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This will be the second Christmas
sadly celebrated without Yolanda. The second Christmas still hoping
for that "Christmas Miracle". The second filled with mixed
emotions. It is fondess for the past, courage for the present,
hope for the future. |
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A Billboard was created for Yolanda.
The space was donated by Larmar Companies. You can find the billboard
on Rt. 60 (2 miles north of Jamestown). |
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The case of a local missing
woman received national attention Friday night on CNN's Larry King
Live. The show mentioned several missing people, including Yolanda
Bindics of Jamestown.
For obvious reasons this moment could not have been any harder
for Yolanda's old sister Ann Chmielewski. Clinging to the hand of
her son, she watched as the story of her missing sister was heard
for the first time by a national audience. The show dedicated a
full hour to similar cold cases across America.
"Now there are other missing persons we want to discuss
like Yolanda Bindics," King said around 40 minutes into the
show.
At that moment, Chmielewski began to cry.
"It let the world know she has four little girls at home,
dying without her," Chmielewski said. "They need their
mom."
Bindics, a mother of four and only 25 at the time, disappeared
without a trace in August of 2004 after leaving work at the Jamestown
Family Dollar. The next day authorities found her car. Two months
later they found her wallet and car keys washed up from a city storm
drain. That was it.
Her family tried for the same national attention given to other
cases, like that of Natalie Holloway. But aside from a mention on
America's Most Wanted's website, this is as close as they've come.
"It seems like [someone should] wake me up because I'm still
dreaming," said Chmielewski, describing what it's like to have
a missing sibling. "Even though it's been this long, it doesn't
matter."
Oddly enough, just an hour later another of Yolanda's sisters,
Margaret, appeared during On the Record with Greta Van Sustren on
Fox News. Margaret was part of an audience of families with a missing
loved one.
Greta: "And she vanished without a trace?"
Margaret: (crying) "Yes."
Jamestown Police recently admitted they're still no closer to
figuring out what happened than they were at the time of Yolanda's
disappearance. They also promised to keep looking, pointing to other
national cases that have been solved after going cold for years.
|
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Larry King Live Interview regarding
Yolanda with Monica Caison of the the Cue Center
Thank
you Monica. You did a wonderful job!
Yolanda Bindics, this smiling mother of four vanished without
a trace the night of August 10, 2004, after leaving work at the
Jamestown Family Dollar. The next day, her car was found nearby
at Arby's, leading police to believe she was probably taken by someone
she knew, yet there were no clues. About a month later, in September,
her purse and car keys washed up from a city storm drain, but that
was it.
KING: And now, there are other missing persons you wanted to
discuss. Yolanda Bindics, a 25-year-old mother of four young girls.
Last seen August 10 of last year, leaving work in Jamestown.
What fascinates you about this case?
CAISON: Well, it's not a fascination. I got the call for help.
She can't get any kind of media attention. She was locking up the
store. She was a manager in a management position. She was locking
up the store, last time she's been seen. You know, she's got four
young children. They need their mother home and she can't get any
more than local news coverage.
KING: Does she have a husband?
CAISON: No.
KING: Now authorities in that case, according to my notes, have
described several menace persons of interest. What do they do with
that? What does that mean?
CAISON: Persons of interest just means...
KING: Sounds like Aruba.
CAISON: ... that there's some of the -- maybe. Some of the dots
are connecting, but not all the way, so they won't disclose any
more than that. But some cases don't even have that.
KING: Well eventually, don't you run into the immovable object,
you can't go any further?
CAISON: No. There's always something else you can do to continue
forward to help find that person. I believe everyone deserves to
be found and there's always a way to find them. It's just sometimes
it takes longer than others.
KING: This one, Yolanda Bindics, this has been since August 10
of last year. There's a $21,000 reward. Are you hopeful here?
CAISON: Absolutely. Yolanda has, like I said, no one knows she's
missing. You can't get tips. You can't solve a case if nobody in
the community knows this person is missing. All these people need
-- they're low-profile cases, they need national coverage.
|
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On the Record with Greta Van Susteren
This evening at 10pm est, On
the Record with Greta Van Susteren will be airing a special
show featuring some of our missing loved ones including Yolanda
Bindics. This is a special show were Greta speaks to the family's
of some of our missing loved ones in an audience format. In case
you miss this show on Saturday November 26th at 9pm est.
