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Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal -
Think
Kankakee, Illinois
January 6, 2008
If you are going to
flee,
check out search insurance |
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Chicago woman leaves unhappy marriage
To search or not
to search. That is the dilemma.
As an adult, have you ever thought about just leaving? Walking
off the face of the Earth? No plan, no warning, no notice, just
walk away from your everyday existence without telling even your
closest friend? Think again.
Before you exercise your adult right as an independent person
and walk away or drive away, going nowhere in particular without
telling a friend, family member, lover, or coworker, you may want to
consider the possible financial liability of your decision should
you be found alive. Even if you were never lost.
Recently, a Chicago woman left her husband without saying
goodbye to him or anyone else. Upon discovering her missing, the
newlywed husband thought she may have been in danger and notified
authorities.
A search began. Anu Solanki’s car was found parked near the
Des Plaines River with the engine running and the door open. The
worst was assumed. Cook County rescue agencies began searching for
her in the chilly waters.
A few days later it was learned that the young unhappy wife was
alive and well a few thousand miles away. The search ended,
resulting in a cost of more than $250,000. Subsequent details
revealed that Ms Solanki had met up with a male acquaintance at the
river and driven to California with him. Only after learning he was
a person of interest in her disappearance, the male friend had
Solanki notify her family and police that she was alive and safe.
Her reason for leaving was that she was just not happy in her
marriage.
While the jilted husband and family members try to figure out
what went wrong in the marriage, the rescue agency is trying to
figure out how to recoup the cost of the search efforts.
Since the woman did nothing illegal, she can’t be charged with
a crime. It is not a crime for an adult to drive away from an
unhappy relationship. She did not concoct a kidnap story like the
runaway bride of Atlanta did a few years ago. Nonetheless, the Cook
County State’s Attorney is trying to find a way to bill somebody for
the cost of the quarter-million dollar search. There may be efforts
to make Solanki pay some of the costs of looking for her.
She worked at a hotel gift shop. They won’t get much from her
even if they are successful. But why are they even considering
billing her in the first place? She didn’t ask to be looked for.
Seeking money from her for services she never requested is like
having medical treatment for a hangnail but later discovering on
your bill you have been charged $9.75 for an aspirin when you never
complained of a headache.
Understandable mistake
Granted, with
the all the recent cases of Chicago area missing or killed female
spouses or lovers, it’s understandable how rescue agencies may be on
high alert. The high-profile cases would cause any logical person
to assume foul play or at least personal danger when a young woman
is reported missing.
Lisa Stebic has been missing since April 2007. Her husband is
a person of interest. Last June Kimberly Vaughn, of Joliet, and her
three kids were shot to death. Her husband has been arrested for
the murders. Nahlia Franklin of Calumet City was found murdered in
September. Her ex-boyfriend has been charged with her murder. Lacy
Peterson of Bolingbrook has been missing since last October. Her
husband is the prime suspect.
Upon finding Solanki’s car by the river with the engine still
running, a reasonable assumption was made that she may have been in
danger. Who, besides Drew Peterson, would consider the idea of a
young, married Chicago area woman leaving her husband and running
off with another man?
An immediate decision was made to look for her in the river.
So, why the rush to search the river? If she was in the water for
any length of time, either by accident or at the hands of another,
she was probably dead by drowning or hypothermia. Then again, if
the authorities had waited a while before searching, they would risk
facing charges of racism since Solanki was not white. It’s a case of
darned if you do, darned if you don’t.
Why search at all?
The first big
question of the new year is, “When do we search for unaccounted-for
adults?” And who gets billed? In situations where missing adults
are found dead, is anyone charged for the search? It would be a
little disheartening to learn that Anu Solanki’s biggest mistake was
that she was found alive and unharmed.
Maybe we should all be required to carry search insurance.
There could be policies for 24-hour searches, a week search, month
search, or indefinite search. Similar to seeking medical attention,
before any search for a missing adult can begin, someone must
complete a pile of insurance forms and pay a deductible. Of course,
by the time the forms are complete, the missing person may have
returned or been found dead.
The moral of the story is that if you decide to just walk away,
don’t be found alive or you may have just walked yourself into a big
debt. |
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