Born on September 29, 1978.

Last time Yolanda was seen alive. Yolanda Bindics, left her job at the Family Dollar Store on Fluvanna Ave. in Jamestown NY. She phoned home to say she was
picking up some groceries and would be home soon. She has not been heard from since.

Jamestown Police are looking for a 25 year old mother of 4 who disappeared Tuesday Night. Yolanda Bindics, an employee at the Family Dollar Store, closed the shop Tuesday Night around 8:30, but never came home. Police found her car the next day at a near by restaurant.  Jamestown Police say family and friends thinks it’s unlikely Bindics ran off, but detectives won’t say it they suspect foul play.
Jamestown Police are now working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies in the search for the missing mother of four children. Yolanda's sister provided information for the FBI. The family is also asking friends and other volunteers to join them for a search on Sunday morning at 11:00 on Fluvanna Avenue at locations where she and her car were last seen.

Friends and family of a missing Jamestown woman are asking for help to join them for a search on Sunday morning at 11:00 on Fluvanna Avenue at locations where she and her car were last seen.

Jamestown - Volunteers and police searched over the weekend for a mother of four who's been missing since Aug. 10. Yolanda Bindics, 25, was last seen locking up the dollar store where she worked. It was a warm and sunny day Sunday, one of the few nice weekend days this summer. By late morning, dozens of friends and family gathered to begin searching for 25 year old Yolanda Bindics. The mother of four had left her job at the Family Dollar store in Jamestown last Tuesday evening, and hasn't been seen since.
Her car was found less than a half mile away the next day, parked at a fast-food restaurant. Bindics' young children are staying with relatives. Police say the disappearance is suspicious.

Yolanda Bindics, 25, a Jamestown mother of four, vanished without a trace, one week ago today. Police in Jamestown have to separate fact from fiction as they investigate the disappearance of Yolanda Bindics.
Rumors are now circulating about the missing woman. Police received several calls yesterday from people saying they heard Bindics body was found in a dumpster. Officers had to convince them that those reports are not true.

A new development, in the case of the Jamestown woman who's been missing for more than a week, a Jamestown police officer has been placed on administrative leave, after he admitted being in a relationship with the mother of four.
The search continues for 25-year-old Yolanda Bindics. Police say her disappearance is suspicious. She was last seen leaving her job at Jamestown's Family Dollar Store more than a week ago. Her car was found the next day, less than half a mile away.

There was another massive search effort Thursday for missing 25 year-old Yolanda Bindics. Near the Jamestown Plaza where her abandoned car was found more than a week earlier, investigators took measurements, and made footprint and tire track castings while rescue teams with search dogs combed acres of wooded land. They've also been monitoring Bindics's cell phone and bank account. Officials say neither has been disturbed.
Meantime, Jamestown Police continue to insist that the officer who had a relationship of some sort with Bindics, a mother of four, is not a suspect in her disappearance; however, investigators acknowledge the FBI has questioned the unnamed officer. Officials say he was put on paid leave simply to avoid a conflict of interest. But Channel 2 News has learned that he was not put on leave until five days after Bindics vanished. Investigators say they didn't know about the connection at first. They also say that the officer's presence in the department during the early, crucial days of searching did not compromise or taint the investigation.
No one knows what has become of Bindics. Authorities say the weekend before she disappeared she took a trip to Canada. But like all of the other leads in the case so far, that one turned up empty.

High-ranking officials confirm that Officer Michael Watson of the Jamestown Police Department was placed on paid administrative leave last week. Watson is being questioned as a person of interest in the disappearance of Yolanda Bindics. He apparently had a personal relationship with the young mother of four. The 25-year-old woman was reported missing on August 10th.

The search for Yolanda Bindics, the 25-year-old Jamestown woman who never came home from work at the Family Dollar on Fluvanna Avenue two weeks ago tonight, continues to be ''extremely frustrating'' for investigators.
Two weeks after her disappearance, some of the "missing" flyers bearing Yolanda Bindics’s name and photo are starting to tear, fade, and fall off telephone poles in Jamestown.
And although her picture is now posted on America's Most Wanted website, the 25-year-old mother of four is hardly getting the same national attention given to other women who had vanished, like Lori Hacking and Laci Peterson.
After several searches, investigators say they've turned up nothing. But the city police department has put an officer who had a relationship with Bindics on paid leave. They've also asked the FBI to question him. The same officer, Michael Watson, in question was still on active duty in the early and most crucial days of the investigation.

Jamestown Police Dept. moves missing woman's case to front burner. As area police agencies pool their resources to search for Yolanda Bindics, less important cases are being temporarily set aside to search for the 25-year-old mother of four. JPD states that this case is still steam ahead. Police rule out Canada Trip as a factor in her disappearance. JPD states that there still isn't a suspect or a definitive list of suspects involved with Yolanda's disappearance.

A search crew of about 50 people from numerous agencies are searched a three square mile area of Jamestown , in connection with the disappearance of 25 year old Yolanda Bindics. Police will only confirm that new information prompted this search.
Police have conducted several searches in the past. The search was centered around Maccadem Industries gravel pits and the surrounding area that is made up of marsh, ponds and railroad tracks. Police say that they were looking for any clues, evidence or anything suspicious. Among some items found were some footprints, a water logged photo album and a blue tarp. Police are not confirming whether the items are significant to the case.

Another "Person of Interest", has been named, Clarence Carte (aka Carl). Police brought His car in as possible evidence. Investigators are performing forensic tests on Carl's car but aren't commenting on what they are looking for. Carl Carte was arrested today on unrelated charges. Carl Carte is reportedly the father of Bindic's youngest child.

Police are questioning a "person of interest" in connection with the disappearance of Yolanda Bindics, who hasn't been seen since August 10th. Clarence (Carl) Carte of Jamestown, New York, was arraigned Saturday morning, and charged as a "Fugitive from Justice." He's wanted in Florida for violation of probation on a robbery. He was arrested on Friday without incident.

Investigators confirm that Carte is "not a top person of interest" in Bindics's disappearance.

Thursday, September 2nd 2004
JAMESTOWN, N.Y. Authorities today are searching a gorge in western New York for clues that may help in the investigation of a missing Jamestown woman. Local, county and state law enforcement officials are combing the Chautauqua Gorge for evidence.
Authorities say they decided to search the gorge after learning one of their persons of interest visited the area. Police will not release that person's name; however, they said the search had nothing to do with Clarence Carte, the father of one of Bindics's children. Carte was arrested last week on unrelated robbery charges from Florida.

