Father of Lyndsay Boose thanks Chatham-Kent police

By Steve Boose

As the father of Lyndsay Drew Boose, I would first like to thank the Chatham-Kent Police Service for their work in finding our daughter, who had indeed gone missing on October 26th and who was found on November 1st.  We were in contact with them throughout her disappearance, and it was not filed as an Amber Alert because we were certain that she had not been abducted.  She is a troubled teen who was going to be leaving Chatham when the group home where she resided closed at the end of October, and it was her desire to remain in Chatham.  She was hiding out with friends, and as we live in Strathroy, her mother and I contacted several people we know in the Chatham area to help in the search for her, so that she could be returned to those who are now legally caring for her.  We crafted the posters and asked that they be copied and distributed as people saw fit.  When she was found three days later, we contacted everyone we had already spoken to (including the lay supply preacher at Thamesville, who is indeed a family friend) with the news and the posters were removed.  Thus, we also wish to thank all of those other people (too numerous to name) who know us but don’t necessarily know our daughter and yet were willing to share a portion of the concern and the burden to ensure that she be considered safe.

We did not turn to Facebook to distribute our poster or its information because we knew from the experiences of others that once such an item gets beyond the circle of our contacts, it would be impossible to circulate the news of her discovery far and wide enough, fast enough.  People like Mr. Marksteiner, whose genuine concern for our situation cannot be undervalued, would not be among those whom we would inform about Lyndsay’s safe return, not even on Facebook.  Nevertheless, we would like to thank him in particular for doing what he could and taking an action that he felt would reach people quickly and effectively.  He was not the victim of a ‘prank’ but, rather, of a lack of information, and while we have thanked him privately, we would like to do so publicly as well.  Many people, if they even glanced at the poster, probably forgot the name by the time they walked out the door and her face by the time they got to their cars.  He wanted to help.  For that, we are extremely grateful.

We live in a world that, despite all the ‘connections’ and ‘links’ and ‘friends’ we think we have due to the Internet, is actually increasingly isolated.  People are on the other side of a screen or on a paper on a wall and most of us are content to leave them “there” and do little or nothing to help when trouble arises.  We love our daughter, despite her poor choices, and the fact that she was missing was one of the most wrenching experiences of our lives.  When she was found, it was through the efforts of many who cared, for her and for us.  We all need to find a way to care more, because it is only through caring for each other, for friends and strangers both, that the world will become a better place.