Police, Fire and Emergency services tell the public time and time again that "Time is of the essence!" "If you suspect a problem, call us immediately." But, when you do, they don't want to hear it. These public agencies put up barrier after barrier -- apparently to avoid having to actually do some real work. I can think of no other reason. BOTH Police Agencies blew it big time. If they followed procedures, then those procedures need to be changed ASAP!! There is absolutely zero excuse for all the delay. None. Somebody's head should roll for this fiasco!

This is both and amazing survival story as well as a tragic mishandling of the King County police department. There is absolutely no reason why it should have taken 8 days to find this woman. I drive highway 169 every morning on my way to work, and knowing that poor woman was dying in a ravine as I drove past her each day makes me sick. Shame on the King County sheriff's department. We need to see some immediate changes made.

So Bob and Suzanne, since you both have such a strong opinion on the matter Im sure you have looked up the stats on how many times cases like this are bogus. I agree that this is a terrible ordeal for tonya and her family, and I feel really bad for her. But what do you want? do you want them to get a search party to search the entire stretch of her 20 mile drive home immediately? Helicopters and all? How many times do you think the police have done that exact thing only to find out that the missing person just didnt feel like coming home and ran off somewhere? Especially when there is incredible stress finacially as explained in the blog. So instead of criticizing the police, why dont you thank them for the job they do. If you actually worked on the street you would see what kind of crap the police put up with day in and day out, then they have to deal with people like you guys playing armchair quarterback. Also, why was fire and emergency services brought into this? It seems like they were only called when the car was found and they responded right away, and FOLLOWED THEIR PROTOCOLS getting the tonya to the appropriate facility as quickly as possible. And before you question me, I am a Paramedic and I have been working on the streets for 4 years now.

King County should just settle out of court now because this family deserves all they can get.

Step off, WES, Put your wife in a ravine for eight days !!!

Why couldn't they do the easy quick stuff like pinging the cell phone earlier on? Not asking for the all out helicopter and all.
Armchair quarterbacks are necessary to help give you feedback and help amend protocols even if you don't want to hear it.

Bureaupathy = where the following the rules become more important than why the rules were created in the first place.

Wes,
What kind of an idiot are you? When kids go missing, and when people get lost in the woods, people search for them for weeks...this woman was on a well traveled road...and because of ASSUMPTIONS, she could have died. You CANNOT base one case on other cases. I wouldn't care how many false alarms there are! It was their job to find this woman, not make blanket assumptions that her husband was the culprit or that she voluntarily disappeared! Paramedic or not, it is YOUR JOB NOT TO jump to conclusions or base one case on other cases. If this is the way you think, you have obviously become complacent and need to look for other work!

You remind me of the over worked, under paid doctors that work for the VA and Navy Hospital. They see so many people that they think EVERYONE is a melingerer.

This cellphone "pinging" technology has been very useful for locating missing people in the mountains for search and rescue and coordinates are usually available within minutes.

It is not a mishandling by law enforcement. In Washington, it is not illegal for an adult to just walk away, which is the "assumption" most of the time unless there are other circumstances. Unfortunately there isn't enough money or manpower for the sheriff's office or law enforcement to follow up and locate the "ping" of every cell phone of every missing person. If it upsets you, then contact your legistlature and request a change. The problem is law enforcement costs money and not many want to have their sales tax or property tax increase. So until you are ready to ante up, just be thankful this woman was found alive.

Thank you barb, That is almost exactly what I was going to say. People are so quick blame law enforcemnt. I cant even imagine what tonyas husband is feeling right now, thinking that the cops didnt believe his story. Im not judging Tom in any way shape or form, but how he acted (exactly same way myself or any other innocent spouse would act) doesnt necessarily mean hes not lying. I AM NOT ACCUSING TOM OF ANYTHING. The police cannot just believe the word of the spouse then drop that investigation. The spouse in cases like this are almost always investigated as a suspect, because in most cases THEY ARE THE SUSPECT. NOT IN THIS CASE OBVIOUSLY.

My nephew ran off the road and down a ravine in NY almost a year ago. If not for the "Pinging" technology, he might not have been found for days as well. In his case it took 24 hours but unfortunately, he was dead. At least his mom and dad had closure. sooner.

I live about 4 miles from where this happened. I, too, have talked to the non-caring KC Police dispatchers who answer 911 calls. THEY S*CK to put it mildly. Populations in unincorporated King County are growing rapidly and the police obviously do not have the resources to serve it's citizens properly. This case is a prime example of the kind of negligence people outside of incorporated areas deal with daily.

