Missing: Sarah Fox

I am a person who has suffered the pitfalls of racism in my life,BUT /I cannot not believe that many of you would turn this sarah fox case into a racial debate. I have discussed this issue with friends of color and all sorts to make sure it wasn't just me. It is true that money can buy publicity,and it is a misfortune that is what may separate the publicized cases from so many unknowticed. But a young girl going about her day was brutally killed, and thats the bottom line. In the future people fight your racial battle where actual racism occurs. If you know that a loved one is missing its up to you, your friends and family to make a fuss so big that the media will recognize him or her. I never felt sorry for my self and blamed it on my ethnicity, to me that is weakness, and a form of racism in itself (to think white people don't suffer from racism of sorts) There where plenty places in life when I have seen minorities of all sorts give white people a push and shove for being white. A person is a person, if you stop classifying yourself as a color or race chances are so will most people. P.S. there is a huge amount of NYC police who are African American they have helped me, and many others I'm sure they don't discriminate and put off finding a missing white girl, or black girl for that matter. Grow up people...If you feel so strongly about this matter I urge you all to get up and find at least one missing black person and start helping out with publicity to find that one person. If you don't pursue this idea (those of you who seem to blame so much of this on white vs. black)then you are all a bunch of complaining hypocrates...............

I am a person who has suffered the pitfalls of racism in my life,BUT /I cannot not believe that many of you would turn this sarah fox case into a racial debate. I have discussed this issue with friends of color and all sorts to make sure it wasn't just me. It is true that money can buy publicity,and it is a misfortune that is what may separate the publicized cases from so many unknowticed. But a young girl going about her day was brutally killed, and thats the bottom line. In the future people fight your racial battle where actual racism occurs. If you know that a loved one is missing its up to you, your friends and family to make a fuss so big that the media will recognize him or her. I never felt sorry for my self and blamed it on my ethnicity, to me that is weakness, and a form of racism in itself (to think white people don't suffer from racism of sorts) There where plenty places in life when I have seen minorities of all sorts give white people a push and shove for being white. A person is a person, if you stop classifying yourself as a color or race chances are so will most people. P.S. there is a huge amount of NYC police who are African American they have helped me, and many others I'm sure they don't discriminate and put off finding a missing white girl, or black girl for that matter. Grow up people...If you feel so strongly about this matter I urge you all to get up and find at least one missing black person and start helping out with publicity to find that one person. If you don't pursue this idea (those of you who seem to blame so much of this on white vs. black)then you are all a bunch of complaining hypocrates...............

I am a person who has suffered the pitfalls of racism in my life,BUT /I cannot not believe that many of you would turn this sarah fox case into a racial debate. I have discussed this issue with friends of color and all sorts to make sure it wasn't just me. It is true that money can buy publicity,and it is a misfortune that is what may separate the publicized cases from so many unknowticed. But a young girl going about her day was brutally killed, and thats the bottom line. In the future people fight your racial battle where actual racism occurs. If you know that a loved one is missing its up to you, your friends and family to make a fuss so big that the media will recognize him or her. I never felt sorry for my self and blamed it on my ethnicity, to me that is weakness, and a form of racism in itself (to think white people don't suffer from racism of sorts) There where plenty places in life when I have seen minorities of all sorts give white people a push and shove for being white. A person is a person, if you stop classifying yourself as a color or race chances are so will most people. P.S. there is a huge amount of NYC police who are African American they have helped me, and many others I'm sure they don't discriminate and put off finding a missing white girl, or black girl for that matter. Grow up people...If you feel so strongly about this matter I urge you all to get up and find at least one missing black person and start helping out with publicity to find that one person. If you don't pursue this idea (those of you who seem to blame so much of this on white vs. black)then you are all a bunch of complaining hypocrates...............