Larry King Live Show
This evening at 9pm est, The Larry King Show Live will feature an interview with
Monica Caison of The Cue Center.
This show was recently scheduled on August 23rd, 2005 but was rescheduled
due to Olivia Newton-John's boyfriend's disappearance. It was then
rescheduled for November 15th, 2005 but never aired because an interview
with Nicole Richie was more appealing to Larry King.
Numerous missing person cases are to be
featured on the show including:
Yolanda Bindics
Jeffrey Lee Ben
Regina Bos
Lorne Boulet
Samantha Burns
Molly Dattilo
Brandy Renee Hanna
Kent Jacobs
Jason Jolkowski
Ashley Renee Martinez
Joshua Middleton
Mary Mount
Audrey Nerenberg
Leah Roberts
Crystal Soles
Heather Teague
Pamela Waldher
|
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A popular tv program once again
brought national attention to the missing mother of Jamestown, Yolanda
Bindics. The CBS crime-show "Without a Trace" for the
second time broadcast a national appeal asking for help in finding
Yolanda Bindics. |
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|
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The City of Jamestown is counter-suing suspended police officer,
Michael Watson, who is taking
them to court for slander.
Watson says the Jamestown Police Department tarnished his
name by referring to him as a person of interest in the disappearance of Yolanda
Bindics. Jamestown Police have called Watson a person of interest in the Bindics case
because he once had a relationship her. Any Person who had a relationship with
Yolanda is considered a person of interest.
Watson says he can account for his whereabouts at the time of her
disappearance. However, the Jamestown Police Department says their evidence tells a
different story. The countersuit also claims that Watson Did NOT pass the Lie Detector Test.
The
Jamestown Police Department has also been informed by the FBI that their agency can't
clear Watson's name from the case.
WIVB-TV
4 |
|
Jamestown Police Officer Michael Watson is claiming
that the Jamestown Police Department purposely smeared him, giving the public
the impression he is tied to Bindics's disappearance even though they had
evidence suggesting he is not.
For example, on the night Bindics disappeared in August of 2004, the lawsuit
says Watson was working as a jailer. The lawsuit also says Watson fully
cooperated with investigators, submitting himself to seven hours of questioning
without a lawyer, taking and passing a polygraph test, providing a D.N.A.
sample, and even allowing authorities to search his home and car.
Watson is seeking an unspecified amount of money, claiming investigators have
humiliated him, and have made it impossible for him to find a job. Watson
continues to be suspended from the force without pay.The Jamestown City
Attorney told 2 On Your Side that she will not comment on any pending
litigation, but is looking forward to the truth and the facts coming out in
court.
2 On
Your Side-WGRZ
Paul Webb Jr., an attorney for Michael Watson, said he has filed an 18-page
document in State Supreme Court in Mayville on behalf of Watson. In the suit, Webb claims his client has fully cooperated with the investigation
and that the three women he allegedly stalked all had consensual relationships
with Watson. The suit also takes issue with Watson being called a "person of
interest" in the Bindics case. He has not been charged with any crime related to
the Bindics case. That case has been turned over to federal authorities.
The papers in Watson's lawsuit say that on that night, Watson was working at the
city jail, and before going to work, was spotted on surveillance tape while
shopping with his wife and children at a retail store in Lakewood.
BuffaloNews |
|
Jamestown Police Officer, Michael
Watson, filed suit against the city of Jamestown and is seeking
damages for defamation of character due to the negligent use of
the term "Person of Interest" in the disappearance of
Yolanda Bindics. Chief William MacLaughlin, Lt. Todd Isaacson, and
Captain Lee Davies are all named as Defendants in the suit.
Watson's
attorney, Paul Webb claims that Watson immediately told his supervisor
about his relationship with Yolanda Bindics. Web says Watson took
and passed a lie detector test, which was never revealed to the
public. He also claims that the charges for stalking were made with
out the consent of the alleged victims.
Time Warner Cable 8 News |
|
This year, on
Yolanda’s 27th birthday, her family will be thinking of the
song “Somewhere Out There”, and its meaning to all of them.
Please help make a dream come true for the Bindics family. Take
the time to write to Delilah, asking for the song to be played
and dedicated to Yolanda on September 29th.