You people are acting like the cops KNEW this woman was in dire straits but couldn't be bothered to go and get her. How many of YOU went out looking for her? Or do you feel someone shouldn't bother to lift a finger unless they're gettng paid to? That money that pays for a police force(or lack thereof) comes from those pesky taxes you are always complaining about. Accidents happen - this is a terrible terrible accident. I am just so very grateful this poor woman is still alive.

As a mother of two and a sister,a daughter and a wife, I would be willing to see if I was a match for Tonya if she would need a kidney transplant. Someone who survives as Tonya did deserves whatever it takes.

This is a terrible incident, but is running a cell phone ping really that resource-intensive? You'd think that upon contacting the police, the husband would have either been authorized to contact the cell phone provider about the ping itself, or the dispatcher could have gotten them on the line. I know there's the potential for abuse here, but the husband could have been told "hey, her cell phone is pinging from this tower. she's not officially considered missing yet, but if you want to search, this is where she'd be likely to be."

Dont let anyone fool you. A cell phone ping is virtually the same as a text message and NOT RESOURCE INTENSIVE AT ALL. I work for telecom - I know this for a fact. It's a damn shame it wasnt done sooner - and absolutly inexcusable.

Johnny 5, can an average citizen call their cell provider and request a ping on their spouse, or do they really need authorities to do it for them?

Robert. Sorry, I do no know the legality of that. I just know how it "gets done". As far as access to the service...I think that's the contraversial issue here. Try calling a service provider and ask them.

My brother in law travels that road every day as a garbage man and he said there were obvious skid marks where her car vereened off the road. He saw them for days and wondered what they were from. The police said there were no signs of where she went off the road but that is not true.

OK everybody, this is in response to Roberts question. I called up AT&T wireless and asked them how to PHYSICALLY PING a PHONE. The rep i spoke to said that the request MUST come from law enforcement, but that there is no fee associated. And, it gets done right away. So anyone arguing that the TIME, RESOURCES, and MONEY to ping a phone are too great - BS! Of course this may differ from carrier to carrier....but you get the picture. If the police would have gotten onboard quicker...it couldve been done MUCH sooner.

I am so happy she is alive, and I hope and pray she recovers fully! I am absolutely horrified with how this all went down, especially after reading Annie's comment.

Obviously we don't know the details of her condition, but since she is suffering from kidney failure I wouldn't be surprised to read in a follow-up story that she needs a transplant. I urge everyone who reads this to click on www.donatelifenw.org and register to be an organ donor right away (the designation on your driver's license is not official). Tanya and others with organ failure desperately need this.

I want to know why he the husband didn't get out there and look for her why blame some one else??? He would know what road she takes and in 8 days he could of looked at every inch of that road. Nuts to always blameing the other guy.

Folks are quick to blame the police for failing to immediately hunt down a vanished adult when it turns out that the spouse calling for help was (apparently) loving and concerned. One wonders what the reaction would be if the police helpfully tracked down a woman running to escape the clutches of an abusive husband, returning prey to predator, just because he appeared to be loving and concerned.

Darlene, how do you know that the husband didn't look?

Give me a break, Bruce. If she had run away to escape an "abusive husband", she should have reported that to the police. INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY - rmember?!?! You live in the USA. We have to assume that a missing person is ACTUALLY MISSING. And yes, that takes WORK. But it is our DUTY as CITIZENS to help one another. THATS WHAT THE POLICE ARE THERE FOR!!!

Well, for everyone that thinks it's rediculous how long it took just to run a ping on the cell phone... write your representatives / senators / etc. I just wrote my senator. You'd think the laws could be changed to allow for a cell phone ping upon filing a missing persons report...

Couple of thoughts. They were both working 2 jobs and it took HIM 3 days to report her missing. If they are so close, would they not have been chatting SOMETIME during those three days, on breaks, lunch hours, drive times, etc? Why did it take HIM so long to report a concern. Secondly, an adult in America has the right to go anywhere they want without being "tracked" or "hunted" by the police. They tried to explain that to his man, and told him that they are only allowed to look for someone if there is a crime or something suspicious. An adult not coming home is NOT suspicious. If that is true, then everytime I get stuck in traffic, those pesky cops better be pinging my cell phone to find me or I'll sue their pants off as well. I know that it's hard to have something like this happen, but I also am disgusted by this husband for the quick tempered responses on the news, on national news, on internataional news pointing fingers towards the very people who found his wife. I think he should keep his mouth shut in the press and tend to his wife's medical needs.

i dont have the enery to fight everybody...for every good intention - there is somebody who wants to say their civil liberties are in jeopardy. Or somebody who wants to say we're pointing fingers. NO ONE IS ASSIGNING BLAME. But there is CAUSE and EFFECT. yeah...everyone in the king county area could have gone out and looked for her. We might have found her, might not have, some might have gotten killed on the side of the road, looking, by a drunk driver. But it just seems to me, when we have all this AMAZING technology, like the abily to read liscense plates from space, we might enlist the police for use of cell phone pinging when we could have found her in 24 hrs.

