A Mom's Worst Nightmare

I'm posting an email I received from my friend, Mary.  She recently lost her son in such a way that no parent should ever have to experience.  Every child lost is a horrible, crushing, unimaginable thing, but to not be able to obtain help when it is needed by those you put in a position of trust makes the loss that much more difficult to bear.  Please pass her story forward in the hopes that word gets out and no else should ever have to suffer in this manner...

My name is Mary Ethridge. I am a contract registered nurse and was on a contract in Washington D.C. when on  July 23rd my oldest son, Gary, was on the way home to Brookhaven, Ms from work in Dallas, Texas and was  expected around 0500 hrs. He never arrived and after not hearing from him the next day on July 24th his father  and stepmother also became concerned. We then started contacting the local police and sheriff's departments in  Brookhaven and throughout the Texas area starting from Bossier City, La. to Dallas, Texas. To make a long story  short, for 3 days no one would assist us in locating my son, I told them where his last phone conversation was  and where he had reportedly told the girl that he was talking with. He told her that he was coming into Tyler,  Texas. This was at 0107 hrs. on 7/23/06, I felt like that he had an accident and was somewhere in that area off  interstate 20 east and might be hurt. Once again no one believed me and refused to help. We finally were able to  have someone place him on the NCIC report with no help. We called all sheriff's depts., hospitals, jails, wrecking  yards all with no answer and still my 26 year old son was missing. Was told by a Texas patrol that he did not  know what we expected him to do that they were busy with other things and that most missing persons are never  found, and then when he found out that my son worked on an oil rig on land he made the statement that most  oilfieldworkers were famous for drug addiction and would go on binges for 8-9 days and how did we know that  he was not doing that? I know my son, his habits and the fact that he had left messages with his brother and  sister and his kids and made plans. I flew into Jackson, Ms on 7/26/06 from Baltimore, Md, left for Dallas, Texas  to find my son on the afternoon of 7/27/06 with my sister, brother and his wife and my niece, as we were coming  into Tyler, Texas I told my family that I wanted to look on the Eastbound lane of 20 with spotlights just to see if I  could see any disruption or tracks on the side of the road, I felt that if I went on to Dallas that I would be passing  up my child.  We started at the Tyler/Lindale exit at 0100 hrs. on 7/28/06 just driving on the shoulder of the  road with spot lights shining into the bushes and ditches, at 0317 hrs and 23 miles later we found muddy tracks  that left the road and then just disappeared, at the end of the tracks with the spotlights we could see what  appeared to be a maroon car under some tree limbs,  but visible.  It was my son and he had been dead for 5 days  and out in the 100+ degree weather.  I found my son within 2 hours and the law enforcement agencies could not  do it in 5 days.  No mother should ever have to be the one to find her son in that condition that he was,   unrecognizable,  I don't blame anyone for his death but I do blame them for the  disregard to human life.  I had  the Tyler television station ready to air the missing report on 7/25/06, all the Tyler, Texas Hwy Patrol had to do  was verify that he was missing, they refused,  I had Alabama Civil Air patrol ready to fly and assist in finding his  car, all they needed was to be asked, Lt. Tom Smith of Fort Worth, Tx, stated that he didn't feel that it would be  necassary, I had the FBI ready to step in and assist both in Ms and Tx, all that they needed was to be invited by  the local authorities, once again the ball was dropped.  I am not sure what I expect or think you can do, but as  one mother to another no one should ever have to try to deal with this and someone should have found my son  for me.  My son would still be missing and probably would have never been found until the dead of winter and  possibly by hunters.  His car was 30 yards off the interstate and the tracks were clear as day,  but because he was  a 26 year old man, had a minor police record in the past,  he was of no importance.  I was not given the  oppertunity to have closure with my son, I had to have him cremated because there was nothing there to hold the  imbalming fluid, and if I found him in 2 hours in the middle of the night then I know in my heart that if they had  just listened to me and did as I did,  then  maybe I would have been able to say goodbye.  He died 7/23/06 and  was unable to bury him until 8/2/06.  There are a lot more facts to this, and if you feel that it is worth putting  out there to the public I would greatly appreciate it, I want the public to know what they can expect for  assistance if they ever need it and I want everyone to know that my son was a good hard working man that loved his  kids and family and respected everyone.  He never met a stranger.  I hope and pray that no other mother would  have to go what I went through just to bring my child home.

Gary Hughes, II