 

Friday, September 3rd 2004
The search for Yolanda Bindics took an interesting twist, as investigators moved their search from Jamestown, New York, where Bindics was last seen, to a wooded area in Chautauqua County. With search dogs and helicopters, dozens of investigators scoured these woods and gorge in Chautauqua County.
Jamestown Police Dept. Det. Scott Depietro said, "It's a site that's been associated with some of the people we've been talking to and we're just looking into every direction that this case could take us." Investigators say they have several persons of interest in the case and some of them have spent time camping in the gorge.
Police searched a mile and a half square radius, including campsites at the end of Hammon Road. They found many articles of clothing, but now they must determine what was left by campers... and what, if anything, is evidence.
Investigators concluded their search around 3:00pm Thursday afternoon. They do have some new information from their search, but they will not discuss it.

 

Wednesday, September 8th 2004
Jamestown found new evidence that may help them find Yolanda Bindics. A discovery Wednesday morning may put authorities one step closer to finding a missing mother of 4 children. Jamestown Police confirm several items, including a purse, belonging to Yolanda Bindics have been found at 8th and Monroe in the City of Jamestown. Those items were found this morning near a sewer, apparently not far from where Bindics disappeared on August 10th. Authorities are now conducting a massive search of the area including below ground in the ongoing effort to find the missing woman.
Yolanda's purse apparently washed up out of the sewers after heavy rains and flooding in the area. A passerby found the person and called police. Hours after the discovery, police found Bindics's key chain in another storm drain near 6th and Jefferson just up the road. They said all of the items had likely been disposed of days ago... if not significantly longer. All items found are being sent to a forensic lab.
Police also confirm they continue to hold Clarence Carte, the father of one of Bindics' children, on unrelated charges. A Jamestown police officer, known as a "personal acquaintance" also remains on administrative leave.

 

Friday, September 10th 2004
Its been exactly one month since a Jamestown mother of four disappeared.
Yoland Bindics disappeared after leaving her job August 10th. Her locked car was found shortly afterward several miles away. Since then, police have searched by helicopter, foot and dive teams and found nothing. Earlier this week, Yolanda's purse washed out of a sewer during heavy rains. Her wallet and a photo were also found. "Those items are in the possession of evidence personel who are deciding which labs should examine them for fingerprint or DNA evidence," says Jamestown police Captain Lee Davies. "We just don't have evidence to say something has or has not happened to her." Police say until they have evidence of violence or abduction, they will continue to investigate this as a missing persons' case. www.wgrz.com

 

Wednesday, September 15th 2004
Police have found another piece of physical evidence in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Yolanda Bindics.
A search of a Jamestown storm sewer turned up a personal set of keys belonging to Yolanda.
Investigators on the case continue to canvass the area where the items were found in an attempt to find anyone who may have seen someone getting rid of them.
Meanwhile, (Carl Carte) the father of Bindics' youngest child  has been extradited to Florida, where he's wanted for a probation violation.

 

Thursday, September 16th 2004
Crews used special equipment to scope out sewer systems in Jamestown, looking for clues in Yolanda Bindics' disappearance. Police recently retrieved Bindics' purse and keys from the sewer. So far, no solid leads have turned up since the mother of four vanished August 10th.

 

“Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight
Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky...”

That bright star is named Yolanda Anne Bindics.

On September 29, 2004, a star was named after Yolanda, and this year, on Yolanda’s 27th birthday, her family will travel to the planetarium to locate Yolanda’s star in the vast heavens. As they do this, they will be thinking of the song “Somewhere Out There”, and its meaning to all of them.

A note is included with her Star certificate that reads, "Let this star continue to shine until my Sunshine comes home."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOLANDA! Candlelight Vigil Held

 

By the end of a birthday vigil for Yolanda Bindics, there were few dry eyes among the 100-plus friends and relatives who came to pray for her safe return home. They gathered for a special candle-light vigil at Allen Park in Jamestown on the night of her 26th birthday, if she’s still alive. “I never thought we’d have to gather like this,” said Yolanda’s sister-in-law April Bindics. “I wish we could be out with her having fun.”

Her birthday service began with a prayer from the priest of her local parish. Many at the vigil signed an enormous birthday card. Relatives said they’d give Yolanda the card when she returned home. Later in the night, several of her relatives spoke to the large crowd, including Yolanda’s mother and older sister.Three of Yolanda’s four children came, and her second youngest child, Allison, blew out a special birthday candle meant for her mother. She also released a balloon into the sky. As for Yolanda, a large photograph mounted on an easel stood in her place. The large crowd also sang happy birthday to Yolanda. Her priest ended the song with the words, “please come home.”
2 on Your Side

 

WATSON

Tuesday, October 5th 2004
Jamestown Police Officer Michael Watson is accused of harassing and stalking a number of women. Former Jamestown Police Dept. employee, Crystal Butera says she's one of them. Officer Watson has been suspended from the department without pay after an internal investigation, and is free on $10,000 dollars bail pending a hearing. Authorities say his case will be transfered out of the area so he can receive a fair trial if he decides to fight the charges.
Police say the charges are not related to the Bindics case, but that Watson is still a person of interest.

 

Tuesday, October 5th 2004
Jamestown Police Officer Michael Watson is accused of harassing and stalking a number of women. Former Jamestown Police Dept. employee, Crystal Butera says she's one of them. Officer Watson has been suspended from the department without pay after an internal investigation, and is free on $10,000 dollars bail pending a hearing. Authorities say his case will be transfered out of the area so he can receive a fair trial if he decides to fight the charges.
Police say the charges are not related to the Bindics case, but that Watson is still a person of interest.

 

Wednesday, October 6th 2004
Jamestown Police say they're no closer to solving the disappearance of Yolanda Bindics, even after what initially seemed like a promising arrest to her family. Michael Watson was still on active duty in the early and most crucial days after Bindics disappeared. Authorities say four days had passed before they learned of Watson's relationship with Bindics.  On August 19th, Watson was then put on paid leave (nine days after Yolanda went missing) (5 days after they claim they found out out about the relationship).
"I don't think at this point (we know) this is the person and we need to prove this is the person," said Captain Lee Davies of the Jamestown Police Department. For now, new missing posters show a $20,000 reward for information about Bindics's whereabouts. Authorities believe someone other than her abductor knows something important, but will not come forward.
"The information must be there," Davies said. "Someone needs to come forward and share that with us to help.

 

Tuesday, October 12th 2004
The Chautauqua County District Attorney will seek a prosecutor from another jurisdiction to handle the case against a suspended Jamestown police officer accused of stalking local women. Originally the D.A was looking at Cattaraugus County, but that county will not be handling the case due to high case volume, now the D.A. is looking at Erie County for the case to be held. No word yet from Erie County. Chautauqua County Judge John Ward granted this request for recusal in Mayville today. An assistant district attorney will prosecute while a judge from Chautauqua County presides.