I want to go on record to anyone reading this who wants to say Im a prick, or thinks i just am just assigning blame. I have an incredible amount of respect for law enforcement and rescue. They did what they could, i trust, and thank God they did find her. But if we dont learn from these experiences, and use the technoloy that we have created to our advantage - then how are we to avoid this?

I'm done now. My thoughts and prayers to the family.

INADMISSIBLE!!! Questioning the husband while his wife was struggling in the ditch. Isn't this at least ridiculous? They didn't know about the "ping"? Anybody looking for a straight answer, look at Johnny 5' post at 2:39PM

I agree with Darlene. If my husband was missing and I knew the route he would drive, I would have everyone I know looking, I would not wait for the police or anyone else.

Come on, Johnny 5, you have remorses? They just goofed. It's only when police, or doctors, or bridge engineers, or mine engineers goof, people die.

Wes, You need to at least look into it!!! Sure, many are bogus but, what you're saying is to let innocent people die because of it? WRONG! The problem is that law enforcement today wants the easy solution. Go after the husband -- that's the easy target. If it turns out to be something later, its OK that they destroyed his life, let her die and life goes on until the next missing person. I'm sorry but look at the fire department. They make runs all the time every day but how many homes burn down in a day? It's part of the job. Maybe law enforcement should just say, "If you have a problem, 'Don't call us'"

The problem is not with law enforcement! The problem is with policy! Policy is set by the legislature and by the courts. Law Enforcement has to follow the protocols when it comes to a missing adult. Why? Because people have a right to be private in their own affairs. The vast majority of the time when a person is reported missing it is because they are doing something they have the right to do! What happened to Tonya Rider is unfortunate but law enforcement is not to blame. Why couldn't her family do more? The husband knew the route she took coming home from work. Why didn't he and his friends and relatives do more to look around? Law Enforcement agencies receive hundreds of missing person and runaway reports each month. They do the best they can but if they don't follow the protocols then they get sued for violating someone's rights. Educate yourself on the law and pubic policy before you blame the police!

I'm going to have to agree with Mary on this one. Regardless of how much two people are working, they should be at least comunicating with each other "once in awhile"! If I didn't hear from my fiancee for 1 or 2 days, I would be calling law enforcement way before the 3rd day!
Yes, maybe it seems like the authorities were dragging their feet, but there is such a thing as protocal! The sherrifs dept. explained it pretty thoroughly on the news.
Godspeed to Tonya and her family.

Have you heard something called the third world country? The whole thing is very typical there.

The members of the police and fire departments must feel terrible knowing that they had the means of saving this woman yet she suffered for 8 days. Since they are responsible to the public, I'm sure they'll explain their actions, but I'm also sure that they'll make changes in their missing person protocols from now on. We all live and learn, but usually the lessons aren’t this tragic.

If you want changes to the protocol and then vote for new Supreme Court Justices!

If thay new she had a cell phone why didn't act on that 8 days ago? as always nobody knows what the outher hand is doing.the family is in our prays

Well look at this the police force use many man hours suspecting the spouse and not taking a little time to back track her normal route she drives,maybe then just maybe they would have found her within 2 or 3 days and maybe things could have turned out better.

How many more people will die while family are trying to locate a loved one and the cell phone record was all that was needed to find the person/persons?

The family that became lost in Oregon about a year ago, same thing, cell phone company employee finds the location, but it is too late or almost too late. Law enforcement needs a two prong system. Investigate the partner and use all available means to locate the person. Law enforcement is under no obligation to reveal the "private" record if need be. The current policy needs to be revisited. The technology is there, law enforcement ignorance should not excuse using resources properly. Last time in Oregon it was bumbling law enforcement and hotels and cell phone people being slow to give info and someone died.

The excuse about privacy does not hold an ounce of water. No evidence of this person leaving voluntarily. Law enforcement can analyse the data and locate. King County, it is time to modernize your policies!!!!

Mark

Wes is an idiot.

Wes is an idiot.

Wes is an idiot.

