Heidi Allen’s Sister Shares Her Story

 

Where's Heidi?

I have 3 brothers and sisters and I cannot imagine my life without each and every one of them. When I was little, I used to imagine belonging to a different family and being an only child but that was the little girl Me.The older Me appreciates so much, the gift of siblings truly is—especially my sisters who are close to me. When I hear of a friend losing a sibling (even in our 50’s) I cringe thinking how I would feel if it were me. We have had our differences and moments of disagreement but nothing that would keep us apart for any length of time.

Before we lost our Mom 11 years ago, we got together yearly. It was very important to my Mom and truthfully there was no other place any of us would rather be than with each other at Mom’s.  Since Mom’s passing, the get-togethers have been much more infrequent. This was actually due to the loss of my Mom, we each had our feelings and beliefs about the end of her life and what was right. On that point, we did not all agree. But, after years of not seeing each other (half my siblings live in Michigan) we finally had a reunion. We all met in Michigan and though the shadow of my mother’s untimely death hung silently over us (till some of my siblings finally shared their feelings) we all were grateful to be together once again.

We all know there are tragedies in this world, they are inevitable and most of us pray that such events do not ever touch our lives personally. I am sure that is what the Allen family of New Haven. N.Y. But heartbreak came without regard for anyone’s feelings

“On Easter Sunday, April 3, 1994, 18-year-old Heidi Marie Allen was working alone as a cashier at the D&W Convenience Store, located at the intersection of State Routes 104 and 104B in the Oswego County Town of New Haven, New York State. She opened the store at about 5:45 a.m. and managed the store routinely for approximately 2 hours, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring.D&W Convenience Store

About 7:50 a.m., a marked Oswego County Sheriff’s Department patrol unit was flagged down in the area by a citizen who reported that the convenience store was open, with lights and gas pumps on, but no one tending the business. The cashier had apparently vanished from the store. Additional Sheriff’s units were called to the scene, and an investigation commenced. Intense scrutiny revealed that the cause of her disappearance was foul play. Weeks of massive search by police, the New York State Army National Guard, the US Army 10th Mountain Division and hundreds of volunteers as well as a local and national media blitz followed with no positive results towards finding the missing woman. Even though the search results were fruitless, the intensive police investigation led to the arrests of two local brothers in the case.” http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94087

“Where’s Heidi –One Sister’s Journey" chronicles this terrible abduction from the perspective of her lone sibling, Lisa Buske.  Lisa runs the gamut of emotions, from disbelief and fear, to guilt and grief and finally acceptance that she may never see her younger sister Heidi again. Her journey is compelling and from a perspective not often shared when a child goes missing. I felt like I was right there with Lisa as she discovered all that a family goes through when a child is kidnapped. This pain was made even worse, never knowing exactly what happened to them. Still, I cannot truly imagine what she felt or feels today. My heart ached reading this story.

Shared reviews:
Julie's review 

Lisa Buske did an amazing job with this book. I'm guessing at some point I'll edit this review because I haven't found the right words for what I would like to say. Lisa bravely shares her journey through her sister's kidnapping and the years that follow. She shares grief, hope, love, anger, pain, memories, community, family, God, healing and so much more. This book is well written and a must read. Lisa, thank you for sharing all of this with everyone. I continue to keep you and yours in my prayers.

 

Terri Groh  This is one of those books that is difficult to put down once you pick it up. It chronicles Lisa's journey from discovering that her 18 year old sister, Heidi Allen, had been kidnapped from a local convenience store where she was working in 1994…this poignant story shares the journey that Lisa has taken from disbelief, fear, pain, anger, and despair and finally, to acceptance and peace. She shares how God used this unbelievable tragedy to draw her to Himself. At the end of the book, there is a section on reflection and questions that correspond with each chapter. I really enjoyed some of the questions she posed, and they challenged me and made me think! It is definitely worth the money!

 

Aged Sketch of Heidi Allne as she might look today.  

 

 

 

 

Fact: More than 2,000 children are reported missing in the United States each day, some in our own community. For most families, this is only a brief scare as the child turns up in a few minutes or hours.

But for some, the nightmare of a missing child becomes a grim reality. NCMEC’s (The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)mission is to help recover missing children, protect all children from sexual exploitation, and assist in the prevention of these crimes.

 

 

I appreciate what it took to write this book and share it with all of us. The intention of preventing even one more kidnapping is a worthy one and dredging up all that painful memory will hopefully help others who have faced similar tragedies.  

A parent’s worst nightmare is something happening to their precious child. But, it is important to remember that such a loss affects every member of that family. 

 

 

Author information:Lisa M. Buske Author/Speaker

P.O. Box 261

New Haven, New York 13121

Website: http://LisaMBuske.com

Blog: http://lisambuske..com/blog.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tagged as: fear, grief, guilt