Police said Bill Stanton, who declined to say who hired him, won't have access to any case files related to their search for Lisa Irwin because he isn't law enforcement. He also doesn't appear to be licensed as a private investigator in Missouri as required when acting in that capacity.

"He will have access to anything the general public has access to," Kansas City police spokesman Capt. Steve Young said.

When asked by the Associated Press if he has handled a missing child case, Stanton said he couldn't detail cases involving children, then responded "Google me" when asked to discuss any of his past cases. He said he has worked as a consultant for "major media organizations," and the website for a consulting firm that lists him as a founding partner said he was a New York police officer before moving into private investigative work.

Lisa's parents, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, reported their daughter missing early Oct. 4, saying she disappeared from her crib at their single-story home sometime overnight as her mother slept in a nearby room.

Hundreds of local, state and federal investigators have been looking for the child ever since, scouring through hundreds of tips and repeatedly searching the family's neighborhood, nearby woods, sewers and a landfill. But police said they have no suspects or solid leads.

Stanton said a wealthy "benefactor" connected to a family member asked him to get involved and acknowledged the family didn't hire him. Stanton said he would fly in other people on Thursday, but wouldn't elaborate.

"I am hopeful this child is safe and alive," Stanton said. "I don't want to make this about me."He said he would be managing any media inquiries directed at the family, which family members confirmed. They said he had their support.

On Wednesday, detectives using all-terrain vehicles and tracking dogs searched a heavily wooded area a few blocks from the home, but it turned up nothing. Young said more than 40 detectives, along with the FBI and other police departments, are working the case.

What Stanton could offer the investigation is unclear.  Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said his organization doesn't work with private investigators and had not heard of Stanton.

"Families in these situations are desperate and feel the need to do anything they can possibly do," Allen said. "I hope he helps them."

Jimmie Mesis, editor-in-chief of New Jersey-based PI Magazine, a trade magazine for private investigators, said he has heard of Stanton. He said Stanton's involvement could be troublesome if he interferes with witnesses, but he also could keep a national spotlight on the case — even if that attention is focused on "Wild Bill," a moniker for which Stanton has become popular.

"With Bill, one benefit, because he has celebrity status as a private investigator, the media is going to be interested in seeing what he's doing," Mesis said. Later, he added, "He's putting his reputation on the line, too."

from: Kid Safe

I have found that even I, Kid Safe blogger, have become a little jaded to all the daily reports of missing children, then the next day they are found safe and sound by someone within the family usually taken by another family member and just a "lack of communication" or worse news that for some reason i choose not to add to this site. 

Today, this was a revelation for me.  If I am "just a blogger" and have this attitude, what must the police think when they get these calls?  The investigators that deal with this on a daily basis.  I know for me the whole Casey Anthony tragedy really upset me in a different way than the Amber Dubois case effected me.  You see I lived in Escondido when Amber Dubois went missing and I was working at Kid Safe and was HORRIFIED that they would not issue an "Amber Alert", they did not take the case seriously "for reasons unknown to the public".  I was deeply entrenched in the case, it was personal for me.  I lived and worked in the community and I take my position at CEN very seriously.  I felt that if "we" couldn't even get an Amber Alert issued in our own home town how could we proclaim to be the national source for Child Safety?  

I wrote more posts on the her case than any other case in the last 5 years.  I was asked to remove several of my posts, as they were derogatory towards the Escondido Police Department and it was creating a "negative" affect on the case.  So i acquiesced, against my personal feelings and judgement, "for the better good" of the company.  And NO the requests to take the posts down did not come from within CEN and CEN management left the decision up to me.   i just wanted her found.  I wanted her case taken seriously, I wanted her parents to have some peace, I was angry for them and obviously I took it all very personally.  

So when I read this report today, I remembered reading about it last week when I had chosen NOT to post it because I "assumed" the child would be found the next day and by the time the KidSafe readers got around to reading it, it would be old news or worse, I would have a stronger "story" to write about.

Then I got to the last paragraph of this report and really started to question myself, my commitment to keeping children safe, what constitutes a "story" with me, the "Content Manager" of KidSafe.com. 

Below is an excerpt from the AP "story" released today which I have scheduled to post before this one that I am writing now.  I decided to separate the posts because I don't want my personal story to effect the readers mind of the missing child report.  All Missing Child Reports MUST be taken seriously, Must be judged as TRUE "Kidnapping's" until found otherwise, by the police, the governments, the schools, the extended family, the friends AND the media, including "bloggers" like myself who proclaim to be concerned with the safety of Children.  

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A New York-based security consultant who said he was hired by a wealthy benefactor to help search for a missing baby in Kansas City got little response Wednesday from police who have been looking for the child for more than a week……….

…………."With Bill, one benefit, because he has celebrity status as a private investigator, the media is going to be interested in seeing what he's doing," Mesis said. Later, he added, "He's putting his reputation on the line, too."

A year after the Amber Dubois Kidnapping, she was found, sadly, not alive, and not a story I like to talk about very much. 

from: Kid Safe

The body of Amber Dubois, a 14-year-old Escondido teen missing for over a year, has been found in a rural area of northern San Diego County.