Mark,
To bad you don't have a clue! Our Supreme Court has already ruled that adults have a right to privacy in missing persons cases and if there are no exigent circumstances that meet the protocals law enforcement is limited in what they can do. Furthermore, you claim that law enforcement can keep the "info" private if they find the person is okay and engaged in personal conduct... have you ever heard about public disclosure laws? I have news for you pal, if law enforcement conducts an investigation, anyone can request a copy of the report via the public disclosure act! The only thing that doesn't hold water is your ignorance!

Ok, I am a 911 dispatcher. We get calls everyday about people who are "missing" and 9 times out of 10 it is VOLUNTARY. I am not trying to take from the pain that he is feeling. But if we were to do a Search and Rescue everytime someone went missng, we would be wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars! About the cell phone "ping", information like that is personal info, we can not just go in and say "ping this cell phone" there are hoops that law enforcement has to go through. Court orders to get and the such. When we get a report of missing person, no matter what the circumstance, we put out an ATL (attempt to locate) otherwise known as an APB. This is the best that Law Enforcment can do until we know if it is "voluntary" or not. We have to look at the WHOLE picture, and sometimes it could take 3-4 days before we can get a court order for the cell phone "ping". I understand both sides of the issue. But I wish everyone would understand that is not Law Enfoecements fault. There hands are tied. Please do not think that the Police are not doing there jobs, They have to jump through "hoops" just like everyone else!~

To Darlene Munroe: I read on the King 5 website that her husband DID go out and look for her and drive up and down Hwy. 169 8 times during the past week. Don't be so quick to judge him. Anyone in the state of mind he was probably in was not capable of finding the crash site. My heart goes out to them and I hope she is able to pull through this.

Okay, the first role of law enforcement as taught at the police academy is "to protect and serve" - it is the role of law enforcement to help those who are in need, it is a role that is little understood in these times. Yes, there are thousands of situations that turn out to be nothing, but that is the role of law enforcement and I would rather see hundreds of cases that turn out to be bogus than just one case where a life is lost because law enforcement did nothing. The husband in this case had the authority to request release of the phone records for the "ping" from the onset of this situation - without a legal authority to release those records the Sheriff Department would have needed probable cause and a court order, but they didn't need that - they had the husband. There are no hoops for law enforcement to jump through whether in this case or other cases, law enforcement has extensive resources to do their jobs, to claim otherwise is merely an unacceptable excuse. I am troubled by the 911 operator - when did 911 start taking police reports on missing persons - that is the job of law enforcement, not 911 operators. If this is happening the King County Council needs to address this issue. Protocol, better know as department policy is not made nor governed by the legislature, it is made and governed within local and county law enforcement. Our State Legislature on the other hand is responsible for making laws such as the criminal laws, not department policy, they have nothing to do with missing person policy. If you want changes in those areas contact your local law enforcement agencies and City or County councils. While all law enforcement agencies have internal policies, all law enforcement officers must be able to exercise good judgement and the ability to bypass policy, which is only a guideline and they are all given that latitude. In other words, all officers can use discretionary judgement in all cases. It is irresponsible for Sheriff Rahr to now mislead the public on the use of the cellphone technology to make it appear as though their hands were tied - correct information is power and the public deserves the truth - the Sheriff Department did not have any hoops to jump through in this case, they had a husband who could have given permission and I have no doubt the Sheriffs Department knows that. Misleading the public on this important issue is negligent and could once again lead another citizen into believing that there are imaginary hoops for law enforcement to jump through - it can mean the difference between life or death.

Goodness, This is a sad story, I would be out of my mind if my partner went missing. I really couldn't speak as to how I would react because I, nor any of us could really know, but a missing adult is not the same as a missing child. Law enforcement and emergency services do not have the resources to be chasing "ghosts". Adults do have free will, money, cars, and the ability to up and leave.

It dismays me that most of you who are bashing the police for not doing enough, or not doing it fast enough, let me point out that the husband does have some culpability here, he did not notify the police, according to King.com story this is linked to, until she had been missing for 3 days.

Policy must be followed and scenarios must be explored, for the protection of all involved. We have all seen the news stories of runaway brides and husbands killing their pregnant wives, these are realities of the times we live in.

