you wait, and valuable search time is lost. The bill ... would require law enforcement to accept without delay any report of a missing person."

Brady participated last fall in a conference sponsored by the United States Department of Justice in Denver. The concept for this bill developed at the conference, and Brady brought it back to Illinois.

"We can't imagine the heartache that families of missing persons must suffer and the not knowing what happened to their loved ones," Brady said.

"As a former coroner and a legislator, I have spent a great deal of time working on this issue. In missing person cases, time is of the essence, and greater urgency will, hopefully, result in some of these individuals returning home safely."

House Bill 4203 creates the Missing Persons Identification Act in Illinois.

It would create a statewide procedure for law enforcement to follow in accepting missing person reports. It also establishes procedures for law enforcement to follow if a person remains missing after 30 days, and establishes procedures to be used by medical examiners or coroners in identifying human remains.

"Ryan's 25th birthday is Thursday," Black said. "Getting this legislation approved by committee and onto the House floor would be a great accomplishment in his honor."