Butler County Families Plead for Law Enforcement and Community Support
May 2, 2022 at 4:01 p.m.
Friends and families of missing persons in Butler County are pleading for support from the community and law enforcement alike to solve the disappearance of their loved ones. Lisa Hyde’s daughter Kara disappeared from Hamilton in December 2021. Lisa says it is time for the community to step up and speak out for justice, when addressing the issue of Butler County residents going missing, Lisa says this. “Maybe sadder still, is the fact that it doesn't look like this is going to change any time soon. Until it does hopefully change, it's going to be up to the community to do a lot of their own work on their own cases. There are just not enough officers or resources available anymore. The saddest part of all is that half the community does not care.”
John Sain, a Private Investigator who has worked on numerous missing person cases from Butler County understands the frustration. “Families of a missing person do become very emotional and may vent to the detective in a confusing and confrontational way, which can cause both sides to become frustrated. There are missing persons everywhere and many have been missing for years, some over 30 years. It's better to have a clear understanding how law enforcement can best serve the family. Families must understand that the detective just can't alway follow up on a lead, it does take some time. The main disconnect between families and Law Enforcement is communication. Families want a faster response to calls and assurance that tips and information are followed up in a timely manner.”
Community members rally around the loved ones of Kara Hyde in hopes of getting answers.
A family member of a missing person who wanted to remain anonymous has not been happy with law enforcement’s investigation. “My biggest issue is the lack of urgency on the detective’s part, and the lack of communication on his part as well. He didn’t call us with new information, didn’t call us when we would provide him with a lead - after he investigated, wouldn’t answer calls or texts, he would take days to get ahold of. At one point we couldn’t get ahold of him and had to be at the police station at 8am when he arrived in order to provide him new information. He was on vacation for the entire first week my family member was reported as missing and the case was still assigned to him. We attempted to contact the investigators several times with zero response back, all while we were out searching and doing the jobs of the detectives. We were not prepared to handle our own case, and that is exactly how we have felt throughout this entire process.” 
Community members gather to search for Curtis Kellums on April 23.
Della McKenney, the aunt of Michael McKenney, has also struggled with feeling ignored by law enforcement. “They need to have something where it can help you know what to do, like a pamphlet or help hotline. At least it would make you feel like you’re doing the right thing. The police really were no help, it was the volunteer groups that helped us with getting Michael in the system. It put family members against each other.”
Gary Hoffman, Michael’s uncle, agrees. “It's pretty simple really, active investigators need to keep up contact with the families, even if they don't have anything new to report, it would give the family a sense that their loved ones are not forgotten. A 2 minute phone call each week would do a world of good. Families in turn need to understand that any lead can't be just randomly gone after, a plan for each lead needs to be planned, search grids, you gotta have a plan, and try to make the best out of each search you do. Everyone wants to help, I've seen a lot of that in the more recent missing persons. It's great to see. We just all need to work together to become a more effective community.”
Yalonda Middleton and Lisa Hyde, mothers of Michael McKenney and Kara Hyde, embrace and support one another.To research your local missing persons cases go to https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Law-Enforcement/Local-Law-Enforcement/Ohio-Missing-Persons or OhioValleyMissing.com. To submit information regarding any of the local missing person cases, contact the investigating agency or the Butler County Sheriff’s Office at (513) 785-1000.