One last note for those of you that think the system doesn't work or works to slow, you all need to stop getting all your legal knowledge from re-runs of Law & Order, real life does not happen in 42 minutes.

wes you are an idiot they had someone spot her, then call it in and these people trained to save us couldnt find her 400 yards away and still she lay there. shame on you wes, shame on you for defending people who left her there to die

With so many police on the streets, one must begin to wonder what they are being paid to do. When you need them they are never around, but if you try to get them involved, well, foreget it. Look at the enforcement on north Aurora Ave-open drug deals all the time and the cops just drive by. I think there is real truth in the adadge about cops and donuts. It is sad that anyone would be forced through such an ordeal because of a bureaucratic policy that seems designed to make life easier for the cops. I am glad I no longer live in this country.

Typically, any missing person becomes "missing" after 48 hours. meaning a seach party should've started on Sat. morning. It wouldn't be that hard to see her car in the ravine with a helicopter. I think what some people miss is that Tom Rider told investigators that this bank account was only Tanya's account, when in reality, Tom had access to it as well. So in a way, it was Tom's fault for lying to authorities. But still, she could've been found very easily on Sat. They wouldn't be able to find her on thursday or friday because it hadnt been 48 hours since nobody has seen her. Another point is that I live in Maple Valley and travel that road quite a bit. If she left work at 9am she would've been in that area around 9:30-9:45. It is surprising to me that nobody saw her considering how many people travel that road. In addition, there is a pedestrian trail that goes alongside of maple valley highway (SR 169) from renton all the way to maple valley. Its surprising that nobody saw her vehicle from there.

One last opinion is that possibly they could ping a missing person's cell phone several times to determine if the person is moving. There are pros and cons to this. If the person is not moving, you would be able to locate him/her if s/he were in danger. But its possible s/he might have ditched the phone. Or a kidnapper ditched it. If the phone was still moving, either s/he is leaving voluntarily, or s/he is being kidnapped and is in real danger. Just a couple things to think about.

I love how every day citizens pretend to know all about law enforcement and laws. Lawyers have to go to school for years to be able to practice law. Police officers have to go through training to enforce the laws and the average citizen watches law and order and CSI to get their knowledge.

Stop attacking policies and practices and a job you know NOTHING about.

The next time I am served a whopper from all you know it alls I will make sure to tell you how to put it together....

We are all too quick to point fingers. The whole story never comes out. If at any time any one of us strongly felt they knew the exact location of Tanya I cannot imagine they would not have checked it out themselves.

Some find it easy to criticize law enforcement and the fire fighters for not doing their job. Every day they are out their for our protection, it is also the job of the citizens to keep our eyes and ears open too.

Next time if you see something unusual, check it out. We cannot be afraid to go out of our safety zone to save the life of another.

The outcome is what is is at this time. Change the future not the past.

Something to consider: if it were the spouse of the sheriff, police chief, mayor, or govenor would the police response have been the same. These persons are also free adults, but no stone would be left unturned if they went missing.

For Jackie,
911 operators do not take the actual report. We take the phone call with all the information, give it to the police, and then The police then have us send out the ATL. We take the initial report and gather as much information as we can, It is like that everywhere. I do not work for king county. Also, not all law enforcement agencies have "the resources" you speak of.Most agencies have a search and resuce team. However,Those Teams cost money which comes out of the taxpayer's pocket. I can not speak for King County and what they did. I can say that I am sure they did what they could with the information that they had. (ie: the bank account that had been used.) Also, I do not know the policies of every dept. But our department does not wait 48 hours. Our officers take the report, we get the information dissimenated to all other Law Enforcement agencies in the area. Most agencies do not have the resources to stop taking all other calls to focus on one call. Unfortunatley criminals dont care what kind of important call you have...crime still happens, and the officers still have to respond. It is very selfish for anyone to think that one report of a missing person should shut the police force down to focus just on the one. I can tell you that our agencey does everything it can do to locate a missing person, but if an "in progress" call comes in, that takes priority. Again, I dont how King county handled the situation. But please, do not lump all agencies into one nut shell.

I live in the UK and over here we have the available to us cell phone tracking. The owner of the cell phone has to authorize to be tracked, but then any member of the family can find out where that phone is. This is great for keeping track of loved ones. Why is this facility not available in the US?The cost is very small only a couple of dollars to register and then 50c per track.

ok why are we arguing she's alive! that's what really matters. the outcome could have been bad but she had courage that none of us could show.

King county, as well as pierce county, sheriff departments are among the most worthless and lazy agencies in the state of washington. You report a crime and they ignore you, you report sexual harassment and death threats, they ignore you. Yet they have all the time in the world to harass innocent people and make threats against people they are angry with (for reporting their harassment and threats towards innocent citizens)

And the state wonders why they cannot recruit people to become police officers. The answer is that people do not want to be part of the lazy, corrupt police forces that infest washington state.

