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Bradley Olsen case to be on TV ‘Crimestoppers’ to feature local man still missing after eight years By DARIA SOKOLOVA dsokolova@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Almost eight years after Bradley Olsen disappeared, his mother hopes to shed light on his case with a segment on TV. On Saturday, a 15-minute segment of “Crimestoppers” providing insight into the search will be featured at 11 p.m. on WPWR-TV, said Sue Olsen, Bradley’s mother. “After eight years, every little piece, it’s like a monstrous puzzle with all these little bitty pieces,” she said. “It might be that one piece in the c o r n e r t h a t ’ s Bradley missing to make Olsen all the rest of it just match together even more.” Earlier this fall, Olsen was approached by Lisette Guillen, executive producer and host for “Case Files Chicago” who wanted to feature Bradley Olsen’s case in her program. Sue Olsen said she instantly agreed, as she hoped the program would help to turn up new leads. Since her son’s disappearance on Jan. 19, 2007, Sue Olsen has been relentless in her efforts to find any information leading to his whereabouts. “Missing” posters with Bradley’s face on them can be seen around DeKalb and Sycamore. There’s a large sign outside Ol-
If you watch What: “Crime Stoppers Case Files Chicago” featuring missing Bradley Olsen Where: WPWR-TV When: 11 p.m. Saturday sen’s hometown of Maple Park. There are memorial benches dedicated to her son and signage on her car. Some of the initial search operations involved up to 400 people who combed through DeKalb and Kane counties and even reached into Kendall and Grundy counties. Although she grew tired, Sue Olsen continues her search initiatives and remains the main family member actively involved in the ongoing investigation. “Brad’s disappearance has been just really one big nightmare that you just never wake up from,” she said through tears. “And every week or every month it’s a different chapter.” DeKalb Police Sgt. Steve Lekkas said police conducted an extensive investigation that involved numerous ground, water and air searches. They have interviewed hundreds of people, followed up on hundreds of leads, and receive calls about the case, he said. Lekkas said any attention on a case is positive because it stays fresh in the community.
Mary Beth Nolan for Shaw Media
Pastor Jen Zerby lights a candle in remembrance of faith and hope offered by the Christmas story during a Blue Christmas service at Hillcrest Covenant Church in DeKalb. The service was intended to offer support and solace for people suffering loss or difficulties that can be overwhelming during the Christmas season.
Feeling blue at Christmas Churches, agencies help those who are down at holidays By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com DeKALB – In between wrapping presents and decorating for Christmas, Becky Sisler has tried not to cry about her father, who died five months ago. On Monday, she stopped trying. Sisler, 49, sobbed in the darkness of Hillcrest Covenant Church for her father, Howard Swan. Swan died in July at age 79 after a year of fighting different health battles, Sisler said. With the wavering light from a few candles and the white glow of a lit Christmas tree, Sisler uttered “dad,” when Pas-
Where to turn Local agencies are available to help those battling depression at the holidays. • Family Service Agency, 815-758-8616 • Ben Gordon Center, 815-756-4875 • Ben Gordon Center’s 24-hour crisis hotline, 866-242-0111 • National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 800273-8255 tor Jen Zerby asked the 15 people who gathered for a Blue Christmas service to say the name of the person they
missed. “I’m just trying to acknowledge the pain among the happiness,” Sisler said. “You can make all those plans, but you know someone’s missing.” For many, the holiday season is a time for celebration and joy, but for some they also heighten financial or emotional stress. The Blue Christmas service and other support groups are part of the local effort to comfort those who feel weary and hurt during the holidays, be it from the loss of a loved one, health or a job. Monday marked the first Blue
See BLUES, page A8
See OLSEN, page A8
Taliban assault on Pakistan school leaves 141 dead By RIAZ KHAN and REBECCA SANTANA The Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan – In the deadliest slaughter of innocents in Pakistan in years, Taliban gunmen attacked a military-run school Tuesday and killed 141 people – almost all of them students – before government troops ended the siege. The massacre of innocent children horrified a country already weary of unending terrorist attacks. Pakistan’s teenage Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai – herself a survivor of a Taliban shooting – said she was “heartbroken” by the bloodshed. Even Taliban militants in neighboring Afghanistan decried the killing spree, calling it
“un-Islamic.” If the Pakistani Taliban extremists had hoped the attack would cause the government to ease off its military offensive that began in June in the country’s tribal region, it appeared to have the opposite effect. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged to step up the campaign that – along with U.S. drone strikes – has targeted the militants. “The fight will continue. No one should have any doubt about it,” Sharif said. “We will take account of each and every drop of our children’s blood.” Taliban fighters have struggled to maintain their potency in the face of the military operation. They vowed a wave of violence in response to the operation, but until Tuesday, there
siege showed that even diminished, the militant group still could inflict horrific carnage. The rampage at the Army Public School and College began in the morning when seven militants scaled a back wall using a ladder, said Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa, a military spokesman. When they reached an auditorium where students had gathered for an event, they opened fire. A 14-year-old, Mehran Khan, said about 400 students were in the hall when the gunmen broke through the doors and AP photo started shooting. They shot one Supporters of the Mutahida Qaumi Movement hold a candlelight vigil of the teachers in the head and Tuesday for the victims of a Taliban attack on a school in Karachi, Pa- then set her on fire and shouted kistan. “God is great!” as she screamed, added Khan, who survived by has only been one major attack kistan-India border in Novem- playing dead. by a splinter group near the Pa- ber. Analysts said the school From there, they went to
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classrooms and other parts of the school. “Their sole purpose, it seems, was to kill those innocent kids. That’s what they did,” Bajwa said. Of the 141 people slain before government troops ended the assault eight hours later, 132 were children and nine were staff members. Another 121 students and three staff members were wounded. The seven attackers, wearing vests of explosives, all died in the eight-hour assault. It was not immediately clear if they were all killed by the soldiers or whether they blew themselves up, he said. The wounded – some still wearing their green school blazers – flooded into hospitals
See PAKISTAN, page A8
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