Colerain Mom says search for missing teen can stop already

COLERAIN, OH – Judith Merkatz appealed to authorities and friends this week to discontinue the search for her missing fourteen year old son Daniel.   Mrs. Merkatz expressed her appreciation of everyone’s dedication during the 48 hour search but said believes the effort has been too much of a community disruption. 

“We all need our lives back.  Let's face it, my kid wasn't exactly an angel. He had a lot of issues.  48 hours of constant searching, hanging signs, and finding current pictures of Daniel to show the media has taken its toll on everyone.  It's only natural to question if its really worth it.  People can keep praying if they want but I’m even a little worn out on that.  Let’s all give ourselves a pat of the back for giving two days and nights of our lives for Daniel who quite honestly probably wouldnt have even appreciated it.”  said Mrs. Merkatz to a group of community search volunteers.

Colerain Township Police Chief Walter Neville said it is very unusual for a parent to request a search stoppage.  “Normally we continue our search and investigation for 30 days.  It appears in this case the mother-son bond is not as strong as we are accustomed to seeing.”

In a statement to the media, Mrs. Merkatz said, “Hopefully one day in a year or two we can all get a have a good laugh when my Daniel walks through the front door and says,  ‘Hey Mom!  I escaped from my abductor so you can call off the search for me now!’  I truly look forward to that moment as long as he hasn’t been forced to have a sex change operation and expects us to call him Danielle.”