News4
The FBI is offering a cash reward as the search expands for a missing mother of four from Jamestown. Officials are hoping that an FBI reward of up to 20,000 dollars will help them solve this case. Jamestown Police Chief William MacLaughlin said, "Hopefully, this offering of a reward will bring additional information to us that will lead to the location of Yolanda." Peter Ahearn, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo FBI field office, said, "You recognize, at a point in an investigation, and in agreement among the investigators, that this might be something that is useful." The Associated Press

The FBI Friday posted a $20,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Yolanda Bindics, a mother of four last seen leaving work nearly two months ago. Our leads are starting to dry up. We're starting to receive the same information," said William MacLaughlin, chief of police in Jamestown. Police have interviewed hundreds of witnesses but have not come up with a suspect. Nor have investigators ruled anyone out, the chief said.

 

FBI Offers $20,000 Reward For Information In Bindics Case
The FBI is trying out a new tactic in the search for a missing mother of four from Jamestown.
Authorities say all of their leads are drying up in the search for Yolanda Bindics, so now they're reaching out for new information by offering a substantial reward.
The announcement came Friday morning during a press conference at FBI Headquarters in Downtown Buffalo. Alongside members of the Jamestown Police Department, FBI special Agent-in-charge Peter Ahearn said the agency is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Bindics or to the whereabouts of the person responsible for her disappearance.

The fact that authorities acknowledged that "a person" is responsible for her disappearance represents a significant shift in what they've been telling reporters. Until Friday's press conference, authorities would not speculate on what happened to Bindics when she vanished August 10th while leaving work in Jamestown.
Authorities are now willing to say they believe Bindics was likely abducted.

The case of a missing Jamestown mother hit the national airwaves Thursday night. The hit CBS Television drama "Without a Trace" featured a public service announcement about 26 year old Yolanda Bindics Thursday night. The mother of four disappeared without a trace from her work more than two months ago. The FBI and family members hope the segment featuring Yolanda's picture and brief description will generate new leads in the case.

WATSON

Friday, November 12th 2004

A suspended Jamestown police officer allegedly committed several inappropriate acts while on duty, according to witness statements on file with Jamestown City Court.  The charges are detailed by nine witness statements on file detailing Michael Watson’s alleged inappropriate activities toward three women that resulted in criminal and civil service charges. Watson is suspended without pay from the Jamestown Police Department.

According to the victims and witnesses, Watson allegedly harassed each of the three women with consistent phone calls. e-mails and sexual behavior that threatened their personal well-being while he was both on and off duty.

“I wanted to end it with Mike, but no matter how I tried to tell him, nothing worked,” the victim wrote.  She reported six incidents between May and August 2003 where Watson had harassed her or sat outside of her home. It did not end until the victim threatened to have him arrested.
Read More

 

Friday, November 19th 2004
Officer Watson is a 9-year veteran of the Jamestown Police Department. He's currently suspended without pay after several woman say he harassed and stalked them, one victim says it's been going on for seven years.
“It's certainly disturbing to find out that something has gone on and that it's been going on over a period of time,” said Capt. Lee Davies of the Jamestown Police. “It's certainly problematic and we want to make sure that we take steps to ensure that in the future any type of that information would come forward much more quickly.”

All the alleged victims want to remain anonymous because the community is so small. One woman who works at WCA Hospital told investigators Watson made lewd gestures toward her, including grabbing his genitals right in front of other police officer.

Watson is also accused of stalking and harassing some women he worked with at the Jamestown Police Station, all while he was on duty supposedly as he was serving and protecting the community.

Another victim who was a co-worker claims Watson exposed himself to her in the police station while he was in uniform, and she was afraid to tell anyone. Another female coworker stated she had an affair with Watson and had sex with him while he was on duty in a parking lot on Fluvanna Avenue near Washington Street. When she wanted to break it off, Watson wouldn't let it go and kept calling her.
WKBW.com: 7 News    Watch This News Clip

 

 

Crimestoppers is offering an additional reward of up to $1,000. If you have any information on this crime, call the Crimestoppers hotline at 716-856-5600 or #5600 if you have a Sprint cell phone. You will remain anonymous.

Here are some new developments in the case; Yolanda went on a weekend getaway to the Niagara Falls, Ontario Casino with Darien Thomas, the father of her 5-year-old daughter, Courtney. They were starting to re-kindle their relationship. But she was also apparently having a relationship with Jamestown police officer, Michael Watson. Her family believes she was with Watson the weekend before her trip with Darien.
The night she disappeared, family members say she was planning on telling them a secret. “We really don't know what the secret was. We speculated that she was pregnant, but I think they found out she wasn't pregnant,” said Patricia Bindics. That's right according to police.  

All four fathers of Yolanda's four children have cooperated with police. Officer Michael Watson has been suspended without pay and is considered a person of interest in the missing person case.

“I really can't get into who we've eliminated and who we are looking closer at, that's still part of this investigation,” said Detective Osterdahl. “For this to happen to her and for what reason, I just can't put my finger on it. But there's a reason that some one wanted her out of the way, we have our own thoughts as to why this happened but proving it is another thing,” said Detective Art Osterdahl, Jamestown Police.
 
 “Yolanda's purse and personal items were dumped in a storm drain on or about August 10th,” said Detective Osterdahl. Police now know exactly which storm drain that items were discarded. "Those items have been sent out to be processed for prints along with other items of evidence,” said Detective Osterdahl.

The search for Yolanda Bindics and who took her continues. “I'm not going to give up looking for her or following every lead I can find, until I find out what happened to her,” said Detective Osterdahl. WKBW.com: 7 News   Watch This News Clip

Family and friends carefully treaded the woods today, knowing hunters were also out for deer season. They were joined by several folks who read about the search in the local newspaper. And a private citizen who specializes in helping for such searches, drove all the way from Warren with her Cadaver Dog to help out. The family hopes to find more of Bindics Belongings. www.35wsee.com

Family and friends continue conducting searches in hopes of finding clues. WBFO'S Eileen Buckley talked to a friend of Bindics. Michelle Butman of Jamestown says Yolanda's young children continue to ask "where's mom."Earlier this month, family, friends and volunteers held another large search effort, but nothing was found. A $21,000 reward is posted for information leading to the whereabouts of Yolanda Bindics. $20,000 is posted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the other $1,000 is from Crime Stoppers. Friend, Michelle Butman, said it is very "depressing" as the holiday approaches. Relatives continue to watch Yolanda's children, ages eight through one.
WBFO News

Whether a Jamestown police officer on suspension will face criminal charges may be known before Christmas.
Jamestown police officer Michael Watson, will appear before a Chautauqua County Grand Jury Wednesday, December 22nd where he could face charges for allegedly stalking and harassing three women. 

