Laurie Lynn Bradshaw: *Googles the name of the guy driving her car* Weird…no sign of him on the internet at all. The article saying they can’t find him is from August 1987. I wonder if he ever did turn up?
Joanne Long Fugett: The date of birth given on this obituary would match Joanne’s age; this is probably her. I’ve seen such notices for MPs who have been declared legally dead. But why would Joanne get declared legally dead just seven months after her disappearance?
Donna Kay Gibson: My God, if someone abducted this poor woman (which looks likely) when she had laryngitis… She wouldn’t even been able to scream for help.
Miller Smith Harlow: This is a strange case. It looks like it must have been foul play, but why? Who would want to kill this harmless, likable retiree?
Abdallah Ahmed Hassan and Barkad Ilyas Hassan: Weird, two guys with the same surname disappear from the same city just two weeks apart. Probably not related though. Hassan is a really common Muslim name. Abdallah was apparently Somali. I wonder if Barkad and his friend Hamza Okie were too? The photos all look like passport-type pics.
Francisco Arroya Hernandez: The Virginia State Police page mistakenly calls him “Franciso” and then refers to him as “Francisco” in the text of the document; I wonder if “Arroya” is also a mistake and it’s supposed to be “Arroyo.”
From the VSP page also, La-Teasha LaMone Brooks and Heather Dialian Hodges have one new photo each.
The Charley Project Blog 
Your work is phenomenal, Meaghan…I learn so much from this site! The time and research you put into this blows my mind.
In the case of Laurie Bradshaw, it sounds like foul play to me. I can’t really explain why, but it just does.
With Donna Gibson, I think you may be right but I hope not. Or it could be a case of somebody walking out on their family due to stress or something.
Miller Smith Harlow…that IS weird. Maybe he had an enemy somehow or it was somebody he knew or it was just random. The more open-ended cases are definitely a puzzle because of all the possibilities.
Also, you asked who would want to kill him. He was elderly and that can make somebody a target, plus the fact that there are many evil people in this world. Some folks don’t need a reason to harm others, they do it because it feels good (to them).
La-Teasha Brooks…she might have been abducted, most likely by a person she knew and trusted. Maybe she was walking and a friend or acquaintance offered her a lift.
Heather Hodges…yeah, definitely foul play. The details you provided in the case summary point to Heather possibly being seriously injured or killed.
Not to mention that she was in an abusive relationship and somebody else in the home might have harmed her as well. I don’t like the sound of that.
I might do some more of these “thinking aloud” things. Right now I’m still going down the Virginia State Police MP list, writing up cases, and I’ve done some pretty serious thinking about one I’m writing up as we speak.
it would be awesome if you did. thanks for all you do.
If you have any further information on my sister’s case I would like to get it. Laurie Lynn Bradshaw. Our mom recently passed and so have three of our siblings. I’ve been checking the doe network for anything as well.
Unfortunately I don’t. Do you know if the guy driving her car ever reappeared?
My initial thought on Donna Gibson was could she have had some sort of reaction to any medications she may have been taking for her laryngitis? Some reactions to medications can include confusion, hallucinations, psychosis, etc. Although a small possibility, it could explain her having left without her belongings. Anyway, this is just my medical background speaking.
It appears that Joanne Fugett is still missing and that the obit was posted in 2010, a few years after her disappearance. All but a few of the guest book entries are by family members checking in on holidays to express how much they miss Joanne. I guess they decided she was almost certainly gone and wanted a place to write to her to express their grief.
For example, the most recent by her sister: “Happy New Year Joanne I miss you so much I wish we could find you. Joanne we lost our big sister Linda on January 22, 2013 now she’s gone and your still missing I believe I will see you guys again one day then we’re all be very happy .Love your baby sister Lavon Posted by: Lavon – Locust Grove, VA – sister Feb 05, 2013
My first thought on Miller Smith is could someone have accidentally hit him walking and not wanting to be charged takes him to another location to hide his remains. Another thought would be did someone offer him a ride then try to get money from him and not want to be caught. Either way I don’t think they will find him unless the person who took him talks or other circumstances lead police to discover his remains and they are on the property of this person. The not knowing is horrible and I hope they find closure.