Whereabouts of missing persons remains mystery

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PORT JERVIS – Two Port Jervis women and one from Rock Hill, NY are among missing persons and time-intensive searches conducted locally over past months – and years.  For those waiting for answers about their loved one, the process has felt excruciatingly frustrating and slow. One other Port Jervis woman was found dead.

Shaniece Harris of Rock Hill, then-31, was last seen May 29, 2017, her abandoned car found two days later in a remote neighboring area.  Harris is listed on the FBI’s Missing Person list, New York Field Office, with a $10,000 reward.

Shaniece Harris

The three Port Jervis cases originated late spring into summer of last year.

A flyer drop was hosted in this new year by HopeAlive845, hoping to gain help from the women’s hometown communities.  Hope Alive assists in searching for missing, kidnapped, trafficked, or exploited children and adults in what founder Domingo Ramos says is a 24-hour-a-day mission.

While life circumstances of a missing person may be diverse, including leaving by choice or force, Ramos stressed that a missing person’s situation is never judged by anyone in this group.

“Anything can happen out there.  We’re here simply to find and help bring them home,” Ramos said.

Ramos, along with families, other groups, and law enforcement agencies, urges anyone who knows anything to share that information.

“Cooperation between communities, law enforcement, and families in working together are key to solving a case,” Ramos said.  “If you know something, no matter how big or small, say something. We’re here to help.”

From Port Jervis, NY:

Brittany Hendershot:  Twenty-one-year-old Brittany Hendershot of Port Jervis was last seen by her mother, Crystal Hendershot, on June 23, 2022.  Tragically, her body was discovered in a wooded area in Wallkill nearly two months later.  Brittany, a Port Jervis High School Class of 2019 graduate, had become a mother herself on May 8, 2022 – Mother’s Day. Mother and daughter worked together at Best Western in Matamoras, PA, which is where Crystal last saw her daughter on June 23 when Brittany picked up her paycheck.  On July 5, Crystal filed the first of two Missing Person reports with Port Jervis Police Department.  Five weeks later, on August 15, 2022, Brittany’s body was found. Her date of death remains officially as August 15, but her parents say they were told by police that she likely died in late June or early July.

Brittany’s family adamantly believes her death to be criminal in nature.  New York State Police Information Officer Trooper Steven Nevel and Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler both stress that while the case remains open with no forensic conclusion as of yet, evidence and proof must exist to prove wrongdoing in any case.

Brittany’s family attribute problems she encountered post-graduation to falling in love with a controlling boyfriend, one who later admitted to being an active drug user.

“I know in my heart he had something to do with it, like I knew in my heart all along that there was something wrong.  When I continued not to hear from her, I filed a second police report.  Brittany deserves justice, and I know she will get it,” Crystal said.

Crystal said that while her boyfriend was a drug addict, Brittany did not use drugs.

“They can look at all of her school records, her records from the hospital, from her doctor appointments when she was pregnant, and any of her other doctor appointments. There were never any drugs in her system.  She did not take drugs,” Crystal said.  “There will be justice for Brittany.  It will take some time, but justice will be served. I know it.”

Heather Callas:    Heather Callas, age 28 and the mother of five young children – at the time all under age 11 – was last in touch with her family on June 18, 2022.  A missing person report was filled with Port Jervis Police on August 1, 2022. Prior to disappearing, Heather had been known to have past drug problems and to leave for brief periods of time, but never at length. Around the time of her disappearance, her family had gone through a tough time, including some battling Covid 19.  The three oldest of Heather’s children were being raised by her grandparents, with help from her mother. The youngest two with a foster family. On June 13, Heather’s 63-year-old grandmother died.  Five days later Heather was gone.

“Heather called me to pick her up just as the funeral service for my mother was going on, on June 17,” recalled Heather’s mother, Melissa Hadden.  “The next day, June 18, she came to our house to see how everyone was doing, and then left for Peenpack Trail (Town of Deerpark).  No one in our family has seen or heard from her since.”

According to William Callas, Heather’s grandfather, his granddaughter was picked up by taxi several days later, June 20, on Big Pond Road in Huguenot.  She was dropped off near the Family Dollar store in Port Jervis.  This is her last known local sighting. While Callas initially left home voluntarily, her family and friends have had no interaction since then, a circumstance they find very alarming.

Hadden did receive a photo of her daughter standing in a New York City hotel room with an unidentified man last summer. She said she can see what appeared to be drugs in the background of that photo.

“I was told the person in the picture was going to help Heather.  But we haven’t heard anything at all from her. Heather wouldn’t just leave her children and not come back.  She has so many friends, and someone absolutely knows something.  They’re just not saying it.” said Hadden. “We’re doing all we can to also try to find her ourselves, but no one is giving us any answers.”

Port Jervis Police Lieutenant Christopher Sargente said his agency initiated an extensive investigation following Callas’ reported disappearance.  This included PJFPD officers and detectives, Town of Deerpark, Town of Mamakating, Middletown, Wallkill, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Dingman Township, New York State Police, and Allentown Police Departments, and in working with Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler’s Office, HopeAlive845, and other local law enforcement partners.

“We were able to determine that Heather was in Brooklyn, NY as recently as the last week of July 2022.  We have filed several legal processes with assistance from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and are awaiting returns from multiple sources of potential information,” Sargente said.  “As this case is ongoing and it is our policy to not publicly release case specific details of a pending investigation, I cannot provide any further information as doing so risks undermining the investigation.”

He also urges anyone with any information to share it.  Tips may be called in to PJPD at 845-856-5101 or shared with HopeAlive845 at 845-866-0442.

Melissa Conklin:  Melissa Conklin, age 30 and the mother of four children, last spoke with her family on August 31, 2022.  She was reported missing to Port Jervis Police Department on January 5, 2023.

According to PJPD Lieutenant Chris Sargente, Conklin initially left voluntarily.  She was believed to have traveled to the City of San Diego, CA and is known to have been living in San Diego.  This is where the missing person investigation is now based.

Information received from several lifelong friends of Conklin state that she was raised in foster care with several brothers.  Her own four children are also being raised by the same foster family.  Attempts to reach her Orange County foster family and her Port Jervis biological mother were unsuccessful.

Conklin’s friends say it is very out of character for her to remain out of touch, and while she may have left voluntarily, they find it very concerning not to hear from her through present.

“I’m just worried she may have gotten into something she couldn’t get out of.  People don’t just fall off the face of the Earth, never to be heard from again,” said a lifelong friend.  “Something is definitely not right.”




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