Buffalo attorney Edward C. Cosgrove, the special prosecutor in the harassment and stalking cases, said he made the decision to present the case to the grand jury independent of the police department. "I felt that this unusual step was necessary based upon my independent investigation," Cosgrove said Saturday. "It's best for the citizens of Chautauqua County represented by the grand jury to hear about this alleged criminal conduct." He said he could not comment on whether he would seek more severe felony charges by way of the grand jury.

Watson, 34, also faces departmental charges, police said. He has been suspended from the police force without pay. Watson was involved with Yolanda Bindics, the mother of four who's been missing since August.
Investigators haven't connected these charges with the Bindics' case and is not considered a suspect.

Grand Jury Indicts JPD Officer
A suspended Jamestown police officer, Michael Watson will now stand trial for multiple counts of stalking and aggravated harrassment and departmental charges (total of 12 counts) after a Chautauqua County grand jury ruled Wednesday that there is probable cause to continue the case. The incidents allegedly happened over a two year period beginning in September of 2001. Watson will be arraigned January 3 in Chautauqua County court.

Thursday, volunteers continued their search for 26-year old Yolanda Bindics.
Family and friends are still wearing the emotional scars from the sudden disappearance of the Jamestown mother of four. With Bindics' sister in town from North Carolina for the holidays, she says she couldn't go home without giving it another shot. It's her first Christmas home in eight years, and Margaret Ostrom is searching for any signs of her missing 26-year old sister Yolanda Bindics. “It's hard,” said Ostrom. “It's really hard. I mean she's my best friend.”

Ostrom and a few family friends are searching in a landfill behind the quality markets on Fluvanna Avenue. Four months ago, on August 10, Bindics suddenly disappeared. She was last seen leaving work at the Family Dollar store on Fluvanna Avenue. The search Thursday also takes them to the area by the railroad tracks near Jones and Gifford Avenue. They are hoping the holiday season gives them closure. “We want any miracle, even if it's not a holiday, even if it's after Christmas or after the new year,” said Michelle Butman, a family friend. “We need closure. We need to find something right now.”

“I just take it one day at a time,” said Ostrom. “Some days I fall apart, some days I'm strong.”

The search Thursday came up empty, but friends say they will continue to search every weekend until they find Yolanda.

WATSON

January 2nd 2005

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.

 

January 3rd 2005
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.

 

January 22nd 2005
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

 

Monday, January 24th 2005
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

 

 

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."

Exactly 6 months since Yolanda disappeared and still no trace of her.   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

February 22nd 2005
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

 

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.

What really happened to Yolanda Bindics?

Six months after she disappeared, her family clings to hope

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.

"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. By GENE WARNER BuffaloNews

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

Jamestown Police Department conducted another search of the sewer system near Lafayette and Jefferson streets today. 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.

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!

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

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.

One Year Anniversary of Yolanda's Disappearance 
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.

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

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOLANDA!
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.

Watson

Wednesday, October 5th 2005
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

 

Friday, October 7th 2005
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

 

Wednesday, October 26th 2005
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

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.

Two National Shows Featuring Some of our Missing Loved Ones including Yolanda Bindics

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.

 

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.

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

 

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.

 

HOPE

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.

Hunters discovered human remains in a state forest in the Town of Charlotte, which were subsequently identified as Yolanda Bindics.

Bindics’ Family Begins Planning Funeral
It’s been five weeks since Yolanda Bindics’ remains were discovered by hunters on state forest land in Charlotte, and the Bindics family is still awaiting her return before funeral arrangements can be announced.

According to Lt. Todd Isaacson of the Jamestown Police Department, the body is being meticulously examined by forensic experts at Mercyhurst College in Erie — and the priority is gathering every last piece of evidence so whoever was responsible for her death can be put to justice.‘‘I’m not going to put a schedule on forensic analysis,’’ Isaacson said Thursday. ‘‘If certain tests need to be completed to put the final pieces of the puzzle together, we don’t need to put any time constraints on it.’’

Neither Isaacson nor Gerace could comment on when the examination would be completed so the body could be returned to the Bindics family. ‘‘I haven’t heard anything,’’ Isaacson said. ‘‘It wouldn’t come through here. It would go through the coroner’s office. The body would more than likely go from the forensic pathology lab to the funeral home.’’ Coroner John Sixby said final funeral arrangements won’t proceed until he gets the go-ahead from law enforcement officials. He also said a death certificate hasn’t been completed, though he filled out as much as he could so the family could at least make some arrangements.

According to Anne Chmielewski, Yolanda’s sister, family members have already made plans for her funeral. ‘‘We already have a location, we just don’t know when it’s going to be,’’ she said. The funeral will take place at Reddington Funeral Home in Buffalo and Yolanda will be buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, Ms. Chmielewski said — adding that Yolanda grew up there and other family members are buried at the cemetery. ‘‘We didn’t want to leave her there all alone,’’ she said, referring to a Jamestown cemetery.

However, the Bindics family is arranging a wake in Jamestown the day before they take the trip to Buffalo so Southern Tier residents can pay their respects. ‘‘Our mom wants to do something in Jamestown,’’ Ms. Chmielewski said. ‘‘We want it public, because we know there’s a lot of people waiting.’’

Neither Isaacson nor Gerace would yield much information on the progress of the case since Yolanda’s body was discovered five weeks ago. ‘‘I can’t comment on what we’re doing,’’ Isaacson said. ‘‘It’s certainly not stagnant.’’ Gerace said. ‘‘We expect some results in the near future.’’ Post Journal - PATRICK L. FANELLI

Officials To Hold Press Confrence on Yolanda Bindics Case
Patricia Bindics received a surprising phone call Thursday morning. A Jamestown Police Detective asked if her family could be present for a press announcement Friday afternoon. Mrs. Bindics doesn't know what to expect. She only knows it's concerning the investigation into the murder of her daughter, Yolanda. The Jamestown woman's body was found in September, deep in the woods in the town of Charlotte. The mother of four had been missing for just over two years.

While Mrs. Bindics is hopeful, she can hardly bring herself to be optimistic that authorities could have some answers. Patricia Bindics: "I would like to know they're bringing somebody up, but I don't think it's gonna be quite like that."

Yolanda Bindics' body was taken to Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania to ba analyzed.Police have yet to name any suspects in the case, however they do suspect foul play. Last summer, police reported confidence in solving the case after receiving DNA evidence on some of Yolanda's personal belongings.

The press conference is being held Friday at Jamestown City Hall at 2:30pm. The Chautauqua County D-A and members of the sheriff's and police department will be present. 2 On Your Side-WGRZ

A possible break?
Police have scheduled a press conference Friday. It's unclear what new information Friday afternoon's press conference will uncover. But since Yolanda Bindics disappeared and her remains were found, police have not made any arrests. The Chautauqua County district attorney, the sheriff's department, and Jamestown Police have called a news conference for Friday afternoon.