I am a person who has suffered the pitfalls of racism in my life,BUT /I cannot not believe that many of you would turn this sarah fox case into a racial debate. I have discussed this issue with friends of color and all sorts to make sure it wasn't just me. It is true that money can buy publicity,and it is a misfortune that is what may separate the publicized cases from so many unknowticed. But a young girl going about her day was brutally killed, and thats the bottom line. In the future people fight your racial battle where actual racism occurs. If you know that a loved one is missing its up to you, your friends and family to make a fuss so big that the media will recognize him or her. I never felt sorry for my self and blamed it on my ethnicity, to me that is weakness, and a form of racism in itself (to think white people don't suffer from racism of sorts) There where plenty places in life when I have seen minorities of all sorts give white people a push and shove for being white. A person is a person, if you stop classifying yourself as a color or race chances are so will most people. P.S. there is a huge amount of NYC police who are African American they have helped me, and many others I'm sure they don't discriminate and put off finding a missing white girl, or black girl for that matter. Grow up people...If you feel so strongly about this matter I urge you all to get up and find at least one missing black person and start helping out with publicity to find that one person. If you don't pursue this idea (those of you who seem to blame so much of this on white vs. black)then you are all a bunch of complaining hypocrates...............

I am a person who has suffered the pitfalls of racism in my life,BUT /I cannot not believe that many of you would turn this sarah fox case into a racial debate. I have discussed this issue with friends of color and all sorts to make sure it wasn't just me. It is true that money can buy publicity,and it is a misfortune that is what may separate the publicized cases from so many unknowticed. But a young girl going about her day was brutally killed, and thats the bottom line. In the future people fight your racial battle where actual racism occurs. If you know that a loved one is missing its up to you, your friends and family to make a fuss so big that the media will recognize him or her. I never felt sorry for my self and blamed it on my ethnicity, to me that is weakness, and a form of racism in itself (to think white people don't suffer from racism of sorts) There where plenty places in life when I have seen minorities of all sorts give white people a push and shove for being white. A person is a person, if you stop classifying yourself as a color or race chances are so will most people. P.S. there is a huge amount of NYC police who are African American they have helped me, and many others I'm sure they don't discriminate and put off finding a missing white girl, or black girl for that matter. Grow up people...If you feel so strongly about this matter I urge you all to get up and find at least one missing black person and start helping out with publicity to find that one person. If you don't pursue this idea (those of you who seem to blame so much of this on white vs. black)then you are all a bunch of complaining hypocrates...............

I am a person who has suffered the pitfalls of racism in my life,BUT /I cannot not believe that many of you would turn this sarah fox case into a racial debate. I have discussed this issue with friends of color and all sorts to make sure it wasn't just me. It is true that money can buy publicity,and it is a misfortune that is what may separate the publicized cases from so many unknowticed. But a young girl going about her day was brutally killed, and thats the bottom line. In the future people fight your racial battle where actual racism occurs. If you know that a loved one is missing its up to you, your friends and family to make a fuss so big that the media will recognize him or her. I never felt sorry for my self and blamed it on my ethnicity, to me that is weakness, and a form of racism in itself (to think white people don't suffer from racism of sorts) There where plenty places in life when I have seen minorities of all sorts give white people a push and shove for being white. A person is a person, if you stop classifying yourself as a color or race chances are so will most people. P.S. there is a huge amount of NYC police who are African American they have helped me, and many others I'm sure they don't discriminate and put off finding a missing white girl, or black girl for that matter. Grow up people...If you feel so strongly about this matter I urge you all to get up and find at least one missing black person and start helping out with publicity to find that one person. If you don't pursue this idea (those of you who seem to blame so much of this on white vs. black)then you are all a bunch of complaining hypocrates...............

The phone number you listed for any information on the case was wrong. It begins by 800 not 877.

Anyway I tried to report something odd I saw there with my son on May 2nd.

In the latest press release there was some information that perhaps something ritualistic had happened. On May 2nd we saw a roating piece of meat nailed to a large oak tree on the top of the park facing Broadway.

I remember when the officer was killed just outside the park (a smaller park between Inwood park and broadway) and the coverage was very limited. And, while I think the point made here regarding race is understood as other missing people are just as deserving of publicity, this one certainly does offer some exceptions to the typical story. This was a tiny girl with a big dream taken away. I feel that is what the media has focused on. Julliard is the most famous Conservatory in the world. One must already be a professional to be admitted and the selection is extremely competitive. Understand that a focus on a young girl with a promising future certainly adds to this story considerably.

Inwood has always had a large amount of Conservatory students due to the nearness of Manhattan, Julliard, and Mannes. I too was introduced to this area based on the convienence of commute when I attended.