For Tonya,
My apologies, it was not clear that you did not work for King County and I did not mean to lump all agencies into one. In explaining how these calls are handled through your agency, I conclude that your explanation is the norm - King County is far from the norm with a history of not putting public safety first - no roll call, no officer performance reviews, no accountability as a whole -serious management problems. Having worked in law enforcement, the agency I worked for would have disseminated the information right away as well, even though a person may not be officially a missing person until 48 hrs, patrol officers in the vicinity can/should be made aware and to keep their eyes open - what possible harm, it has nothing to do with privacy. I believe quick dissemination is the standard. It does not mean that a police department must shut down to look for someone - patrol officers are already in the field working their assigned areas and when they are not on a call it doesn't take much to look for possible signs of an accident on a route someone would have traveled or keep their eyes open for the vehicle. Of course, when an emergency call comes in all necessary officers are dispatched to handle the situation which takes priority - that being said most time in a patrol car can be uneventful and simply making the information available to officers on patrol in an area where someone may be missing or need help puts a patrol officer on alert and a good officer will go looking and use their own logic to try to solve the situation. That is the role as a police officer - again first thing learned in the academy is "protect and serve". It is not the fault of the King County deputies because it is clear the information was never disseminated and that is what is inexcusable. There was another case in King County several years ago where King County also failed to respond and the person was found in their wrecked car about a week later - that person was also luckily found alive by her own family while King County spent their time trying to convince the family that she was a runaway. Clearly, the manner in which King County handles these cases need to be reviewed and restructured. As far as the "resources" I was referring to, my reference was directed more toward informational resources rather than financial - technology such as cell phones, especially when the husband of the missing person is also the owner of the cell phone and can give immediate permission to have it pinged. I would believe that most police agencies would have been quick to access that information. It is troubling to me to watch King County Sheriff Rahr make the public believe their hands were tied, when they had the technology resources and regular patrol deputies working the route this woman would have taken. This should never happen to a citizen - we can and must do better.

Law enforcement needs to recognize that family members will know when there is something wrong. Especially in this case, they should not have disregarded Tom Rider's concerns. Sheriff Rahr is quoted as saying her office "is bombarded with missing-persons reports, up to 700 a year." I may be naive and don't know law enforcement operations, but simple math tells me that is less than 2 calls per day. That doesn't seem like an office that is "bombarded" to me. Why was he getting a polygraph test to prove he had nothing to do with it and that they should be looking for his wife?

Jackie, I agree whole heartedly! I am glad that I do not work for an agency like that..My heart goes out to the family and other families that this has happened to. I am a victim as well. I had a cousin go missing in February, the police found his car with his wallet and everything in it as well as three transients who were sleeping in it. My cousins body was found in July floating in a river. The police are saying they suspect no foul play. There are other circumstances surrounding his disappearnce, but I would rather not get into that at this point. Again, I agree. I pray that Tanya gets well very soon.

I expect to get blasted, but here goes. I am a retired King Co 911 dispatcher, working there for almost 20 yrs. The 911 non-emergency operators do take the missing persons/runaway reports, I have taken as many as 8-10 myself on one shift. There are the previously discussed guidelines in place because of the privacy and anti-harassment laws that exist. Usually, when an adult missing report is taken with unusual circumstances, that info is broadcast or messaged to the units in the field by the dispatcher. The current missing persons report policy was started in the Green River Task Force days with slight changes being made since then to comply with the law. In those days there was a large interagency squad to handle the cases. Now there probably aren't more than a couple of officers for missings. The domestic violence laws are very strict, police need a court order to find out if someone has contacted a shelter for assistance. Believe me, not all DV victims call the police, they just want to fall off the face of the earth. It is extremely difficult to determine who may or may not be a DV victim. And, due to privacy and confidentiality laws, it is harder for police to get information than it is for a private person to do so. No, "pinging" isn't expensive or time-consuming as long as you have an overriding legal right to ask for it. It's jumping through the legal hoops that is time consuming. Also remember, each case is different, so what applies to one doesn't cover the needs of another. There has to be consistency for accountability, and I believe that if the whole timeline were analyzed we would see that everything possible was done properly. Will this change some things? Maybe, if there is a better, legal, time-efficient way to do it.