The 25 year old mother of four disappeared in August 2004. Two hunters discovered her body in September in a state forest in the Town of Charlotte. Her family prayed for her safe return before her body was found. Since then, they've prayed for authorities to find her killer.

News 4 have not been told about any arrests yet, but two men have been named persons of interest in the case, former Jamestown Police officer Michael Watson, and Clarence Carte, the father of Bindics' youngest child. WIVB-TV 4

 

Bindics Death Ruled Homicide
In a brief press conference, Chautauqua County District Attorney David Foley officially announced that the death of Yolanda Bindics was a homicide. She had been missing for two years before her remains were found in September. Foley says Bindics' family had been briefed but says they were asked not to comment on the matter. Foley could not comment on any specifics that might compromise the ongoing investigation. Police refuse to say they have any suspects, only ‘‘persons of interest.’’ Foley says there are no other new developments in the case but officials say now they can continue moving forward with the investigation.

Once again, Watson’s day in court has been delayed
as prosecutors appeal a decision passed down from Chautauqua County Judge John Ward that stops them from introducing specific pieces of evidence, according to Paul Webb Jr., Watson’s attorney. ‘‘What he is trying to do is prohibit Judge Ward from enforcing the order of March that precluded the people from introducing evidence that had not been disclosed to the defense,’’ said Webb, an attorney with the Lakewood law firm Erickson, Webb, Scolton and Hajdu.

The evidence Ward dismissed consists of e-mails and phone conversations relating to the charges that Watson stalked and harassed three female employees of the Jamestown Police Department during his own tenure as an officer, according to Webb. He also said the evidence had not been disclosed to the defense, the reason for the dismissal. The charges against Watson originated during an investigation immediately following the disappearance of Jamestown woman Yolanda Bindics. Watson was placed on administrative leave after it was revealed that he had been involved with Ms. Bindics romantically. After a subsequent investigation, Watson was accused of stalking and harassing the three female employees. The case went to a grand jury in December 2004, and he was indicted on three counts of fourth-degree stalking, four counts of third-degree stalking, four counts of second-degree aggravated harassment and one count of official misconduct. In July, Ward dismissed all but one of the stalking counts and the official misconduct charge on the grounds that the evidence prosecutors provided to the grand jury was ‘‘not legally sufficient.’’ Only the official misconduct charge was reinstated upon appeal, which Webb described at the time as a victory for his client.

Watson resigned from the Jamestown Police Department in May 2006, just days before a civil service hearing regarding alleged violations of department policy that stemmed from the stalking and harassment accusations. Watson is suing the Jamestown Police Department and the city of Jamestown, alleging that investigators maliciously painted him as a suspect following Ms. Bindics’ disappearance.Police, on the other hand, blame the media and the public for reaching such conclusions about Watson, saying they only labeled him as a person of interest, the classification of which included everyone who knew Ms. Bindics and could shed some light on her disappearance. Ms. Bindics disappeared in August 2004, and her remains were discovered by hunters on state forest land in the town of Charlotte last September. The cause of death was eventually ruled as foul play, and a suspect has not yet been identified.
Patrick L. Fanelli Jamestown Post Journal

Judge Dismisses Watson Case
The lawsuit filed by former Jamestown police officer Michael Watson against the police department and the city was dismissed, though defense attorney Paul Webb Jr. is intent on appealing the judge’s ruling.

‘‘We are very happy,’’ Ms. Fiore-Nieves said. ‘‘(Watson) didn’t really articulate in his papers a specified amount of money, but it’s certainly a relief to the city. It validates the action taken by the police throughout the length of this investigation.’’ It has been close to three years since Watson was first identified as a ‘‘person of interest’’ in the investigation into Ms. Bindics’ disappearance, and nearly a year to the day since Ms. Fiore-Nieves first filed a motion for summary judgement with the state Supreme Court.

According to Ms. Fiore-Nieves, police officers are granted immunity from civil suits unless they act in a reckless and malicious manner, and she argued Watson’s lawsuit must be dismissed since police acted appropriately based on the information they had at the time. Justice Timothy Walker granted the motion for summary judgement and dismissed the case after hearing arguments from both attorneys Monday in Mayville, though Webb tried to show that police officials sought to ruin Watson’s reputation by labeling him as a ‘‘person of interest’’ in the case.

Six misdemeanor charges against Watson are still pending, the other six having been dismissed.

Yolanda Bindics' Family Still Hoping for Answers
The family of a Jamestown woman is renewing its plea for help in solving her murder. Yolanda Bindics' body was found last September after she'd been missing for a couple of years. Her sister hopes it won't be much longer until a suspect is behind bars.

Nearly three years have gone by since Yolanda Bindics disappeared in Jamestown...and it's almost been a year since hunters discovered her body in the Town of Charlotte. Her sister is frustrated the killer is still on the loose, but she remains hopeful. "Everything's not processed yet, everything's not done and it's taken a long time," said Ann Chmielewski. Bindics' body was taken to Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania to be examined by forensic pathologists. It's unclear what, if any, DNA evidence has been recovered. Chmielewski wonders why DNA tests were so quick to come back in other high-profile cases...like Altemio Sanchez. "In fact, it kind of surprised me when I was watching the news and they said 'Well, we expect that evidence to come back within the next week or two' and I was kind of floored by that."

"We've narrowed our scope in particular areas and a particular person," said Jamestown Police Det. Lt. Todd Isaacson last September, shortly after Bindics' body was found. At least two persons of interest had been named -- former Jamestown Police officer Michael Watson, who allegedly had a relationship with Bindics and Clarence Carte, the father of her youngest child. So far, no charges have been filed..After all of this time, Yolanda Bindics' family still has not been able to hold a funeral for her. They want to bury her body and go to a cemetery to pay their respects. "Mother's Day has passed again. Her children couldn't go see her. We can't really start to heal until we have a funeral and the person's arrested," said Chmielewski. She still hopes someone will come forward with the information police need solve her sister's murder. "We're pretty confident somebody knows something. Not just the killer."

Michael Watson sued the Jamestown Police Department for defamation. The suit was dismissed earlier this week but his attorney said they plan to appeal. WKBW-TV 7 Melanie Pritchard

Bindics Family Marks Sad Anniversary
It's a somber anniversary for the family of a murdered Jamestown mother of four. Yolanda Bindics dissapeared three years ago Friday. Her remains were found in a wooded area in the Town of Charlotte last September. Her murder remains a mystery. Police are offering a 20,000 dollar reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer. WIVB-TV 4

Yolanda Bindics Murder - 3 Years, No Arrests
On August 10, 2004, 25-year-old Yolanda Bindics, a mother of four, left her job at the Family Dollar store in Jamestown. She called her brother, who was watching her kids, around 8:20pm from her cell phone. When he tried to call her around 8:35pm, there was no answer. That was the last day Yolanda was seen by family and friends.

