I believe Lusitania meant no harm with his/her "so pretty" comment - it was just an observation and does not qualify as either "stupid" or "heartless".

But it does give a peek into the mindset of the media when it comes to abductions. The decision to write/publish news articles on a missing person unfortunately has a lot to do with the attractiveness of the person abducted.

Years after the Elizabeth Smart case is settled, the news media still updates me on every change in her life (missionary trips, wedding engagement, etc.)

My fellow Americans... making comments about how this girl looks and dresses. Trailer trash rednecks, the lot of you.

Someones child is missing and you want to talk about how she looks??? Or what headband she has on?

REALLY?????

What is important is APD (Anchorage police department) Has had video of the abduction for 3 days now and will not release even a still photo of the guy!!!!They are hindering the recovery of this girl!!!!!!!

Pretty is everywhere; ugliness is only in the heart.

Up Uranus, what a jerk you are!! Lusitania was only making a comment that she is pretty, not a word implying that less attractive people aren't important, you are the one that wrote that. It sounds like you have issues. Mean people do suck too!! You may be one of them.

Yes, she it pretty - it is just an observation. Sometimes, people find others extremely attractive, and want to share a compliment. Right now, we should not be focused strictly on her looks. However, in a case like this a young attractive female brings much more media attention than the alternative, which is not always ethical, but is beneficial to the beautiful victim and the family.
Let us all hope for a safe return. Poor girl, I can't imagine the horror.
As a female, it frightens me to think that women are brave to go to work at 4ish in the morning, and not to mention alone, to a coffee hut... Safety measures should be sorted out for opening sift baristas.. somehow...

AKRandy, if you spook the guy by putting his face out there, he may kill the girl. Let the police do their jobs and coordinate the efforts as they deem most appropriate.

Uranus, It just might be that kidnappers don't target ugly people" does that make you sad..

I hit a bulls-eye tho when I said mean people suck..Your name suits you well !

That was my question as well...

I was all set to make a scathing comment when I realized that with a person making an implication of this type, it would be a waste of time and set the stage for more idiots to have their moment of fame.

It actually is.

who cares?

pot has 5 leaves (after looking it up on wiki) you could have done the same but instead you wanted to blame the victim here? F off

Probably is a marijuana bandana. marijuana is legal in alaska. You may have in your possession 1 years supply, and may grow it in your own greenhouse. You may not trade with it, barter with it or sell it. If you are stoned and get stopped driving, you get charged with dwi and a $500 fine if i remember correctly from when i was there in 1978.

ebnv

A pot plant leaf has different amount of spreads depending on how old the plant is. It can have up to 11 'leaves' per leaf. It also depends on the male vs female plant- which most people who are interested in cannabis will have more leaves (because the male plant, the one you don't bother with, has a maximum of 5 'leaves', whereas a female, that has the 'buds' that smokers are interested in, has more.)

but instead you wanted to blame the victim here? F off

I didn't see any blaming of the victim- I saw someone simply wondering if her bandana was a weed bandana (which it is.) Get your head out of your ass.

Um, yeah! You need the name if you want to charge $5.00 for coffee! Besides, highly skilled labor. Why else would someone abduct her?

In Anchorage there are drive through coffee carts every few blocks. It is an important part of the story because (and I don't know WHY this is not included) the coffee cart was robbed and she was drug down the street at gun or knife point. She was alone and closing up for the night. They have surveillance video but are not releasing it at this time. Huge gaps in the story! She also recently filed a restraining order against someone but did not show up for the hearing.

"drug" down the street?

Amy has a good point. In Alaska, coffee shops are typically stand-alone shacks (often portable) set up in parking lots or parked along the highway. They aren't attached to other buildings, have standing room for 2-3 baristas, and drive-through windows for customers. Most are independently owned and have their own cutesy names that are a play on words or tribute to local attractions (Common Grounds, Hooked on the Bean, Thanks-A-Latte, Amore Mocha, etc.) and do not have seats, dining space or restroom facilities. It's more like a Burger Bus than a Starbucks or Kaladi Brothers.

Why not? Is it ok to abduct pot heads? No, no it's not. Also, Alaska is a medical marijuana state. Let's hope for this girl's safe return!!

Why not? Is it ok to abduct pot heads? No, no it's not. Also, Alaska is a medical marijuana state. Let's hope for this girl's safe return!!

It doesnt mean she is a pot head either, quite a few people wear it, because its in style. It also matches her hair and shirt..

It's not a pot bandanna. They have plant identification courses at your local Community College.