Perhaps someone,
somewhere out there can provide the clue that will bring this
family together again.
Check out the Special Birthday Video created by
Jim Viola (Thank You
Jim!)
Click on Images for Larger
View, Photos provided by Yolanda's Sister Margaret
|
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Michael Watson, the Jamestown police
officer accused of stalking several area women, will have to wait
even longer to get his day in court. The case of the People vs.
Michael Watson, which was scheduled for Sept. 20th in County Court,
has been adjourned. The delay was expected. There is no new date
at this point. A trial date will be made once an appeal is heard.
The Appellate Division has agreed to hear the case. Cosgrove
said he plans to argue, the appeal in person in Rochester.
Watson
is presently facing one charge of fourth-degree stalking and four
counts of second-degree aggravated harassment. Previously he had
been charged with five counts of fourth-degree stalking, one charge
of third-degree stalking and one count of official misconduct but
those charges were dismissed by County Court Judge John T. Ward.
Ward wrote in his decision there was not enough evidence presented
in the Grand Jury to charge Watson with those spe-cific charges.
During
the grand jury hearing, one. of the alleged victims said Watson
did not frighten her nor was she afraid of him. Rather, the woman
said he made her feel “uncomfortable.” Another alleged victim stated
she was more afraid mentally than emotionally and never thought
Watson was going to physically harm her.
A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 25 on one of the criminal charges
against him.
The
Post-Journal |
|
uman remains discovered in late August belonged to 46-year-old Madeline Irene of
Buffalo. She had been killed and disposed of by her 15-year-old son. A neighbor, convicted sex offender,
Edwin Gimenez, is being held as an accomplice. Giminez had psychologically influenced
Rosa to kill his mother. Once Irene was dead, Giminez kidnapped and sodomized
the boy, who he claims is his son.
A 20-pound bag of rice that was used to
weigh down the suitcase of body parts, led police to her killers. On that rice bag was a proof-of-purchase
sticker from Tops. Detectives then worked with Tops and found that Madeline
Irene used her bonus card to purchase a 20-pound bag of rice. 2 On
Your Side-WGRZ |
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Human remains have been found floating
along the Buffalo Waterfront - Black Rock Canal.
Tuesday August 23rd a human chest, spine and
pelvis wrapped in plastic and stuffed into a
suitcase was found by the shore. Wednesday August
24th, about a quarter mile upstream, someone found
2 more sealed bags, inside is what police believe
is a shin, foot and arms. Inside one of the bags
was an article of clothing, possibly a
blanket.
The bags were even weighted down with something,
but police wouldn't say what. They say they
remains could've been there for a couple days or a
couple months. The Buffalo police report that
they've received many calls regarding the Case of
Missing Yolanda Bindics.
During a news conference Thursday, police said
they were not ruling Bindics out completely, but
based on the time frame of how long the body parts
were in the water, they doubt it is the missing
mother of four. Police say they know the
race of the person, and are pretty sure they know
whether it’s a man or a woman, but is all they are
saying.
|
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The Trial of Michael Watson is delayed
The Jamestown police officer accused of
harassing several woman will have his day in
court... but, not for another month. Jury
selection for suspended officer Michael Watson's
trial was to begin in county court August 10th.
But... Commissioner of Jurors Kathleen Krauza says
the start has tentatively been delayed until
September 20. Krauza says that's because
Special Prosecutor Edward Cosgrove is appealing
County Court Judge John Ward's decision to not
reinstate six charges that he had dismissed
earlier. On July 18, Ward dismissed those charges,
which include four counts of harrassment and one
stalking charge, on the grounds of insufficient
evidence. A charge of official misconduct was also
dropped. Cosgrove... a former Erie County District
Attorney... was appointed special prosecutor
because of a conflict of interest with the
Chautauqua County D-A's office. Local attorney
Paul Webb is representing Watson. Watson is
considered a "Person of Interest" in the missing
person's case of Yolanda Bindics. The Jamestown
mother of four has now been missing for a year...
and police are continuing to track leads into her
disappearance.
WJTN
News Talk |
|
A Special Thank You to the Find
Monica Foundation for hosting FindYolanda.com
 |
|
2 On Your Side-WGRZ
Wednesday marks a sad anniversary in Jamestown.