Her car was found the next day down the street at the Arby's. In September 2004, her purse, keys, and other items washed up in a storm drain in Jamestown. More than two years later, in September 2006, hunters found the woman's remains in a remote, wooded area in the Town of Charlotte, Chautauqua County.

Investigators have confirmed the remains are Yolanda's, and that she was murdered, but they remain tight-lipped on exactly how she died. "We are feeling very fortunate that we did find the remains, regardless of where they were," said First Assistant District Attorney Tracey Brunecz, "and we are doing what we can with the information we have to further determine who did this to Ms. Bindics." Asked if she still has hope, Patricia Bindics, Yolanda's mother, said, "That they find someone, yes. I have some hope. They have hope. At least, that's what they tell us."

During the case, investigators have focused on three men, Darien Thomas and Clarence "Carl" Carte, both of whom had children with Yolanda. Authorities also questioned former police officer Michael Watson, who reportedly had a relationship with Yolanda. Days after her disappearance, he was placed on paid leave and arrested on unrelated stalking charges. According to police, Carte had been seen at the Kwik Fill across the street from the Family Dollar store the night Yolanda disappeared, but her family ackowledges that Yolanda went on vacation in Canada with Thomas about one week before her disappearance. Brunecz declined to comment on whether all three, or any of the men, remain persons of interest in the case.

Yolanda's remains were taken to Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania for examination. Patricia Bindics has agreed to allow her daughter's remains to stay in the lab for any further analysis. This means the family's plans for her funeral, and eventual burial in Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, must remain on hold. 2 On Your Side-WGRZ Robyn Young

Bindics Family Still Seeking Closure
Though three years have passed since Jamestown resident Yolanda Bindics was last seen alive, police say it isn’t time to give up hope that her murderer will one day be brought to justice. They believe they know who did it, according to Lt. Todd Isaacson, who heads the Jamestown Police Department detective bureau and has been on the case since Ms. Bindics was first reported missing in 2004. He says they believe they know who murdered Ms. Bindics and then hid her body in a remote stretch of woods a few miles northeast of Sinclairville.

Isaacson believes the killer is out there, in the area, almost within reach, and police only need that one piece of evidence, that silver bullet, to make the arrest. ‘‘We certainly narrowed the focus of our investigation to a particular area and a particular individual,’’ Isaacson said. ‘‘The discovery of the body and the location of the body certainly played into our theory of who is responsible. It is a very isolated area we believe is very familiar to the individual we believe is responsible for her death.’’

As early as June 2006, Jamestown police said they had a pretty good idea what happened Aug. 10, 2004, the night Ms. Bindics left the Family Dollar store on Fluvanna Avenue at 8:30 p.m. after telling her brother over the phone that she was off to buy groceries. Police reiterated their beliefs after Ms. Bindics’ remains were discovered by hunters on Sept. 10 just west of the Earl O. Cardot Eastside Overland Trail, which winds through private property and state forests in eastern Chautauqua County.

But the assurances are not much comfort to Ms. Bindics’ friends and family, who had to wait more than two years before knowing what became of her and another year without knowing who is responsible for her death. ‘‘I don’t know. I’m not really sure why they haven’t arrested anyone,’’ said Buffalo resident Anne Chmielewski, Yolanda’s sister. ‘‘It sounds to me, based on everything they’ve said and done and found, that they should have plenty to make an arrest. ... It gets so frustrating. They’re supposed to know. Then what’s the problem? Where does the issue lie?’’

Both Isaacson and Mrs. Chmielewski spoke to The Post-Journal on Friday, the three-year anniversary of the day Ms. Bindics was last seen alive. For Mrs. Chmielewski, the biggest regret seems to be the fact that the remains will probably not be released to the family until an arrest has been made.

Isaacson says he appreciates and sympathizes with Ms. Bindics’ friends and family, who may have found some closure when they finally learned what happened to her but do not have a grave beside which to grieve. ‘‘There’s closure, but there’s also that healing and grieving part of recovery, which is literally being able to go to the cemetery and have your moment,’’ Isaacson said. ‘‘We have to be patient. We’re not going to change what happened. I’d like an answer sooner rather than later like the family. ... I await the day to lock this individual up for causing her death.’’

When the time comes, the family plans to have the funeral at Reddington Funeral Home in Buffalo and to bury Ms. Bindics at Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, since Ms. Bindics grew up there and other family members are buried at the cemetery.

There is still a $20,000 reward for information that will lead police to Ms. Bindics’ murderer. Patrick L. Fanelli Jamestown Post Journal

Watson's Case in Appeals
Three weeks after state Supreme Court Justice Timothy Walker dismissed the lawsuit filed against the city of Jamestown by former police officer Michael Watson, his only hope rests with the Fourth Appellate Division in Rochester, which will hear his appeal at some point in the months to come. Likewise, the only hope for Buffalo attorney Edward Cosgrove, the special prosecutor assigned to pursue the misdemeanor charges filed against Watson, is that the same appellate judges will grant his own appeal of a decision made by Chautauqua County Judge John Ward.

Watson’s attorney, Paul Webb Jr., believes he has a good shot of winning the appeal since he says the judge chose to believe only one side of the argument rather than leaving that up to a jury.  ‘‘A jury should decide questions of fact — not the court,’’ Webb said. ‘‘That’s his obligation — finding issues of fact, not to decide them.’’  The question Walker faced was whether police officials acted maliciously or recklessly when they pursued criminal and civil service charges against Watson.

One of Webb’s central arguments was that police officials acted either maliciously or recklessly when they charged Watson with seven counts of stalking, four counts of aggravated harassment and one count of official misconduct in the wake of Jamestown resident Yolanda Bindics’ disappearance more than three years ago.  According to court documents, four days after she was last seen on Aug. 10, 2004, one of her family members told FBI investigators that she and Watson were once involved in a personal relationship.  Ms. Fiore-Nieves, city attorney, said during the recent motion proceedings that Watson never told his supervisors of the relationship ‘‘even though he was aware that there was a missing-persons investigation ongoing within the department for these four days,’’ though Webb said Watson had no reason to tell his supervisors since it would have contributed nothing to the investigation.  Regardless, that information prompted the FBI to investigate Watson’s relationship with Ms. Bindics, and it also prompted the Jamestown Police Department to conduct an internal investigation of its own. As part of the internal investigation, statements were taken from three woman, two of them employees of the police department, which resulted in allegations that Watson had once stalked and harassed them.

Webb questioned the internal investigation since it was conducted by Lt. Todd Isaacson, who he said did not get along with Watson. In affidavits, both police Detective John Ferrara and Joe Genco, a retired police sergeant, said it was ‘‘common knowledge’’ the two didn’t get along, though Ms. Fiore-Nieves said during the motion proceedings that it didn’t matter.  ‘‘There’s been no indication to indicate that there’s been any willful misconduct (or) reckless behavior on the part of these individuals,’’ she said. ‘‘The best the plaintiff could come up with was that there was some dislike between Lt. Isaacson and the plaintiff.’’