Generally its not as much a race thing with the media as much as it is a marketing thing. No one is saying "she is white" so that will sell a story. They are selling the idea "she could of had it all"... but, look what happenend. Every mention in the news is prefaced with her being from Julliard. People... Lets not make this one something it isn't.

My heart goes out to Sarah's family and friends.

I'm a young woman who has gone jogging in Inwood Hill Park. There are some beautiful wooded trails back there, and when I've gone there, it's amazing - the sounds of the city just fall away. It's like you're in the middle of the country. Of course - this is also scary. When there, I found myself wondering...if I can't hear the city, how can anyone hear me?

It is scary that something like this can happen in my "backyard.". That's not to say this is a very safe neighborhood. When they found Sarah's body, I saw the helicopters over the park. But this is not the first time police helicopters have been over the park. Sometimes at night, with spotlights shining into the woods. Funny, but whatever happened those other times never made the news.

However, it's also important to note that a young white woman was stabbed in my building 2 years ago. That same summer, several apartments with white residents were broken into. Neither one of these crimes made the news either.

There really seemed to be an extreme effort on the part of Sarah's family and friends to find her. You couldn't walk half a block without seeing her "missing" photo hanging from street lamps, phone booths, everywhere. It seems clear that this is where the publicity wheel started turning. Let's drop the race card on this one and instead focus on finding the person who did this.

Ok, new questions.

I don't live in the NY area, so my knowledge on Sarah Fox is rather limited.

Is the body the search party found definitely Sarah's? From what I read, they didn't seem certain.

Also, any leads on possible suspects?

My heart goes out the family and friends.

some people really need to get off this race thing. This is a young woman in the prime of her life. She was obviously tallented and ready to do many wonderful things. It is insulting even to someone that did not know her.

'Click Here' can't help it. She's only 14. She likes horses and the color purple.

Sad to hear about Sarah though. He friends & family should be commended for getting the word out.

alas. so sad.

Sarah was murdered - her brief life just ended senselessly - and all people can do is argue about issues and parade bigotries around that have nothing to do with her. I went to high school with her. I remember her at 14 - 16-years old, and suddenly she's dead. I just hope people aren't as callous and insensitive if someone who has posted on here ends up facing the same horror she must have endured.

i am friends with one of Sarah's family members. When she first told me they didn't hear from Sarah, I did not realize how horrible the outcome would be. Thank you everyone that participated in the search. My heart goes out to all her friends and family and everyone that helped. I still feel numb about the whole horrible thing. It does make me want to grab all my family and friends and pull them close and never let them go. :(

Click Here: What is your problem. I am genuinely concered and you do something as ridiculous as that link?

Have some compassion, this is not the place for your jokes.

Nigra daddies go missing every day.

I think the point isn't that she was white. I think it's that she was at a prestigious school in a prestigious program. No one cares about us commoners.

I have posted an article on my website about Sarah Fox. Click the Click Here thing to see it.

Sheila- you said that people are sexist because they only make abig deal out of woman going missing. Thats because more woman go missing than men. Also, many men enjoy raping and killing woman. Its a "trend" among some male killers. Mabye making a big deal about it will help it stop. Also, why did this become a competition? ITS A FRIGGEN DISCUSSION ABOUT A MISSING WOMAN! GIVE SYMPATHY! DON'T FIGHT!! Also, about the racist thing. Reasons for why it was her who they made a big deal about

1. Her body was found. Some people who are black aren't found so its not that big of a deal.

2. Inwood is an extremly peaceful neighborhood and things like this never happen.

3. Her family probably made sure things about her appeared in the paper and television.

-these comments came from a 12 year old.

There is this guy whom I have seen who stands by the entrance to the woods. It stand there all day doing nothing but staring at people. He was just creepy. He was hiding behind a tree once. Baggy clothes. Puerto-Rican guy, pretty tall, and mabye in his 20's or late teens. Very suspecious. I can't think of anyone else who might have done it.

I personally knew Sarah through my best friend. He was in her class at Juilliard as a drama student and i have seen her perform and met her numerous times. This is so sad and I feel so awful for her family and friends. This isn't about White vs. Black and I can't even believe that was brought up. Some people in this world are so selfish and seem to think that everything is about race. No one is even thinking about that..her family and friends have just done everything they can to get her name out there and to get her back. Maybe people you know aren't as fortunate as that. She went running and never came back..black or white, it's a big deal.