I was very shocked at the husbands' response when his wife was finally found alive. My gut feeling was "How dare you focus on criticizing the law enforcement/EMS when your wife was found alive?" I get the distinct feeling that he is just looking for a lawsuit, they wouldn't have to work 2 jobs each. I know that sounds cruel and I am not saying they orchestrated the whole scenario but he really changed his tune (even though he is partially at fault for not reporting for 3 days)after she was rescued. All of a sudden now it is the sheriff/EMS fault? I applaud Wes for writing because I am a psych nurse/prison nurse and I am continually reminded of the reality of how the human mind works and how society now takes things for granted, looks for the easy way out,and won't accept responsibility for their actions. The public just doesn't know what really goes on in a situation like this. I will be interested to hear your comments because I know they are coming. I will also be interested to see what comes of this and what information we don't know yet that will put law inforcement in the right!

And by the way to the "garbage man" who saw the tracks - there was absolutely no indication, no tracks, brake marks etc showing that her car veered off the road. That is literally the ONLY spot on the highway without a guard rail, so if Tom truly searched the whole stretch of highway, he should have found her too. I agree with someone above who said that if it were MY loved one, I would have been out there every day looking for her and not just critize all the agencies that did or did not help.

As a wife of a cop, I'm so sick of everyone blaming the police etc here. They DO care and they DO a wonderful job. Think of that the next time you need their help and they show up. Just my $0.02.

As both a law enforcement dispatcher and domestic violence survivor, I thank God my exhusband couldn't just call and have me "pinged"! The husband needs to pull his head out and take SOME responsibility. If my husband didn't bother to call or even leave me a message for two days I would definately blame him. Did he not notice that she hadn't been home? Dispatchers get dozens of calls every shift from people looking for someone. Sure protocol could be changed, but if you got a call from a husband who didn't even know his wife hadn't been home, where had he been? Do they both sleep away from home? Too many questions to point ANY fingers. Just be thankful she is alive, and hope they work on their relationship instead of their mortgage!

The husband should just be thankful his wife is alive. The comments he made while being interviewed on television definitely made me think there was so reason why his wife wasn't coming home, or that they were having marital problems. I think the focus should not be on the police but rather on the fact that this woman survived and thinking positive about her recovery from this ordeal. And maybe since the police did find her the husband should donate his REWARD of $25,000 to police search and rescue.

When something tragic like this happens, it's only natural for human beings to point a finger... make someone responsible for this terrible incident. If we put our fingers down, we would see that bad things happen every day... this story has a HAPPY ending. Not every story ends where the missing person is found, let alone found alive. We should all be thankful. I wish her and her family the best of luck.

How is it that we continually excuse the Fire Department for not doing their jobs in these situations? I was a fire fighter for a medium-sized town near Olympia 15 years ago when, while responding to a medical call, I saw a car in the ditch (upside down) with it's lights on. The night was cold and I asked my Lieutenant (I was the Engineer) if we should stop and he replied that "If they needed us, they'd call us". We handled the original call and passed by the car on the way back to the station. The lights were still on, just dimmer. I figured the Lt. must have been correct as we'd heard nothing on the radio... Until four hours later when a "civilian" driving past called 911 and the driver was found dead in the car. She had died from "hypothermia". The reality is that when we drove past earlier that night, she had probably been alive and salvagable. Our complacency likely killed her.

A fire truck responded to this scene and did not fully investigate the accident. The blame can be squarely laid there.

I welcome your thoughts...

To Jackie,
You say that "protocols" (you equate to policy) are developed by the police department and not the legislature. You are wrong. The courts create "case law" and the legislature pass criminal AND civil laws (ever heard of the WAC and C.R.) that regulate government policy. The policy that King Co followed in this case is universal throughout the state? Why? Because our Supreme Court found that there is a right to privacy in situations involving missing adults. Police Departments THROUGHOUT the state formulated the missing person protocol based on these decisions from our state courts and legislature. I do not work for or in King Co, but I can tell you that Sue Rahr explained the protocol precisely. Again, these protocols are universal throughout the state. Moreover, you mention that the police did not need a warrant because they had the husband to sign a release. How do you know this? Let's hear your legal reasoning! If the wife had her own phone account, I doubt the police would have access to her account just on the husband's say-so! Let's discuss fact and not fiction. If changes need to be made, then let's identify where they need to be made based on factual legislation and case law and not conjecture.