Webb also questioned the charges that were brought against Watson since they alleged that he stalked and harassed the three victims, though the three victims reportedly did not want charges brought against him. In affidavits, one victim said, ‘‘If I would have had a problem which required police intervention with Michael Watson, I would have requested help.’’ Another said that Watson had ‘‘never threatened or harmed’’ her.  The judge, however, looked to the three victims’ original statements on which the charges were based.  ‘‘There’s three statements here under oath where they said they were intimidated,’’ Walker said to Webb during the proceedings. ‘‘One was so intimidated she had her mother take her kids to school to avoid a confrontation with the guy.’’

Also central to Webb’s case is the press conference that was called Oct. 4, 2004, during which William MacLaughlin, former police chief and a defendant in the civil suit, announced that Watson had been suspended and charged with the 12 criminal counts alongside numerous civil-service violations.  At that press conference, Watson was reportedly identified as a ‘‘person of interest’’ in the investigation into Ms. Bindics’ disappearance, and Webb maintains MacLaughlin did so to destroy Watson’s reputation.  ‘‘When you say something like that and you’re the chief of police ... you know out there the public is going to think he is a sex predator and involved in the murder,’’ Webb said.  The belief that the police department’s actions may have been reckless or malicious and may have contributed to the widespread belief that Watson was involved with Ms. Bindics’ death was something to which Ferrara attested in his affidavit.  Ms. Fiore-Nieves argued the term ‘‘person of interest’’ was first used by the FBI because of Watson’s relationship with Ms. Bindics after interviews and a polygraph examination produced reportedly mixed results on the veracity of Watson’s early claim that he had nothing to do with Ms. Bindics’ disappearance.  ‘‘As a result of that, the FBI notified the Jamestown Police Department that they considered Mr. Watson a person of interest in the Yolanda Bindics missing persons investigation,’’ Ms. Fiore-Nieves said. Patrick L. Fanelli Jamestown Post Journal

A Mother's View
The night of Aug. 10, 2004, the evening sky seemed to shine like a gigantic sapphire dome, covering our area as far as our eyes could see. That was the night our precious daughter disappeared; she was later found murdered.  Many people in this part of our state remember Yolanda as the uppeat multitasking young mom (as many young moms are today) spending her time between her job at the Family Dollar store, dropping her oldest daughter off at school, shopping and producing meals for her lively bunch.  Sometimes she took time to enjoy a breakfast with her Dad and me on a day off and with her friends and acquaintances, but she was always careful that the children were in safe care with me, another reliable family member or the friend who lived downstairs. She always came home on time as planned or called if she would be a little late. Sadly, that’s all over now.

The other night we had another clear blue sky, but we will never see Yolanda again! A perpetrator of evil is still running the streets of Western New York. We’re still on his trail and we still care!  I can still visualize in my mind the evening she disappeared. I remember the hopes, dreams and feelings of my 25-year-old daughter that year. I remember the big bear hug we shared about a month before she disappeared and her promise of “I’ll be OK! I’m going to live a long, long time!” I was apprehensive that day about her because a co-worker mentioned to me something might happen to her but was unable to mention a name.

Yolanda’s babies are getting bigger and growing up more and more each year. The eldest, Katelyn, is 11. Yolanda would have liked to have seen her now, all preteen and bubbly with life. She would have liked to have been there for her children’s teenage years. She had pet names for each and every one of them and a heart as big as a house, yet she was strict enough and vivacious enough to have been able to see them through their teenage years safely. Emily, the little one, who was not yet walking when her mother disappeared, is now in prekindergarten, but the paper flowers she makes for Mother’s Day will never be seen by Yolanda. Yolanda loved her babies dearly and brought Emily through the perils of her premature birth. Yolanda nursed her to health and wholesome healthy childhood through constant attention, medicines carefully administered at special times and mature, motherly child care. Little Allie, who was 2 that sorrowful summer of 2004, also is in school this September. She has bright, beautiful cornflower blue eyes and has a very special closeness with Grandpa Bindics. She is happy with all we do for her and expresses that to us. Courtney, who started kindergarten in September 2004, will be attending third grade this September. Due to my grandparent’s visitation rights, Yolanda’s children are able to get together regularly and spend a week in North Carolina in the summer.

I wish Yolanda was here today to see the strides her children have taken. I wish Yolanda was still enjoying the warm summer breezes, the beautiful sights and memories, the hopes of wonderful years she had ahead of her. About what happened to her and the person responsible? I believe someone needs to be held accountable for the death of our daughter and my grandchildren’s mother. BuffaloNews Opinion Patricia Bindics

Funeral Services
It has been over three years since Yolanda Bindics disappeared. Her family is now finally able to give her a proper burial.

The young mother of four was last seen August 10, 2004 when she left work at the Family Dollar in Jamestown. Hunters found her body in September, 2006 in a remote, wooded area in Chautauqua County.

Police still have not identified her killer.

Yolanda will be laid to rest on Saturday. Friends and family will get a chance to say goodbye on Thursday and Friday.

Wake Service: Thursday, November 8, 2007
Huber Funeral Home
111 S. Main Street, Jamestown
From 2pm-4pm and 6pm-8pm

Wake Service: Friday, November 9, 2007
Reddington Funeral Home
657 Abbott Road, Buffalo
2pm-4pm and 6pm-8pm

Funeral: Saturday, November 10, 2007
St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Buffalo 10am

Yolanda Bindics, 28, angel and mother of four, will be laid to rest on Nov. 10, 2007. She was born Sept. 29, 1978, in Buffalo, N.Y. She was the daughter and eleventh child of Mr. and Mrs. Imre Bindics Sr. of Jamestown, N.Y.

Yolanda worked at various positions throughout the Jamestown area, including
Bush Industries, Fairbank Farms and a A Child’s Place Day Care. Her most recent position was as sales associate at the Family Dollar Store on Fluvanna Avenue.

Ms Bindics came to Jamestown from Buffalo in May 1989 when she was 10 years
old and attended Bush Elementary School as well as Jefferson and Washington
Middle schools. She was a student at Jamestown High School until 1995.

She will lovingly be remembered as a caring mom, helpful and compassionate daughter and fun-loving aunt and friend. She enjoyed singing, movies and visiting with her family and friends. She was most devoted to securing a
safe and well lifestyle for her four children.