Keith do you not see where it says Cannabis? Yes it's upside down and inside out but that is what it says. Last time I checked there are two species of pot, Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. I don't need those plant identification courses I have seen plenty of both. It doesn't really matter though because as has been said it is not really relevant to the story.

I really hope they find her soon.

They have plant identification courses at your local Community College.

Maybe you should attend some then, because obviously you've no idea what you are talking about. It is a cannabis bandana, with female cannabis plant leaves on it.

But DanTheManOfVegas is right- it doesn't matter because it isn't relevant to the story.

I do think what Erik Ivarson was saying was the picture they posted, probably not the best to POST a picture of her with a cannabis bandana- some people have that opinion. To others, it doesn't matter.

I just photoshopped the image to check, yes indeed, the image has been flipped.

Hm, or that part of the bandanna with wording is flipped inside-out.

Now if APD would release a picture of the guy who kidnapped her we could catch him!! This is day 3 they need to get this guy quickly!

Just because the word "cannabis" is umop apisdn doesn't necessarily mean the image has been flipped or reversed. You are just seeing the back side of the bandana facing out.

Or maybe folks, she took a picture of herself in the mirror. Which would (ahem) make the word show up backwards. Not a lot of bright folks posting today.

Geeez, folks!! What does one thing [her bandana] have to do with the other [her abduction]???????

Nothing, and I don't think MOST of the people commenting on her bandana are doing such in relation to her abduction- simply commenting on the bandana.

At the scene of an auto accident that occurred at night, are YOU gonna comment on the fact that they should't have been on the road past sunset????

I normally look for various faults when I see various issues (such as accidents) and say (even out loud, if anyone is around) things that could have possibly avoided the incident. However, as I said above, no one who is commenting on her bandana is making reference to her abduction due to it- except for you and a few other people who are TRYING to make it seem like random comments about a bandana are referring to her abduction.....

Grow up!!!

Yes, you really should duuug.

Yup. There's even a syndrome for that now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome

So you're mad she wasn't of a different race?

You know that while complaining about the race thing, you're the one appearing racist, right?

I hope they find her, regardless of her ancestors lineage.

If this didn't happen what would Nancy G and Jane V be ranting about all day?

Glenn: Do something about it!

If I was young and had the computer savvy, I'd have a web site. I'd list all I could about the child. Including any award offered. I'd except donations so I could offer an award on ALL children.

I'd send spam daily with kids pictures.

I tried to get this started years ago. I couldn't find anyone, with the computer knowledge, That really cared enough.

I think the point was that the media tends to have a bias when it comes to reporting on abductions and the like. It happens all the time but it's always the white women or little girls that they hype. The old Asian Granny or little Mexican boy...not so much. Nothing new here.

There are a lot of myth's about the missing white woman syndrome. Many of the missing black and brown children, who are supposedly not covered by the media, are actually adults. Yes, if your 19 year old son or daughter decides to stay at some bum's house without telling you, that does not make it a situation requiring massive media coverage. No, just because you are having a custody and visitation dispute with your ex husband, you do not get to declare the child abducted and have hours of TV coverage. The fact that your drug addicted unemployed 27 year old criminal daughter cannot be found does not equate with a 13 year old honor student not getting home after school.

I remember when all the school shooting were taking place how black parents complained that there was no coverage of the school shootings in their communities. After a competent investigation was done, it was determined they were often talking about shootings that occurred off school property more than a mile away, on the weekends between teenagers who rarely if ever showed up to learn at school. To the black people that was equal to a white student entering a school building and shooting teachers and students.

I lived in Chicago about 1973 when one of my classmates who was of Puerto Rican heritage and about 11 years old did not arrive home on time. There was plenty of police and volunteer searchers that day and the news media showed up. But there was little to report because no one had seen her abducted and taken in a vehicle. They had a description of her to publish and a photo to show. And they did that. It turned out a nationwide alert would have been pointless as it was a nearby neighbor less than a 1/4 mile away, who lured her inside and killed her. No one ignores the real abducted or lost black and brown children or adults. But it makes no sense to excessively cover the other situations, where the person is not so innocent.

I

davidhoffman,

You are an ass. You're implying that missing/abducted whites are covered more often than missing/abducted people of color by the media because they are less likely to be complicit in their own abduction and less likely to be responsible for the situations leading to their abuction. This girl's own story contradicts your so-called observations. She had filed a restraining order, but it was never enforced because SHE failed to show up for the court appearance. So, assuming the possibility that the person for whom the restraining order was intended could also be the person who kidnapped her, according to your argument, she had some responsibility in the events leading to her abduction.