It's been one year since the disappearance of
Yolanda Bindics, and it's been an agonizing 12
months for her family. The family is still
searching for Yolanda. Yolanda's family has helped
raise her four daughters. But, for the most part,
they've been living apart, which has been
difficult for one of her youngest. "Just the
things she says sometimes, like my mommy is in a
castle somewhere but she'll be home soon," says
Anne Chmielewski, Yolanda's sister. "She sees her
pictures on my car and at the store still, and
says 'there's my mommy.' Terribly
heartbreaking." Bindics' family held a vigil
march Wednesday night at the Family Dollar.
Organizers gave everyone a flashlight. It’s a
symbol, they say, for the searching that will
continue.
Read More
NewsRadio 930 WBEN
It's been a year since a Jamestown mother of four
sparked a massive manhunt. And still her family
keeps hope alive. Since she was reported missing,
family, friends and supporters have spent hours
combing the city, and nearby areas, for clues to
her disappearance and possible wherabouts, and her
mother, Patricia, tells NewsRadio 930 WBEN that on
most days, she has hope she will see her daughter
again.
www.35wsee.com
To mark the occasion, family members and friends
held a vigil and march on Wednesday. It began at
the Family Dollar on Fluvanna Avenue, where
Bindics worked, and ended at the Arby's Restaurant
down the street, where Bindics' car was found the
day after she disappeared. Group members carried
flashlights, Bindics sister said, to symbolize the
search that continues for their loved one.
Jamestown Police Captain Lee Davies says the
investigation has been difficult due to the lack
of physical evidence in the case.
The
Post-Journal
The Sky Is Crying. Rain Clouds Don't Deter
Yolanda's Family, Friends From Gathering at the
Family Dollar, the place where Yolanda Bindics was
last seen, during a flashlight Vigil.
*Thank you Post Journal for August 10th and
August 11th front page coverage on Yolanda. You
did and excellent job....Please continue to do
so!
WKBW-TV 7
Yolanda Bindics disappeared without a trace and
it appears that police are not getting any closer
to finding the Jamestown mother. For one year, a
family has suffered, searched and prayed. But
still, they are keeping hope alive that their
sister, daughter and mother will come home. It has
been painful for the family of Yolanda Bindics.
They've gathered at the Family Dollar Store on
Fluvanna Avenue in Jamestown. It's where Yolanda
worked and where she was last seen. “We're gonna
go take our march with our flashlights
representing that we are still searching for her,”
said Anne Chmielewski, Yolanda's sister. “Because
we don't want her name and face to fade away from
anybody's minds. We want to keep her name and face
out there so in hopes that somebody will see her,
recognize her, contact the FBI or the Jamestown
Police,” said Margaret Ostrom, Yolanda's sister
WIVB-TV 4
It's been more than a year, but friends and
family of a missing mother from Jamestown aren't
giving up hope that she's still alive. They held a
march and vigil for Yolanda Bindics Wednesday
night, the one year anniversary of her
disappearance.
I would like to thank all Media
Sources for their continued efforts on
covering Yolanda Bindics. |
|
Jamestown Police Officer Arrested, Michael
Watson, a person of interest in the Yolanda
Bindics case has been arrested again. Watson
was arrested during a domestic dispute and
was arraigned on charges of aggravated
harassment. The department says he allegedly
harassed a woman by phone. Watson is already
facing charges of stalking and harassment from
incidents last year. |
|
Vigil March to Mark the
Anniversary of Yolanda's Disappearance
When:
Wednesday,
August 10th
8pm
Where:
Fluvanna
Avenue Family Dollar Plaza
Please Wear a White
Shirt or a “Missing Yolanda” Shirt which may be
purchased at the benefit or before the Vigil
March.