Devin, That is a terrible story about the flipped car, and it is unexcusable. I have been in the EMS field for over 4 years now and I cant think of a single firefighter that would just drive by a scene like that. And I know some old grumpy firefighters! That is one thing I dislike about the fire service is that its the officers (lieutenent/captain etc)way or the highway, even when they are dead wrong! But to defend the fire crew that responded to tonyas accident scene, It does not surprise me in the least that they didnt do a complete search of the area. Im working for an agency on the olympic peninsula and we probably get a call every couple days from a passerby on a cell phone that noticed a car in the ditch and called 911 but didnt want to stop and check it out. Or somebody sees a reflection of something down in a ditch, but again doesnt want to stop, so they just call 911 and it ends up being a piece of whatever. When people say police and fire departments are getting complacent, Maybe they should step back and look at the big picture. The average civilian could do a lot more to help out the police and fire departments, but of course thats not the easiest way. The simple way out is to just call 911 and have somebody else deal with it. So next time you think something needs to be done, feel free to help out. Police officers paramedics and firefighters are human just like everybody else.

And before somebody says BUT ITS THEIR JOB DUMBASS!, just remember that we dont have a crystal ball, and we cant see or find everything that ever happens.

All this second guessing is crazy and this is what will happen...The story will be in the news another couple of weeks..The general public will be onto the next big story, the husband will sue the Sheriff's Office, King County will settle (they always do whether wrong or right)..and nothing will change!!! If it did, the ACLU will pipe up. Then the police will get sued again. No wonder the police departments don't have the budget for a fully staffed missing person unit (or even department).

The husband has already said he had no intention of suing anybody.

I feel sorry for the guy, because from the look of the timeline, he was just swimming in red tape.

The confusion over the bank account access was a bad deal, as was "Roxanne" from Fred Meyer's comments. Both caused hesitation in the search (though the latter is speculation on my part).

His criticism is warranted, even if no fault is found. It is always okay to scrutinize how your public servants serve you. The end result, hopefully, will lead to more success stories. Just as praise, too, is good where praise is due.

Devin-
Nice job blindly following your Lt. direction. Hope you can live with yourself.

In all this discussion, where it the answer to the question: "Why did she drive off the road?" It seems to me that this would had been a non-issue if she hadn't wrecked, and driving into a ravine at 9:00 AM is not normal driving practice.

The way the case was handled seems fair and right to me, in light of all the reasons someone might NOT want to be found. Tom Rider needs to be thankful his wife is alive and stop blaming the system. It will be interesting to hear from the victim herself if and when she's well enough. I hope she will celebrate her miracle!

The way the case was handled seems fair and right to me, in light of all the reasons someone might NOT want to be found. Tom Rider needs to be thankful his wife is alive and stop blaming the system and trying to deflect any personal scrutiny. It will be interesting to hear from the victim herself if and when she's well enough. I hope she will celebrate her miracle!

Everyone here should read the article on SeattlePI.com - http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/333837_rider02.html

Then reconsider your blaming of law enforcement and defense of this husband... with all due respect, he is NOT very bright as you will see from this article! Renting an $685 excavator with "Tonya's" bank account after reporting her missing? Not knowint his wife's parents names? They were married 8 years!!!

The more I read about this, the more I begin to wonder whether the husband actually wanted his wife found. Found alive, that is.
1) He waited three days before notifying police that she was 'missing'.
2) He told the police that he didn't have access to her bank account, then after stating that, made three separate transactions on said account, thereby making the authorities belive she is out there because she apparently was using her bank account in a 'typical manner'.
3) Two days later, he goes "oops, I forgot ... I do have access to the account ... and all those transactions were actually made by me ... my bad, sorry".
Maybe it's just my 'seen too many episodes of CSI' layperson's mentality, but that just seems sort of suspicious to me.

It is funny to me how quick people are to have a strong opinion on this matter. Sure I agree that a cell phone location should be easier to get, and that is fine to pursue these laws. But to place all blame on the county and none on the husband, who seemed to be a bit laid back as well, my husband and I went through tough finacial times, and worked alot, but I ALWAYS knew where he was and if he has been home, so the entire case is odd, and there are always things that can be done differently, but the family does not deserve any money from the county!

I am happy to see that so many of you have your head out of your ass and can look at this objectively. I read that the husband is upset because his wife blames him and won't talk to him. Gee, that is a little telling don't you think? She also has a mental illness per the reports and they also said she was isolative. Aren't women who are in controlling marriages usually isolated from their family and friends like she was? I would like to know what all the "activity" on the account was all about. I think my time would be used to do some searching and not going out spending money. One of the first interviews when she was still missing of him spreading straw on his lawn just didn't sit well with me at all. 9 times out of 10 if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck! Just a little food for thought.

Has anyone commented upon the apparent fact the Tanya's car left the road at a right angle with the car pointed downhill?

I would suggest that the "accident" was a deliberate act.

The Sheriff's office is showing considerable restraint by not mentioning this in light of the skewer they are on.

WHY?

The truth behind this story will unfold.