Your unfounded argument combined with the facts of this case that contradict it belies the fact that you are a racist trying to further promote your beliefs to the general population. Poor job.

So for all the people that dont live in Alaska and have a much higher crime rate...you guys are used to people disappearing at a whim. Not here. Sure people go missing in the woods...hunting, fishing or hiking. But ABDUCTIONS do not happen here that often. Last lady who was abducted was in 2007. And she was found deceased a bit later. Ive lived in Anchorage for a long time. Trust me the fact that the girl is wearing a pot bandana has nothing to do with her disappearing. The majority of people up here smoke. And people that you would never ever suspect. Just trying to clear that up.

Police do have footage of her being abducted at gun point. They didnt state that in this article. Maybe you should go to adn.com and read our local paper seems to give a little more info...although police are not giving too much. They havent released a video of the suspect so I am pretty sure they know who the perp is. All they did say was she was last seen walking down Tudor (the main st. in Anchorage) at gun point. Money was missing from the coffee shop but they didnt disclose how much.

Alot of the posts here are about race and judgmental about her style. Im pretty sure that all that has nothing to do with this. She is missing and her parents are hurting bad. You have no idea what its like unless you have been in their shoes. I dont know them but my prayers and my thoughts are with them in a time like this. We can only hope she comes out of this ok.

I agree bobekah- This story really kind of hit me. Being a father of a 21 year old girl myself, I can really feel this fathers pain. I hope and pray for her safe return. As for the Anchorage police and Alaska State Troppers, THIS should be priority 1. Rest of you blogging clowns STAY ON POINT. Someones daughter is in harms way. If you don't have something worthy to bring to the discussion, just shut the F^&K and move along.

The things that happen here are nothing compared to the craziness in Florida. Or California. Or New Jersey....I could keep going.

I agree. Bring back public execution. Why feed them when rope is cheaper?

Because one dead innocent person is one too many? You may say so otherwise...until you're the one on death row.

WELL THEY LET THESE IDIOTS SIT ON DEATH ROW for 20 years or more i say-after appeals are over. execute them- ill even volunteer to pull the switch- witihn 30 days i'd give them a lil jolt at a time see them bounce around why the hell should we be paying for them to stay alive after they took someone elses life. they are not there because they were model citizens--JOE ARIPIA has the right idea. hot dogs hot dogs, and more hot dogs- u dont like it -starve u scum bags

One good solution is voluntary execution. If you're on death row, innocent or not, you should have the option for a speedy execution. I'd take it as long as it was quick and painless. Better than sitting on death row for 20 years knowing you're innocent.

Yeah, and she is a women so anybody who hates those and she's white so anybody who hates them and she's a Barista and I don't know anybody who doesn't hate them so that's a lot of people to suspect!

Alaska is having one of the worst winters in history. There is probably not much to do in Alaska right now. If the kidnapper has internet service and is addicted to the internet. I would expect the kidnapper to access the stories about the kidnapping. Alaska has a very small population.

MSNBC should check the logs and see who has been reading the story. They can limit the search to the houses and apartments that are one mile from the kidnapping site and then they can expand the search from there. They are looking for a single male, a man that lives alone.

You logic makes no sense. Hmm. Who's accessing the stories? How about EVERYONE in the city? You make it sound like Alaska consists of three old guys sitting around drinking moonshine. The city of Anchorage and it's neighboring towns have a population of close to 400,000. That is similar to Miami, Cleveland or Honolulu.

And when it snows here it really is no big deal. There are still "things to do". People go to work. Businesses don't shut down.

IMJ3- think you should lay off the CSI/NCIS watching and leave the investigation to the police.

I thought Koenig sounded German, so they might have to pay special attention to anyone who hates Germans too.

Koenig is German, for "king". Many stereotypically Jewish names are also German, and before WW2 a sizeable fraction of the population was Jewish as well. "Stein" is German for stone, and is irrevocably associated with Jewish people.

The only thing her looks have to do with it is catching the eye of the wrong person. I think a plain person is probably safer from unwanted attention.

Quite right, Sheila.

So?

Hey, BIG BAD WOLF... if someone snatched your child... you'd be begging to... what a sick helpless place to be in not knowing what someone was doing to your kid...and you couldnt do anything to save her/him... you'd be begging too.... my friend you'd eat their ass 4 breakfast! What is this thing with people going after defensless children?? I get so angry I cant type... not kids! KIDS R OFF LIMITS! The maggot who took this child should be put down like a sick dog. YET... if she was 18 how do we know she didn't set this meeting up to leave with yet another perv who meets kids on line?? Was he forcibly taken??

I could not agree more.