Instead of Candles Please Bring a Flashlight. The
Flashlights will serve as a symbolism;
“We are Still Searching for Yolanda”
Pig Roast to Benefit the
Children of Yolanda Bindics Announced
There
will be Food, Refreshments including Beer,
Baskets of Cheer Auction,
Horseshoe Tournament and 50/50 Raffles
When:
Saturday,
August 6th Noon - 10pm
Where:
Falconer Rod
& Gun Club (Dow Street)
Buffalo Street Ext, Falconer NY |
|
The trial of a Jamestown police
officer accused of stalking and harassment will
take place in county court next month. Special
Prosecutor Ed Cosgrove tells News/Talk 1240 jury
selection for the trial of 34 year-old Michael
Watson is set to begin August 10th . Which also
marks the 1 year anniversary of Yolanda's
disappearance. Watson has been arrested on 12
charges related to his alleged crimes against
several women, including some who worked for the
police department. Watson still remains to be a
person of interest in Yolanda's case.
WJTN
News Talk |
|
Darien Thomas, the father of one of
Yolanda's girls, was placed under arrest after
threatening to stab some Jamestown police
officers. Darien was being interviewed at
the city headquarters as a witness from a previous
incident. After the interviewing officer stepped
out of the room, he returned to find Darien
holding a knife trying to cut his own wrists. He
then began to threaten and fight with the
officers.
The
Post-Journal
Yolanda's disappearance is
obviously hurting the ones who love her.
Yolanda if you can read this look how it has
hurt someone you love. If you the reader knows
what happened to Yolanda....can you see how
seriously depressed this has made her loved
ones...only you can stop this! |
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Officers are using
a remote controlled camera system to scan the
sewer system. They are looking for any trace of 26
year old Yolanda Bindics, who disappeared nine
months ago after leaving her job on nearby
Fluvanna Avenue. Investigators are not releasing
results of this latest search.
WIVB-TV
4
The body found floating in
the Conewango Creek has been identified as Ronald
E. Mcbride, 48, of Waren Pa. He has been missing
since Feb 1st 2005. The Cause of Death is
drowning. How he drowned is not being dislosed at
this time. |
|
Body Found Near Warren
Pa.
Glade township volunteer
firefighters and water rescue workers recovered
the body from the Conewango Creek near Warren on
Monday morning around 10 a.m. It is not yet known
if the body is a man or a women. Warren-based
State Police Sgt. William Gordon says, "The body
has been in the water quite awhile. It's
definitely not something that happened in the last
few weeks. According to Gordon, it’s possible the
body could have been in the water for a year or
more “depending on what the position of the body
was, if it was in a big pool of water and it was
cold.”We’re checking into all the missing persons
in the area.”
The
Post-Journal
|
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The Jamestown Police Department conducted an
early morning planned search in the Monroe Street
and Chadakoin Park area in Jamestown today with
the help of the Jamestown Fire Department. The
area was combed for evidence that may have been
concealed by heavy foliage or that will be
concealed by the growth of new spring plants.
Evidence was found washed up after heavy rains
back in September.
Lt. Todd Isaacson says the search was protective
but declines to state wither any evidence if any
was found. Isaacson says that they are going over
everything previously looked at and
re-interviewing. This case is still open and they
will not stop until they find the answers.
Time Warner Cable 8 News |
|
For more than six months,
Yolanda Bindics' large family, including 10 sisters
and brothers, has clung to the hope that she remains
alive. Family members point out that exhaustive
searches of a landfill, a gorge, wooded areas and even
a Jamestown river have failed to turn up her
body.
"We've torn Jamestown
apart, and we haven't found any sign of her," said
one sister, Anne Chmielewski of Buffalo. "That
honestly has given me some kind of hope." Now
those hopes are starting to fade. For the first
time since Bindics disappeared Aug. 10, her
siblings sound less optimistic that the Buffalo
native and Jamestown mother of four remains
alive.
Fueling that doubt is the
investigation into Michael Watson, a suspended
Jamestown police officer who had been seeing their
sister. Now, a 32-page disciplinary
document from the Jamestown Police Department
claims that Watson had a sexual relationship with
Bindics, and authorities have called him a "person
of interest" in her disappearance.
A recent Buffalo News story on that report
clearly has eroded some of the family's optimism. |
What
really happened to
Yolanda Bindics?
Six months after she
disappeared, her family clings to hope
By GENE
WARNER
News Staff Reporter
3/7/2005
BuffaloNews
|
 |
Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
From left, Yolanda's brother John; her
mother, Patricia; her sister Anne
Chmielewski; her father, Imre; and another
brother, Jim |
Once again,
Thank You Buffalo News for Continuing the
excellent Coverage on Yolanda!
