Friday 8 August 2014

Boy missing since 1940 ID'd





  • George Owen Smith went missing in 1940 after being sent to Florida boys school

  • After bodies exhumed from site, Ovell Krell learns that one is long-lost brother

  • Dozier School for Boys closed in 2011 after ex-students reported decades of abuse

  • Krell says even at age 12 she never believed claims her brother died of pneumonia




(CNN) -- On their deathbeds — her father's in the 1960s and her mother's in the 1980s — Ovell Krell's parents made her promise she'd never stop looking for her brother.


"Will you find Owen and bring him back?" she recalls her dad asking.


"I'll try until the day I die, Daddy," she replied.


After more than seven decades, the 85-year-old has found Owen. She hopes to soon lay him to rest at the Auburndale, Florida, cemetery where her parents are buried.





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Her mom, after all, instructed her, "Put him with me and daddy."


George Owen Smith was sent at age 14 to the Florida Industrial School for Boys in 1940 for car theft. Krell never saw him again, and her family was told he died of pneumonia after running away from the school and hiding under a house in town.


The school, located in Marianna, about 65 miles west of Tallahassee, is now known as Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys. When it closed in 2011 for budgetary reasons, it capped a chilling, 111-year legacy of brutality.


The dig


Aware of the school's history, Erin Kimmerle, a University of South Florida forensic anthropologist, led a team in 2012 that unearthed remains on the former campus. That bodies lay there was no secret -- 31 rusty, white crosses marked the resting places of victims who died from a dormitory fire, influenza, pneumonia and other causes -- but Kimmerle's team found 55 bodies on the 1,400-acre property.


Owen's body, the team found out last month, was the first to be pulled out of the ground. The university announced the finding Thursday.


"We hope it's the first of many identifications to come," Kimmerle said.


After sending DNA samples to the University of North Texas' Health Science Center, Kimmerle got a call July 25, telling her that one of the samples was a positive match for Krell, who, like other family members, had provided reference samples to researchers.


Kimmerle, who was chief forensic anthropologist for the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and has worked to excavate mass graves all over the world, including in Nigeria and Peru, was elated.


"Two years ago, (Krell) was inspirational to us to get involved and do this work. To find her brother and to find him first, we were all a little bit in shock," she said.


She drove to Lakeland with officers from the Hillsborough Sheriff's Department to tell Krell in person -- out of respect, but also because she didn't want Krell to be alone when she got the news.


"It was a total and complete surprise. It shocked me totally numb for a moment. I couldn't say a word. I just looked at her," Krell said. "This, to me, is a miracle because when I think of all the boys and all the graves -- I know they sent 55 remains to be tested, and I'm the only one where they found a match?"


Unfortunately, researchers still don't know how Owen died. It's unclear whether the medical examiner will be able to determine a cause of death, Kimmerle said, and Florida's District 14 medical examiner Michael Hunter did not return a call seeking comment.


Krell said she can't muster enough kind words for Kimmerle and her team -- "Through cold and hot weather, they kept digging away" -- but Krell's persistence shouldn't be discounted.


Dogged pursuit of the truth


Years ago, Krell became worried that her brother's story might go to the grave with her, so she thought, "I've got to write all this down while it's in my mind."





This is a stupid story to tell. ... It was all a bunch of lies.

Ovell Krell




She jotted down what she knew and sent it to the governor, media, FBI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, anyone she thought might be able to help find out what happened to Owen.


The St. Petersburg Times produced a 2009 special report, "For their own good," and the FDLE opened a 2008 investigation at the behest of then-Gov. Charlie Crist.


Though ex-students provided detailed accounts of vicious beatings, sexual abuse and disappearances (Kimmerle's team found records indicating 22 boys who died at the school weren't accounted for), guards and administrators who are still alive denied the beatings.


The FDLE concluded there was insufficient evidence of physical or sexual abuse or that anyone died as a result of a criminal act.


"I really had begun to give up hope that they'd ever find him," Krell said.


At age 12, Krell thought the stories about her brother were baloney. Even his arrest seemed fishy. Car theft? Owen was 14 and had never been behind the wheel of a car. Automatic transmissions weren't as prevalent in those days. You had to know how to work a clutch and shift gears.


Despite coming from a loving but poor family, Owen ran away more than once. He always wanted to play in Nashville's "Grand Ole Opry." His passion was guitar, but "he could walk into any music store and play any instrument" without taking a single lesson, Krell said.