She is survived by her parents and daughters: Katelyn, 11, Courtney, 8, Allison, 5 and Emily, 4, all of Jamestown; four brothers: Sandor ‘‘Alex’’ Bindics, Imre ‘‘James’’ (Laura) Bindics and John (April) Bindics, all of Buffalo, Frank Bindics of Jamestown; and six sisters: Lisa (Michael) Shaut and Margaret Bindics Ostrom, both of Charlotte, N.C., Rose Bindics of Hamburg, N.Y., Tricia Bindics of North Tonawanda, N.Y., Anne Bindics Chmielewski of Buffalo and Christine Bindics of Jamestown, N.Y; also survived by 21 nieces and nephews.

Friends may call on Thursday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hubert Funeral Home, 111 S. Main St., Jamestown and on Friday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Reddington Funeral Home, 657 Abbott Road, Buffalo, N.Y.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 450 Abbott Road, Buffalo, N.Y. A graveside service will follow with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Lakawanna, N.Y.

Cases Gone Cold

Lack Of Leads Frustrates Investigators

Nothing inflames the imagination like a mystery. They thrive on television, in books and on the big screen. And although they come in many types, the murder mystery is king.

For police, though, these mysteries are serious business, and the bane of the investigator’s work is the cold case, in which evidence is scarce and leads more often go down blind alleys than toward progress.

Sheriff Joe Gerace said cases typically go cold when a longer than usual amount of time passes between the time of the crime and resolution of the investigation.

‘‘If the cases aren’t solved within a reasonable amount of time, and as the leads start to dry up, we start classifying those cases as cold. It’s very, very frustrating,’’ he said.

He said cases go cold for a number of reasons, usually because of a lack of witnesses to the crime, uncooperative witnesses or a lack of physical evidence. One of the prime cold case scenarios is the disappearance of a lone victim, when no one witnessed the disappearance and the body is either never found or not found until some time later.

This was the case in three of the area’s most well-known cold cases, the disappearances of Kathy Ann Wilson, Lori Ceci Bova and Yolanda Bindics. The bodies of Mrs. Wilson and Ms. Bindics were both found more than a year after their disappearances, and Mrs. Bova has yet to be found.
Jamestown Post Journal

Michael Watson accepted an Alford plea to a single misdemeanor charge of official misconduct for an unrelated case. An Alford plea is where the criminal defendant does not admit the act but admits that there may be sufficient evidence that could result in a conviction.

Watson was sentenced to three years' probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

During the sentencing hearing, State Supreme Court Justice Richard Kloch told Watson that he had misused his authority as a police officer.

"You admit to having sex while in uniform; that is not what an officer is supposed to do. This is not what a gentleman does, and you know it," Kloch said.

As a result of the ruling, Watson will never again be able to work as a police officer.

Watson, who had no prior criminal record, continues to claim his innocence with regard to the misconduct charge and the disappearance of Yolanda Bindics. According to his attorney, Watson has consented to and passed a lie detector test in regard to Yolanda's case. His attorney also claims that he has a solid alibi for his client's whereabouts during that time period.

Dean Reithel

father of Allison

died unexpectedly at 7:50 a.m. in his home.

 

Timothy L. Bindics, 4, of 103 Weeks St., Jamestown, died at 6:50 p.m., Monday (April 20, 2009), the result of an auto and pedestrian accident.

He was born in Jamestown, on Dec. 4, 2004, the son of Frank Bindics and Tiffany Sheehan.

He is survived by a brother, Frank Bindics Jr., and a sister, Cathrine Bindics; his maternal grand parents, Dennis and Joyce Sheehan; his paternal grandparents, Patricia and Imre Bindics; and several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews also survives.

He was preceded in death by his aunt, Yolanda Bindics; and his uncle, Dennis Sheehan Jr.

A private graveside service will be held at Sunset Hill Cemetery. Friends will be received on Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Hubert Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

Students Plant Tree In Memory Of Classmate

Students from Chautauqua Opportunities' Early Care and Education Head Start program planted a tree in memory of their fellow student, 4-year-old Timothy Bindics, who died in a car-pedestrian accident in April, as part of the organization's annual picnic recently at the Connections South location on Fluvanna-Townline Road.

(Timothy was Yolanda's Nephew.)

Heart Broken dad passes on......Imre Bindic Sr.
Beloved husband of Patricia (Sommer) Bindics; dearest father of Joe (Jessone), Lisa (Michael) Schout, Rose, Patricia, Alex, Jim (Laura), Ann Chmielewski, John (April), Christine, Frank, Margaret and the late Yolanda Bindics; loving grandfather of 26 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Friends may call Sunday 6-8 PM at the REDDINGTON FUNERAL HOME, 657 Abbott Rd. (corner Red Jacket Pkwy.), where a service will be held Monday at 10 AM and followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Thomas Aquinas Church

Decade Of Memories

A Look Back At The Good And Bad Of The 2000s

MISSING PERSONS CASES

Several missing persons cases remain unsolved over the past decade, including two area residents who went missing after Jan. 1, 2000.

Yolanda Bindics was last seen at about 8:20 p.m. August 10, 2004, outside the Family Dollar store on Washington Street. Her car was then found outside Arby's on Washington Street on Aug. 11, and despite numerous searches throughout the area, it was more than two years between her disappearance and the discovery of Ms. Bindics' body near a hiking trail in the woods near Charlotte. In the intervening time, police searched the Fluvanna Avenue corridor, the woods around Jones and Gifford Avenue, the county landfill in Ellery and the Chautauqua Gorge without turning up evidence of what happened to Ms. Bindics.

While Yolanda's family has closure, they are still waiting for charges to be brought against her killer.

''It sounds to me, based on everything they've said and done and found, that they should have plenty to make an arrest. ... It gets so frustrating,'' said Anne Chmielewski, Yolanda's sister, in a 2007 edition of The Post-Journal. ''They're supposed to know. Then what's the problem? Where does the issue lie?''

Investigators are also looking for any evidence of Corrie Anderson, a Busti woman who has been missing since Oct. 28, 2008, when she left the Lake County Dodge dealership on Washington Street.

''Every minute of every day, finding her is the one thing I think about,'' said Scott Baker, Ms. Anderson's brother. ''Our family has been up early and searched on our own in Chautauqua and Warren counties every single day since she disappeared. Someone has to know or have seen something and we are praying that no matter how small the piece of information might be, they call the state police because it might be the one thing that helps us find her.''

And, while Corrie Anderson's family searches for answers, the family of Lori Bova also waits for answers 12 years after the Lakewood woman's disappearance. While the trail may have gone cold, Paul Gustafson of the Lakewood-Busti Police Department continues reviewing the file and searching for new evidence to bring the case to a close.

''We keep going and hoping, praying that our prayers will be answered someday,'' said Jim Ceci, Lori's father, in a 2003 story. ''We love and miss her very much. It's very difficult. Holidays, and every day, go by nd we think about it all the time. We hope that answers will come in our lifetime.''

http://www.post-journal.com