From left, Yolanda's sister Christine; her
brother Alex, her sister Margaret, and her brother
Joe |
"Before that article, I felt very strongly that
she's still alive," Ostrom said in a lengthy phone
interview from her North Carolina home. "Now that
I've read that article, I'm scared. "I'm sickened
by what I read about him and his behavior and
knowing that Yolanda was involved with him," she
added.
While detectives continue looking for new leads,
the investigation hasn't yielded much new
information recently. "We're still hoping somebody
in the public has some information that they were
afraid to come forward with or thought it was
irrelevant," Davies said. He wouldn't comment on
Watson's possible involvement in the Bindics case,
adding that Jamestown police asked the FBI to
investigate that angle. An FBI spokesman declined
to comment, and Watson's attorney did not return a
phone call seeking his comment. |
|
Among 23 departmental misconduct charges
against Watson, he's accused of being absent from
his jailer duties early on the morning of Aug. 11,
just hours after Bindics vanished.
|
|
Suspended Jamestown Police Officer Michael
Watson, facing a possible jail term on stalking
and harassment allegations involving three women,
could be drummed off the police force as a result
of 23 department misconduct charges involving
seven women, including a still-missing Jamestown
woman.
Among the department disciplinary charges,
Watson is accused of failing to properly enter
the status of prisoners at the police jail
while assigned as a jailer there late last Aug.
10th and allegedly absenting himself from his
jailer duties improperly. Watson is accused
of withholding allegedly "valuable information
relative to the investigation of the disappearance
of Yolanda Bindics, with whom you had a personal
relationship of a sexual nature and with whom you
had recent contact" between last Aug. 10 and last
Aug. 14.
The disciplinary case, which alleges
misconduct beginning in the late 1990s and
includes alleged harassment of two other female
police employees and two Jamestown "civilians,"
has been halted pending completion of Watson's
criminal case by order of State Supreme Court
Justice Paula L. Feroleto.
BuffaloNews |
|
Days
turned into weeks, searches in the late days of
summer and late days of fall, benefits too, still
no official suspects no solid leads.
"I just feel like we're losing the support of the
police. Even a phone call, even if nothing is
happening, just to let us know they're still
behind us. I don't want the case to go cold," Anne
says as tears begin to fall. She plans to help
herself by putting a picture of Yolanda on a
billboard, maybe even questioning some people
herself, but really, all she knows to do right
now, is pray.
"There's still hope," she says, "it's not over
yet." It's all the family and friends can do, is
to stay hopeful and keep praying for Yolanda.
Jamestown Police say the case is still officially
open.
2 On Your Side-WGRZ |
|
The attorney for a suspended Jamestown
police officer was in court today to try and put
off a civil service hearing until the criminal
case against him is complete.
Michael Watson is accused in a criminal
indictment of stalking and harassing some female
city employees. The indictment states that he
followed three different
women in his police car, parked outside their
homes, called them repeatedly, told them things
like "I want you," and "I can't stay away from
you."
In court papers released today relative to the
civil service charges, Watson is accused of using
his position as a police officer to gain access to
female employees
phone numbers, work schedules and other records.
The papers claim he sent alarming e-mails to
several women via computer, that he set up
unauthorized traffic
stops in order to pull female city employees
over, then make moves on them.
The civil service case against Watson also
accuses him of exposing himself on Jamestown City
property including City Hall. In addition, it
states he had sex with
female city workers in the city jail bathroom, in
the police gym, in a parking enforcement office
and at other locations while on duty.
Civil service allegations state that Watson
"neglected duty to report valuable information
relative to Yolanda Bindics disappearance, with
whom he had a personal relationship of a sexual
nature, and with whom he had recent contact at the
time of her disappearance, thereby repressing,
concealing and distorting the facts of the
incident and impeding the investigation."
Watson's attorney, Paul Webb, said "any conduct
that took place at the police station was
consensual." He said if its deemed improper, then
that's for the police chief to deal with. "Once
his position is known, you'll see Officer Watson
is not guilty of stalking, harassing, or official
misconduct," said Webb.
A civil service hearing had been slated to start
later this week.