MP, While your arguments are noted, and valid, I still think that's besides the point here. I couldn't have said it any better than "Sarah's friend" who posted above, who is my best friend and a close friend of Sarah's as well.

I never knew her, and i never would have... But i'm still a human being and I feel horrendious that she is gone. It sucks and I wish her family the best. I feel like a prick rereading all the stupid bickering everyone was doing above, and even though I couldn't have done anything it still did not need to end with her dying. Black, white, yellow or whatever we all feel death the same way and it's a feeling of unnecessity and one of being cheated. Especially when it's a life that seems to have had so much to offer and now sadly has been cut short. I hope the killer is caught quickly and brought to justice for this attrocity.

Sometimes we forget the issue at hand. Hiding behind the anounymity of the internet to use things like her dissapearance as a soapbox for our opinions, we can dissassociate and become cold and calous. Let's stop the flame war and in the future maybe try not to lose sight of where exactly we are argueing about/for our view and whether it's the appropriate place. And maybe focus on a more positive outcome.

i'd really like to have the last word on this. i think that sarah would have agreed with MP in some respects. she (gulp) was a very ethical, political, and respectful person. her fairness and principles would most likely be in line with your argument that class and wealth should not be the factor in determining whose case gets solved. it was her friends, not the police, who went and searched for her. it wasn't your tax dollars at work, it was love and commitment to a girl we all loved. it was the compassion and kindness who got her story out in the first place, not juilliard's money. friends of mine who'd never met her told their friends who told their friends. it was her high school friends, of which i am a member, who contacted media sources and told them that this was important. race was not an issue in our hearts. if a lower-income african-american, who i have been friends with for seven years went missing, i'd rally the troops the same way. if a friend of a friend of a friend reached out for support i'd do all i could just like i did for sarah. now the whole thing is over, we're left here to deal with the memories, grief, and unanswered questions. but with the understanding that we all did what we could. if this is truly something that bothers someone, i suggest you get out there and spread the word and try to get these people home one way or another. i'd also suggest that everyone think about connecting a bygone relationship, say "i love you" to someone who doesn't hear it from you enough, and be safe that no one has to feel the way we feel when we pick up a newspaper or turn on the tv. thanks to all who supported sarah and her friends in this time. and thanks to all who will take the debate further and try to help someone else out there. there's always this time when you say things like "rest in peace" and "don't let it be in vain" or "she's looking down and smiling..." i'd like to think that the thunder means she's causing some hell somewhere, the rain is because she kicked god in the nuts, and the rays of sunlight are because she's trying to fry up george bush like a little cockroach he is.

sarah's classmate, I never meant to dismiss the needs of her family and friends. What has happened is tragic.

All I meant to do is tto shed light on the fact that in today's media world where "major political and monetary power" often mean that in cases like this some people are focused on while others are ignored, it's just all sad. It's tragic what has happened and my thoughts are with her family and friends.

But my thoughts are also with all of the other people who do not have the luxury of "major political and monetary power" who go missing every day. People and families who work hard and pay taxes that go towards the local and national Police departments and other investigative agencies who they entrust to do as much as they can to find loved ones and rescue them.

Call me crazy, but I think it's sad that in this modern world with all of our technological advances it takes "major political and monetary power" to get people to pay attention to a missing person. It makes no sense and it's unfair to the poor and minority groups who have equal amounts of love for their loved ones yet do not have the "major political and monetary power" to launch a media campaign.

My condolences to the family of Sarah Fox. And to every family that goes to sleep each day not knowing the fate of a loved one. Care and concern should not hinge on "major political and monetary power" ever.

if you only knew how many people had risen to help out, you would then begin to understand why and how her disappearance was so publicized. juilliard has major political and monetary power, and our communications department has vast resources and contacts that it draws upon. a strong call went out for all juilliard staff, faculty, family, friends, and alumni to lend any kind of helping hand, whether it was to post flyers, set up websites, search the park, or make facility inquiries. as a small but tight-knit community, we sure answered it. believe me, i don't think it's a race thing...if a student was missing from columbia, you would be hearing all about it too. and Missing Peoplez, cut your crap, she's dead.