Krell suspects he was en route to Tennessee when he was arrested in Tavares, Florida, with a 19-year-old man.


"Owen had the wanderlust because he had so much in his body to give, and he just wanted to go out there and give it," she said. "He had God-given talent coming out of the pores of his skin. ... I never understood why God let him be born with that talent and let him be taken away like that."'


'I got what was coming to me'


Owen ran away a few weeks after arriving at the Florida Industrial School for Boys. He was quickly apprehended and wrote home to tell his family about it.


Krell remembers one chilling sentence in the letter: "I got what was coming to me."


"Those were the most ominous words," she said. "After that letter, we never heard from him again."


Her mother wrote the school, inquiring as to his whereabouts. She was told he'd run away again.


"So far we have been unable to get any information concerning his whereabouts. We will be glad to get in touch with you just as soon as we are able to locate George, and in the meantime, we will appreciate your notifying us immediately if you receive any word from or concerning him," Superintendent Millard Davidson wrote in January 1941.


Her mother wrote the school and said she would be traveling to Marianna, a five-hour drive today, "and she would not leave until she knew what happened," Krell recalled.





Was he really dead or was he out there wandering around, afraid to come home?

Ovell Krell




"Four months he was missing before my mother threatened to start investigating, and the day before she arrives, they very mysteriously find his body under a house, totally-and-completely-beyond-recognition decomposed."


School officials told the family they'd found Owen under a house in Marianna, where he'd caught pneumonia and died. Nonsense, a younger Krell thought.


"What 14-year-old boy would lay under there, get pneumonia and not come out?"


And why would Owen stay in Marianna after escaping the school? Wouldn't he want to get as far away as possible?


Also, her brother was terrified of the dark. Krell wasn't -- "I've never been scared of the devil himself" -- and her brother knew it, so when the two came back from errands or the theater as night fell, Owen would clutch the hand of his little sister, two years his minor, to calm his own fears.


"They told us he crawled under a dark house to die. ... This is a stupid story to tell," she said. "It was all a bunch of lies."


A blessing to be shot?


One of the students at the school would later tell Krell he was with Owen when he ran away from the school a second time. The two were caught, the former student told her, and Owen took off running, three men firing rifles at him as he scampered across an open field.


"If they shot him and killed him that night, I'd consider it a blessing because I know now what they did to him if they got him back to that school alive," she said.


Though the state investigation said there insufficient evidence of abuse, dozens of men, many of them now senior citizens, have come forward with their stories. A support group for ex-students, dubbed The White House Boys, takes its moniker from the structure where boys say they were taken to be beaten with a leather strap attached to a wooden handle.


The White House Boys say they were whipped until their underwear was embedded in their buttocks. Some were beaten unconscious. Crying or screaming out would earn you extra lashes, they say.


"The more I learned, the more I knew his death didn't happen under that house. It just didn't," Krell said.


The mystery surrounding Owen's death -- and the fact his family never received his body; school officials said he'd been buried on campus -- robbed the family of any closure.


Krell's mother would stay up till midnight at times, listening for Owen whistling as he walked down the road. Decades after his death, when Krell and her mother saw a country music singer named George Owens on TV, they thought, "Could it be?"


They investigated. It wasn't.





I wanted so bad to do what I promised my parents.

Ovell Krell




"Was he really dead or was he out there wandering around, afraid to come home?" Krell couldn't help but think, "One day, I'll have a knock at the door." It never came.


"Everyone ought to be ashamed"


Owens' death may have guided Krell into a career in law enforcement. She spent 23 years as a Lakeland police officer, and she often spent her free time in the detectives' bureau and forensic department studying things like decomposition times in different weather conditions.


She had a chance to go into forensics. She was even invited to the FBI school, a six-week program. She never pursued it because she had to care for her quadriplegic husband and three children, but her time in law enforcement reinforced one thing: Owen didn't die under a house.


She parses no words discussing the "piss-poor" state investigation that never brought an investigator to her door and that flew in the face of a century-long paper trail of barbarous discipline (a 1903 report stated boys were kept in leg irons, while a 1911 report said the boys were "brutally punished" with a leather strap, according to the St. Petersburg Times special report).


"The town of Marianna, they ought to be ashamed. Everyone ought to be ashamed, the whole state of Florida," Krell said.