Lynne
Dixon, Reporter
2 On Your Side-WGRZ |
|
A suspended Jamestown police officer
is trying to keep his job. Michael Watson is
expected to appear in State Supreme Court Monday
to stop the City of Jamestown from firing him.
Watson pleaded not guilty earlier this month to 12
counts of harassing and stalking female city
employees. He is also considered a person of
interest in the disappearance of Jamestown mother
Yolanda Bindics.
WIVB-TV 4 |
|
Benefit Held
- Western New Yorkers showed generosity and
support for the children of a missing Jamestown
woman, Yolanda Bindics.
2 on Your Side
In a difficult situation, family and
friends of Yolanda Bindics did their best to have
a good time.
Saturday night, a fund raiser was held at AMVETS
Medallion Post 13 in Buffalo to collect money for
Bindics' four daughters. "The community has
expressed they would like to help in some way, and
they're doing so tonight," said Christine Bindics,
one of Yolanda's sisters.
Investigators said they have no major leads,
however, Captain Lee Davies with the Jamestown
police said, "We still do receive tips and leads
and those are investigated."
It is against this backdrop that family and
friends held the fund raiser.
"You know, I try to keep up hope, because I can't
understand why. She wasn't into anything that
anyone would have against her," said Patricia
Bindics, Yolanda's mother. "It's just tough every
day," said Christine Bindics. "I don't want to say
I'm hopeful, but at the same time I don't want to
say I have no hope."
7 News
It’s been particularly hard for the Bindics
family, especially for Yolanda Bindics' young
daughters who've now gone through their first
Christmas without their mother.
“It was really sad,” said Anne Chiemewski,
Bindics’ sister. “Two of my sisters, one made
ornaments with their moms picture, and just seeing
them looking at the picture and just kissing it,
for me that was more heartbreaking. They can't
have her there and it was constant every time I
turned around they were just kissing it.”
The family has been trying to shield the children
as much as possible from the glare of media
attention and the dark possibilities of their
mothers fate. It's a delicate subject breeched
gently among the Bindics'.
“We let them know there are bad people out there,
but we don’t know what’s happened to her and we're
doing everything we can to help find her,” said
Chiemewski.
TV-4
It was a night to enjoy music, and share a few
laughs. Friends, family members and complete
strangers came out to this Amvets post in Back
Rock. They were all here for these 4 little girls,
who are now living life without their mother.
Yolanda's family organized this benefit. Her
daughters ages 8 through 18 months were here
too.
Yolanda's mother Patricia Bindics: "We're hoping
to use the funds for the children's college."
Patricia Bindics is still holding out hope that
her daughter will someday return safely, but for
now, she's facing the reality of not ever seeing
her youngest daughter again. Patricia Bindics:
"We're coming to term, we gotta go on and do the
best for the kids we do what we can." |
|
Suspended Jamestown police officer
Michael Watson pleaded not guilty to stalking and
harassment charges today in Chautauqua County
Court. Watson will be back in court for a
pre-trial conference later this month.
Meanwhile, Jamestown police continue to
investigate the disappearance of Yolanda Bindics.
"We still have evidence that is out with labs,
still waiting for some of those results to come
back to us," said Captain Lee Davies. "In fact, we
were just in touch with the local FBI office last
week and checking on the status of that evidence
and it has not yet returned," he said. Captain
Davies says while leads continue to come in, they
are fewer and further between. He calls the case
"troubling" but is hopeful it will eventually be
solved. |
|
Michael Watson, a suspended officer of
the Jamestown Police Department, will make his
first official appearance in Chautauqua County
Court on Monday, where he will be arraigned to
begin the process of setting a trial date.
Watson's attorney, Paul Webb says his client
innocent of the crimes and will enter a plea of
Not Guilty in Court scheduled on Monday January
1st. Webb said that Watson's relationship with
each women was consensual. Webb says that all
three women are employed by the city and worked in
the same department as Watson. Watson's attorney
says the chief mislead the public into thinking
that Watson harassed Several women not just the
three. According to Webb, "He didn't have anything
to do with the Yolanda Bindics case. Watson
has been 100% cooperative with the FBI and has
given everything wanted by the FBI from interviews
to DNA tests."
Edward Cosgrove is prosecuting the case against
Michael Watson. The trial will take place in
County Court with John T. Ward presiding as the
judge. |
|
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