Missing Brother

[boz130]

Hey, guys: I did a workshop this week @ the Mid-American Greek Council Assn. meeting here in the Chicago area, and one of the attendees was a member of Sigma-Rho @ Missouri/Kansas City.

He informed me that the following Chicago Tribune story has pertinence to us as LCA members:

The parents of a teenager who disappeared while visiting Chicago last year said Wednesday (Jan. 24) they are offering $5,000 for information leading to his return.

Jesse Ross, 19, who was attending a four-day model United Nations conference downtown, was last seen about 3 a.m. Nov. 21.

Surveillance video last captured images of the University of Missouri-Kansas City sophomore at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 E. North Water St., where he was attending two conference events, including a dance. Chicago police have said some other attendees said Ross appeared drunk shortly before his disappearance.

Police divers have scoured the Chicago River and Lake Michigan shore, but they found nothing, spokeswoman Monique Bond said. Police most recently have searched the lakefront by helicopter during training missions and consider the investigation ongoing, she said.

Ross' parents said they remain hopeful that their son is alive and were buoyed by the recent report of two missing boys being found alive near St. Louis, one who was gone for four years. The possibilities of what happened to Ross in such a large city seem endless, especially because "you never know what's in a teenager's head," said his father Don Ross, 58, of Raytown, Mo.

"It's a little bit of a survival technique, but we consider anything but him being found [alive] unacceptable," he said. "To us, he will be coming home. We won't think otherwise until someone proves otherwise."

The reward money was raised from a variety of sources, including Ross' school, which has sold T-shirts that include his photo and the words, "Where's Opie?"--a nod to the nickname Ross used on a Kansas City radio show.

Some sort of advertising is likely to follow, Don Ross said, which could include ads on the sides of city buses. "Being in Kansas City, we need all the help we can get," he said.

The TV show "America's Most Wanted" also has taken note, detailing Ross' disappearance on its Web site.

Ross' parents plan to celebrate his birthday Feb. 18 at one of his favorite Italian restaurants.

"We'll celebrate every birthday until he is home," Don Ross said. "You can't allow any room for pessimism, or it ends up taking over."

Police have found video of Ross in a hotel elevator shortly before 1 a.m., but they haven't found footage of him leaving the building. He had been staying at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 630 N. Rush St., about half a mile away, but there is no evidence he made it back.

This was a sad story to begin with, but learning that the young man is an Associate Member @ Sigma-Rho adds some poignance...