Though she's overjoyed at the prospect of giving Owen a proper burial after 74 years, it's bittersweet. The week after Owen was identified, she lost her brother, Carlton, 70, after a long battle with illness.


Krell will look on the bright side, she said.


"Maybe this is better. Now, we can get both of them laid to rest, and we can relax," she said.


Despite losing Carlton, she's still buoyed by fulfilling her parents' dying wish, and she believes in her heart that they'll be smiling down on her when Owen is placed in the ground between them.


"I wanted so bad to do what I promised my parents," she said. "I can't help but believe it in my soul: I believe my mom and dad are going to know about that. ... They always were proud."


In 2013: Dig at former Florida reform school yields parts of coffin, bone fragments


CNN's Rich Phillips and Ed Lavandera contributed to this report.



J.K. Rowling writes to grieving teen





  • Stay had quoted Dumbledore at memorial

  • She is the sole survivor of her family tragedy

  • Rowling sent a care package including a wand and an autographed book




(CNN) -- J.K Rowling has recast her "Harry Potter" magic and reportedly brought Dumblebore back to life.


A spokesperson for the author confirms Rowling sent a letter and a package to a Texas teenager who optimistically found strength in the words of a "Harry Potter" film after witnessing the murder of her immediate family.


Fifteen-year-old Cassidy Stay lost both parents and four siblings to a gunman in Texas last month. Cassidy was shot in the head and survived the gunshot wound only because she played dead. Authorities have called her survival a miracle.


Cassidy had seen the unimaginable, but was still thinking about happiness. At a memorial for her family, Cassidy gave a speech in front of media saying she believed her family was "in much a better place."





Cassidy Stay 'needs a lot of support'




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July 23 marks Daniel Radcliffe's 25th birthday. He and his "Harry Potter" co-stars graduated from the franchise in 2011, but there's a plan for additional films set in the Potter-verse, including a spinoff based on a fictional Hogwarts textbook. Radcliffe, who has been busy with movies such as "Kill Your Darlings," doesn't plan to make an appearance. But what's the rest of the cast up to these days?July 23 marks Daniel Radcliffe's 25th birthday. He and his "Harry Potter" co-stars graduated from the franchise in 2011, but there's a plan for additional films set in the Potter-verse, including a spinoff based on a fictional Hogwarts textbook. Radcliffe, who has been busy with movies such as "Kill Your Darlings," doesn't plan to make an appearance. But what's the rest of the cast up to these days?



Since portraying sharp witch Hermione in the "Harry Potter" series, Emma Watson has broken away from the supernatural with roles grounded in the (mostly) real world. After "My Week With Marilyn," "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" and "The Bling Ring," the 23-year-old actress also showed her sense of humor in Seth Rogen's outlandish summer comedy, "This Is the End."Since portraying sharp witch Hermione in the "Harry Potter" series, Emma Watson has broken away from the supernatural with roles grounded in the (mostly) real world. After "My Week With Marilyn," "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" and "The Bling Ring," the 23-year-old actress also showed her sense of humor in Seth Rogen's outlandish summer comedy, "This Is the End."



Rupert Grint kept it fairly low-key after he ended his 10-year run as one of Harry Potter's best friends, Ron Weasley. The 25-year-old will took on a risky role with 2013's "CGBG" -- if you need proof that Grint's all grown-up, check out the trailer.Rupert Grint kept it fairly low-key after he ended his 10-year run as one of Harry Potter's best friends, Ron Weasley. The 25-year-old will took on a risky role with 2013's "CGBG" -- if you need proof that Grint's all grown-up, check out the trailer.



Bonnie Wright began playing Ginny Weasley at age 10, and since leaving the franchise has been on a steady diet of dramas. Wright appeared in "The Philosophers," followed by "Before I Sleep" with Tom Sizemore. Bonnie Wright began playing Ginny Weasley at age 10, and since leaving the franchise has been on a steady diet of dramas. Wright appeared in "The Philosophers," followed by "Before I Sleep" with Tom Sizemore.



Just enough time has passed for us to stop cringing at the sight of Tom Felton, who came to be known as the weakling bully Draco Malfoy. Even while working on the "Potter" franchise, Felton dabbled in other films, like "The Disappeared" and "Get Him to the Greek." Felton has been busy since "Potter" wrapped, and appeared in the World War II movie "Ghosts of the Pacific."Just enough time has passed for us to stop cringing at the sight of Tom Felton, who came to be known as the weakling bully Draco Malfoy. Even while working on the "Potter" franchise, Felton dabbled in other films, like "The Disappeared" and "Get Him to the Greek." Felton has been busy since "Potter" wrapped, and appeared in the World War II movie "Ghosts of the Pacific."



