BRING KENNY HOME Dear Governor Cuomo: October 18, 2017 ‘My name is AJ. McCall, On une 13, 2017 my son Kenny, age 24, disappeared on a dirt road in the Town of Diana, in Lewis County. The road he was on s surrounded by woods. Over 20,000 acres is state land and some areas are citizen owned. He was last seen walking down the Tdd Road at around two inthe morning. It has been four months and we still do not have any answers as to what happened to him, There isthe possiblity that he has run away but it isnot Inhis nature to not communicate with his family. His grandmother had a stroke in February land he loves her very much. He has missed both of his sisters birthdays that were in ‘September. | also have his 17 year old dog that was his “baby”. Kenny has severe anxiety and mental issues, for which he has medicine. His dog was medically labeled an emotional support dog that he could take with him in public places if need be. ‘The Lewis County Sherif Department is small and understaffed. The lead detective was only fed just prior to Kenny's disappearance. The Lewis County Sheriff Department has been publically asking for more money for detectives from the local government. They were reduced tooonly one detective ina recent budget. Due to this, many things were over looked. Three eye witnesses were not interviewed in a timely manner or in person by authorities. The Lewis CCounty sheriff Department relied on phone calls.A women who lived clase to where Kenny ent missing said she saw a man walking by her house 24 hours after he went missing. His clothes and age fit his description. The sherif Department did not go and visit this woman, ‘with a picture of Kenny, and ask obvious questions lke “Is this the man you saw? Is his body frame the same”. Instead they called her on the phone. They discounted her sighting because he did not look like he was walking ina tried manner, even the age and attire matched perfectly, Ths is a rural area. This was also over twenty four hours later so Kenny could have slept for a while, Possible other sightings, including a potential video in a convenience mart ‘were not looked at by the Sheriff Department and are lost. We repeatedly asked for ths tobe ‘accomplished. Trained tracking and ar scent dogs were not brought in, which was requested by the family. He was on a dirt road, not heavily traveled and he was barefoot. They brought in. the dogs thatthe Sheriff Department has, but these are not trained scent dogs. They never asked for Kenny's clothes to follow his scent down the road or into the woods. Local fired departments and search and reseue squads were not asked to assist in the foot search for Kenny, We also inquired about Fort Drum being of assistance. They have helped in other cases, including the recent search for an 85 year old man. Kenny disappeared just a few mils from Fort Drum, The resources of a large miltary base just up the road could not help find a mising ‘man? If they were not asked, they could not accept or decline to help. If Fort Drum could have sent some men and women to help search the wooded areas, Kenny may have been found‘These woods are not that that vast or dificult to walk through; it could it have been covered ‘easy. Also, after several weeks of seeing the Lewis County Sheriff Department not acting on leads, we went to the New York State Police to see ifthey could help. We were told directly by the New York State Police in Lowville that they offered their expertise the day Kenny went ‘missing to the Lewis County sherffand the Lewis County Sherriff declined their offer and said they could handle i, We cannot understand why the knowledge and expertise of the New York State Police was turned away. Now four months later, we stil are left with no answers. We wish they would have worked with the State Police. According to the State Police have many resources available that our rural department does not have. Everything that appears to be ‘common sense such as face to face interviews with witnesses, phone and text messaging records, and obtaining videos from potential sightings always seem to be hard to accomplish by the Lewis County Sheriff Department. Forest Rangers were brought in and they didafine job. They were organized and precise. They ‘searched some areas very wel. They did some grid searches near where he was last seen but some areas however were not searched. When we asked why they were not searching other wooded areas we were told that Kenny could not have walked that far in the time allowed. ‘They were provided a time line by the Sherif that was incorrect; he most certainly could have walked that far. He had upwards of ten to twelve hours of walking prir to the formal search boginning. The wooded arcas not searched ara jurt over four miles away. These are dirt ads that connect all ofthe areas together. Recently a man was lst inthe Adirondacks. It was reported that two dozen Rangers searched for him and he was located about two weeks later. ‘The woods where Kenny was walking ae certainly not the Adirondacks and we did not have that many assisting inthe search for our son and the search did not last for two weeks. The Sherif pulled out aftera few days and the Forest Rangers cut back after five or six days. We are asking for the dispatching of resources and contacts that your offices may have to help us get answers and find our missing son. Our request Is twofold. First, we would like your assistance in helping us locate our son if he has passed in the woods due to getting lost. The woods are much clearer now that leaves are falling. We would ite to see Forest Rangers search thase areas that they have not searched due to a lack of information Perhaps Fort Drum or other organizations could help or utilize the woods as a traning activity. Helicopters may be able to see the forest floor better now and i they didn’t do this prior, they ‘could search distances further than the immediate area, Its a large area but certainly not the ‘acreage and terrain of the Adirondacks. ‘Second, we would ike assistance being provided to the Lewis County Sherri Department to help investigate other possibilities in our son's disappearance. There have been statements made by individuals that Kenny was murdered by local drug dealers and that his girlfriend mayknow more about this possibilty. These statements are numerous and from different sources. His girtfriend was with him when he continued down the dirt road that early morning. She was found alone that morning, at about 9:00 AM and she said that Kenny left heron the dirt road at ‘about 3:00 AM. She has not been questioned thoroughly. The morning she was found alone on the dirt road, she was taken to where she was staying by the Sheriff's Department to shower and sleep. Sherriff Carpineli, told us that he was angry that the officers allowed her to do this. He has indicated to us that he thinks the answers to Kenny's whereabouts lie with her. She has Indicated that she i willing to take a polygraph test. We have requested this to be done butt stihas not been accomplished. Being a small rural community, Lewis County Sheriff Department is not equipped nor has background expertise n cases of this nature. They failed in many instances that may have prevented us from finding our son. As lifelong residents of New York State we find it hard to believe that there are not resources in ths great state to assist in the wooded area search, and the simultaneous investigation into other possible causes for his disappearance We thank you for your time and assistance. We are certain you can understand our frustration ‘and anguish over the disappearance of our child and lack of answers and assistance to help bring Kenny home. He is greatly missed by his mother, sisters, and extended family. We look forward to hearing from you in regard to this case. Sincerely, Arthur J. Mecall Kenny/s Father 5326 Dayan Street Lowvill, New York 13367 315-486-1083 amccall@southlewis.ong Ce: Watertown Daily Times LowvlleJournal and Republican Wwny Tv Linking Le Newzjunky County