Dubois disappeared on the morning of Feb. 13, 2009, only about 100 yards from Escondido High School, Escondido California.

Escondido police held a press conference Sunday to make the announcement and discuss details of the case, which received new attention this week after the murder of teen Chelsea King.

Sex offender John Albert Gardner III, 30, has been charged with the attack on King, which happened Feb. 25 as she jogged in a park near her home.

Earlier this weekend, police searched Dubois's neighborhood, including a pond in Kit Carson Park, (which is less than 1 block from our house) and although they ended the search Saturday afternoon without any clues, a hiker coincidentally found her body in another part of the county that same afternoon.

Can you believe that?

It is not clear to what extent Gardner is now considered a suspect in Amber's murder, but rumors are flying around ever since his arrest in Chelsea Kings case.

Escondido police said they are withholding comment until the press conference.

There have been candle light vigil, national attention from America’s Most Wanted and other News stories and still no solid leads.  Is it possible for a child to disappear without a trace? This is something that it hard for each of us to understand. How does this happen?  Her father wrote this heart wrenching letter to let her know that he is searching for her.

Amber,

Hello my sweetheart, this is Dad. It’s late Friday night and I wanted to write you this letter since you are not here with me. This was supposed to be our weekend together and this afternoon at about the time I should be picking you up from the train station I was thinking about what I could do to talk to you like we would be doing right now. So I decided that tonight I would write you this letter and get it out where you might get a chance to read it.

One of your friends brought over a CD with pictures of you and your friends at their birthday beach party. Some cool pictures of you guys, one is of you running in the water at night by the pier with a cool sunset behind you. It reminds me of our midnight grunion run while camping last summer and all the fun we had that night catching all those darn fish with our hands. I guarantee on our next run, I will catch more than you!!!

Your Teacher Mr. Reyburn is keeping your lamb, ( Nénette ) for you till you get back. You can bet your Mom is looking as hard as she can for you since she will be doing your barn clean-up duties until you return.

This is still my weekend, so I will be waiting to hear from you so I can come get you. Next Friday is the 13th again and it will be a month that you have been away, I don’t want to wait that long before I get my next hug from you. Well, I really just wanted to say we all miss you and love you very much. I hope you get to read this, or better yet I hope you are back in my arms soon, so I can tell you in person. Don’t lose hope in our finding you. I will never lose hope in our search for you.

Always Loving You,

DAD  xoxo

Don’t lose hope, spread this  flyer around, ask your kids if they have seen her or know about her dissappearance, make conversation out of it.  Keep Amber in the top of your mind and we will bring her home safely.  As I wrote before, it doesn’t matter what led to her dissappearance, what matter is she is in danger, she is a child and needs to come home.

I just spoke with Escondido Police Department and “there aren’t any new updates at this time” was all they could tell me.  This is a truly sad story that has caused an outbreak of infighting and bickering between city and county officials,  police departments, the media and many concerned citizens.

It appears that because she is 14 she is of the “runaway” age, especially because she has divorced parents and that it the stance that the officials are taking.  They say that this Amber does not meet the criteria for an “Amber Alert.”  I can’t remember ever hearing that child predators only seek out children that are from traditional family units and that they aren’t interested in children after they turn 14.  Have you ever heard that?

I called the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and they do have her listed as a missing child, but they are not the one’s who issue Amber Alerts so she is not listed on the Amber Alert page.  The kind lady who answered the phone said that each state has different criteria for what constitutes and Amber Alert and that they couldn’t help me any further but they did lead me to the California State Clearinghouse for Missing Children, they in turn have led me to the Highway Patrol.

It seems the Highway Patrol is in charge of issuing Amber Alerts in California.  The California Highway Patrol office that handles Escondido put me through to Don Fields and he “has no answer for me” but referred me back to the Escondido Police Department since they are the investigating agency. So again I called the Escondido Police Department and no one is available to speak with me.

I did leave my cell phone number and will promptly update this post as soon as they return my call.  I am very concerned about this girl and being from Escondido myself I am very concerned about the message we are sending to child predators.  I can’t even write the things that are running through my head right now.

Amber Leeanne Dubois is 14, and 14 is still VERY young, she dissappeared on her way to school on Friday, February 13th, the day she was finally able to purchase the Lamb that she had been waiting for, for a school project.  Similar looking girls have been attempted to be abducted in local towns including Poway which is just a few miles south of here.  Please contact your local police department or call 911 if you have any information about this girl.  Whether she ranaway or not, she is in danger and needs to be brought home to her parents, who must be going through a living hell right now. My thoughts are prayers go out to them.

Please forward this post or this information to everyone you know – if Escondido won’t post an Amber Alert, let’s make our own.  Post this on every website and social media site, every email you have and make flyers if you can.  Someone knows where this girl is and we need to do all we can to find her.

Kymberley Page

for Children’s Educational Network

Escondido, CA 92025

760-233-2863