By the time the "Potter" movies wrapped, Matthew Lewis -- and his character, Neville Longbottom -- had morphed into quite the charming young man. Now 24, Lewis initially migrated over to TV for a spell with 2012's "The Syndicate." By the time the "Potter" movies wrapped, Matthew Lewis -- and his character, Neville Longbottom -- had morphed into quite the charming young man. Now 24, Lewis initially migrated over to TV for a spell with 2012's "The Syndicate."



The brothers who played the elder Weasleys -- George and Fred -- don't have the trademark ginger hair anymore, but they're still recognizable as the prankster pair. James (left) and Oliver Phelps are still happy to talk all things "Potter," even as they move on to other endeavors. James has been recently active on stage, and Oliver has been traveling in support of his website, JopWorld.com.The brothers who played the elder Weasleys -- George and Fred -- don't have the trademark ginger hair anymore, but they're still recognizable as the prankster pair. James (left) and Oliver Phelps are still happy to talk all things "Potter," even as they move on to other endeavors. James has been recently active on stage, and Oliver has been traveling in support of his website, JopWorld.com.



Evanna Lynch's Luna Lovegood showed up halfway through the "Potter" saga, but her character was so wonderfully strange she's easily among the most memorable. And if there's anyone who's eager for the "Harry Potter" spinoff films, it's Lynch: "Maybe 'Fantastic Beasts' will turn into a long ting like HP did & I can play Luna as an old lady?" she tweeted. "Even if I'm too old to play Luna, can I go through 10 hours prosthetics to play a crumple-horned-snorkack. Please??"Evanna Lynch's Luna Lovegood showed up halfway through the "Potter" saga, but her character was so wonderfully strange she's easily among the most memorable. And if there's anyone who's eager for the "Harry Potter" spinoff films, it's Lynch: "Maybe 'Fantastic Beasts' will turn into a long ting like HP did & I can play Luna as an old lady?" she tweeted. "Even if I'm too old to play Luna, can I go through 10 hours prosthetics to play a crumple-horned-snorkack. Please??"



Jamie Waylett's Vincent Crabbe appeared in the first half of the franchise, and life post-"Potter" hasn't been so easy for the actor. In May 2012, he was sentenced to two years in jail for his participation in the 2011 London riots. Jamie Waylett's Vincent Crabbe appeared in the first half of the franchise, and life post-"Potter" hasn't been so easy for the actor. In May 2012, he was sentenced to two years in jail for his participation in the 2011 London riots.



Devon Murray's Seamus Finnigan was an easy character to love, and fans have missed seeing Murray (and hearing his accent) on the big screen. The 24-year-old actor assured a supporter from his unverified Twitter account in late September 2013 that he's "been offered a lead role in a new movie so could be seeing my mug soon :)"Devon Murray's Seamus Finnigan was an easy character to love, and fans have missed seeing Murray (and hearing his accent) on the big screen. The 24-year-old actor assured a supporter from his unverified Twitter account in late September 2013 that he's "been offered a lead role in a new movie so could be seeing my mug soon :)"




'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11

'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11



Photos: \'Harry Potter\': Hogwarts class of \'11Photos: 'Harry Potter': Hogwarts class of '11



Quoting the words of Dumbledore, the wise headmaster of Hogwarts, she said "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."


Sole survivor in Texas shooting looks for hope amid her horror


The same day Cassidy gave her speech, a Facebook page called "We want JK Rowling to meet Cassidy Stay" formed and quickly gained traction.


While the group page acknowledges that Cassidy is not a follower of the page, the creator claims to know a friend of Cassidy's who "confirmed that JK Rowling did, in fact, write her a personalized letter from 'Dumbledore' (hand-written with purple ink). She was also sent a wand, an acceptance letter to Hogwarts with a school supply list, along with the 3rd book with JK's autograph" the group post said.


Rowling's spokesperson told CNN: "We can confirm that J.K. Rowling sent Cassidy Stay a letter and package, but the contents of the letter and how it came about are private and between her and Cassidy. We're not commenting any further on the letter or what it contained."


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