Unfortunately it doesnt have a happy ending...it seems that those same committed volunteers who posted flyers have found her body near where she went missing. RIP.

Thanks, larrydvm, thisiscrazy, Mizzing, everyone, for your thoughtful comments. It's a good debate to have and something to think about.

Thanks, thisiscrazy, for bringing some calm realism to the situation. Sarah is the 4th person missing from NYC this year. It's true that she's the only white missing person, and the only one to get media coverage. But 1 from 4 is hardly enough to identify a trend, so I thought I'd check the previous years.

Of the New Yorkers who went missing in 2003, 4 remain missing--of these, 1 is White, 1 is Hispanic, and 2 are Black. None have received any media coverage.

Of the New Yorkers who went missing in 2002, one was Hispanic and one was Asian. Neither received any media coverage.

It seems like the more pressing social question is: why are so many people of color missing?

As for major national news coverage of missing people--Sarah Fox isn't getting any. She's being widely covered in NYC and the region, and got the same treatment on MSNBC and CNN that dozens of other missing people received--the lightly edited reprint of a press release from the Center for Missing and Exploited Persons.

Mizzing Peoplez, I share your frustration with the big national coverage of missing people, because it is almost universally dedicated to young, white girls and women: Jon-Benet Ramsey, Chandra Levy, Laci Peterson, and Elizabeth Smart have undoubtedly been the biggest stories in recent years. Three of these stories come from low-crime, conservative, white Western communities where a story like this fills the news vacuum and spreads like wildfire because it sows panic among people who typically feel very safe. The national attention these stories achieve results from the wide geographic reach of the news outlets in the west--we see a kind of "tipping point" effect.

Chandra Levy's case was special because she had a lot in common with that other famous 21-yr-old Jewish girl from California and DC intern.

Again, we can see glimmers of a big social imbalance, but not a conspiracy.

out of the other "50 other people that are missing" blablabla around the city there are 4 or so from 2004

the fact is that shes a recent disappearance and hopefully we can save the poor girls life

we're not dismissing the others in any way-shape or form but c'mon now...lets help this girl if we can, dammit!

i could just cry. i realize that no debate is trivial, but come on...this is about people, who are here one day and gone another, no matter the colour, sex or creed. this started because a friend asked another friend to put up a post about my friend, sarah fox. sarah is an amazing person, a talented performer, a great friend. each and every person matters to me, and matters to her, wherever she is. i'm just personally asking the people who look at this to take a second look if they see my friend's picture and imagine it was someone you love. may all things lost be returned.

"I find the debate about race in terms of missing person's reports rather unnecessary right now. The validity of your argument is besides the point, right now all that matters is that this girl, white or not, gets home safely."

? Hope she gets found, but what about the others? What about all of the other missing people out there? Do there family and friends love them less? Are they less important?

I sent Jen an email this afternoon about Sarah because I am worried, like so many other people, about her. I asked Jen to put an announcement up as a favor, because a lot of people read here and if there is even a sliver of a chance that someone here has seen her, that's something that I want to be out there. This campaigning, these flyers...they are all being made and handed out by people who know and love Sarah, and people who want her back.

I find the debate about race in terms of missing person's reports rather unnecessary right now. The validity of your argument is besides the point, right now all that matters is that this girl, white or not, gets home safely.

"OK, i see your point but a big deal should be made about this person going missing for a number of reasons which i will not go into."

So, what's the reasons? We're still waiting.

In an attempt to mediate, I'd like to differentiate between the cultural conditions of missing persons in general and this particular case. On the broad scale, of course there's racism inherent in how missing persons get press -- and sexism, and age-ism, and a whole lot of other isms. Remember the too-true story The Onion ran during the Jon-Benet frenzy? "Poor, Ugly Girl Killed; No One Cares"

That said, these -isms on the broad scale don't bleed into her friends, who are understandably upset and want to do everything they can, or to Jen, who was responding to a direct e-mail request. They've just done what they can, and I'm sure Jen would have responded much the same to a direct e-mail request for a missing black man -- she just wouldn't have had a plethora of media links to choose from.

My best wishes in your search, and I sincerely hope Sarah turns up unharmed.

