ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — On Thursday, Nov. 7, a search party spent their night combing a cemetery in Rock Island for a missing Davenport woman.
They met at The Treasure Chest, a thrift shop, where Quad Cities Missing Persons Network search parties organize. This time, they searched Chippiannock Cemetery for 25-year-old Jazmyne Garcia. She went to Moline's Día de los Muertos parade on Saturday. That evening, she went to UnityPoint Trinity in Rock Island. She later left the hospital with no phone, no ID and no money.
In a small back room, a team of trained volunteers wearing neon yellow and orange reviewed what they know about Jazmyne. The leader, Rebecca, interviewed Jazmyne's mother earlier that day to figure out why she may have gone missing.
Using a book on lost person behavior, they try to predict where she might have gone and the most likely places she could be. They also use a software called CalTopo. It lets them map out where to search and keeps track of their movements. They give that data to police.
The team also wants to search Black Hawk Park, but it's too dangerous in the dark.
"Because we're all volunteers, and we're available, we're going to take advantage of our availability time," Rebecca said.
They only conduct a few searches a year. Only certain cases benefit from a search and most people are found before the search is started. But they train every weekend to stay ready.
Director Dennis Harker said it's always better for families to reach out to his organization sooner. He said he works closely with families, keeping them updated on their search.
"When I get contacted, I always call the family, I always insist on doing an interview," Harker said. "Because even if they've worked with police, sometimes we ask for information the police won't, and we can provide guidance."
He said searches are beneficial even if the team doesn't find anything. It helps police rule out areas and focus their efforts in other locations.
If you have any information about Jazmyne, you're asked to contact the Moline Police Department.