This is very scary and sad. I've been seeing her flyer everywhere and I just pray and hope they find her. Mizzing, you should chill with your URL, we all get your point. At the moment I'm feeling concern for this particular unsolved situation, maybe because like Jen, I go out running in the middle of the afternoon and don't like to think that makes me vulnerable to disappearing. But whatever. Her friends are obviously doing an amazing job reaching out. I can't imagine how hard it must be to deal with a friend vanishing.

Why don't we go sexist with this arguement? It's always women who get the press when they go missing. Is the media is engaged in misandry?

Also, seems the majority of postings in that NYPD link are years old.

"Uh people, i realize that some of you may feel that certain people get more publicity when they go missing but that's really besides the point here..... Let's just hope this women turns up and is ok."

Agreed. But I also hope the more than 50 people who are already listed as officially listed by the NYPD in the 5 boroughs also get found.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/missing.html

Uh people, i realize that some of you may feel that certain people get more publicity when they go missing but that's really besides the point here..... Let's just hope this women turns up and is ok.

"OK, i see your point but a big deal should be made about this person going missing for a number of reasons which i will not go into."

Why not? She's white. She's young. She went running. She's from out of town. What's the other reason which you cannot go into? Is she a CIA operative?

OK, i see your point but a big deal should be made about this person going missing for a number of reasons which i will not go into. when it comes to this sort of thing, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. maybe gothamist should have a missing persons sidebar?

"I disagree and and don't see the point of Mizzing Peoplez comment."

The point is that in this city and this country if a white person has gone missing, it's newsworthy across the country. The same can't be said for people of color going missing in this city and in this country. Sorry to point that out, but that's the truth.

In the days after 9-11 in NYC, that was the only time I have ever seen equal coverage of missing/lost loved ones. But outside of that, if Lacie Peterson goes missing or Chandra Levy goes missing the whole country stops. Like they are the only people who go missing every day.

As far as getting the news out, you can walk around this city and routinely see fliers put up by friends and families for missing people. The NYPD rountinely passes this info onto news media outlets on a daily basis. But it seems that that is not often enough to get the attention of the major media outlets.

The level of publicity around Sarah Fox is a direct result of her family. But that does not automatically translate into the media outlets making it as big an issue as it does. In this case, I guess a white young woman going missing is newsworthy since it taps into the fears of every transplanted New Yorker in this city. But it's still imbalanced and unfair.

Seriously, look at the NYPD missing person's page:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/missing.html

Are any of the people there more or less worthy of media scrutiny.

You need to separate a families efforts to find a loved one from the media's desire to hype a subject.

I disagree and and don't see the point of Mizzing Peoplez comment. But, nice try on the attempt to politicize a missing person report. There are people that goes missing all the time in and around the United States - and the ones that get publicized are the ones were friends and family of the missing person use some personal initiative to get the message out. Not clear on how that is racist.

Note: I also got an email from one of Sarah's friends, so I put this up. And I found the aspect about her being last scene when she went running personally scary, since I've wondered who will notice if I don't come back from a run.

And, Mizzing, a very good point about the seeming disparity in coverage of stories, missing white vs. missing blacks.

I'm pretty sure that it's Sarah's friends/roommates/loved ones who are mobilizing to find her. As for the thousands else who go missing each year, you all have the freedom to post flyers for them and contact the press. Its not so much that this person is white that makes it so urgent, but rather that it seems like another "Chandra Levy" type situation. And that's horrible, both for the victim and the family.

That's a good point. But in NY it seems like whenever I watch the local news, at the end of the broadcast they show a missing person, usually someone of color, and give their stats and how long they've been gone. So it's not that no one cares, it's more likely a matter of the missing person's parents' monetary wherewithal.

I hope all works out well for Sarah Fox, but I find it funny how in this country if a white person is missing people go nuts and TV stations make it headline news. But guess what? She's not the only missing person in the city.

Go to this URL:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/missing.html

And realize that other people go missing in this city every day. Maybe those other people should get a publicist.

I walked around Inwood yesterday and these flyers were all over the place, even on secluded nature trails in Fort Tryon. It was touching but sobering, Isham Park and Inwood are pretty isolated and no place for lone female joggers. I'm praying for the best.

Thankyou thankyou thankyou, Jen.

Thankyou thankyou thankyou, Jen.