months after mysterious phone call, mother still awaits word...

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DEATHS n Donald Cloyd, 81, of Junction City, died Sunday. Arrangements are pending at W.L. Pruitt Funeral Home, Moreland. n James W. Weaver, 98, died today. Arrangements are pending and McKnight Funeral Home, Crab Or- chard. FUNERALS Lucille L. Langford Lucille L. Langford, 80, died Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, at Ephraim McDowell Re- gional Medical Center. She was a member of First Baptist Church, gradu- ated from Bate High School and retired from Martin- Durr Caldwell. Survivors include two daughters, Marsha (Richard) Hawkins of Frankfort and Jacqueline (John) Bowman Phillips of Lexington; two grandchil- dren, Tiffoni M. Clark and Brandon (Shashray) Mc- Cormack; and three great- grandchildren. Funeral services will be noon Wednesday at First Baptist Church, Second and Walnut streets. Visitation will begin 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Online guestbook: smith-jackson.com. LINCOLN John D. Burton 1961-2012 STANFORD — John D. Burton, 51, of Stanford, died Saturday. Born Jan. 20, 1961, in Stanford, Ky., he was a son of John B. “J.B.” Burton of Stanford and the late Bar- bara Aline Hazlett Burton. John graduated from Lin- coln County High School in 1979 and received a bachelor of science degree from Western Kentucky University in 1983. He was a horse trainer and a mem- ber of Stanford Baptist Church. Other survivors include three sisters, Debbie Lynn (Stacey) Wilson of Hus- tonville, Ky., Jennifer Rose Burton of Palatka, Fla., and Linda Gail (Michael) Acey of Perryville, Ky.; and 10 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two brothers, John B. Bur- ton Jr. and Rodman Glen Burton. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, at Spurlin Funeral Home. e Revs. Stacy Wil- son and Max Hester will of- ficiate the service. Burial will be in Buffalo Springs Cemetery. Casketbearers will be Tyler Dunaway, Michael Acey, Stacey Wilson, Herner Burton, Dennis Richardson and Barry Spurlin. Visitation is 5-8 p.m. today at Spurlin Funeral Home Chapel, Memorials in lieu of flowers may be given to Gideon's International. ELSEWHERE Connie C. Johnson 1949-2011 SPRINGFIELD — Con- nie Cocanougher Johnson, 62, of Bloomfield Road, Springfield, died Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, at Flaget Me- morial Hospital in Bard- stown. Born May 5, 1949, she was a daughter of the late William C. and Ruby Chris- terson Cocanougher. She was a member of St. Do- minic Catholic Church, a 1967 graduate of Washing- ton County High School and a retired employee with 27 years of service with the Kentucky Depart- ment of Social Services and the Department of Eco- nomic Security. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Brid- gett Gibson on Oct. 5, 2003. Survivors include her husband, William L. “Bloop” Johnson; a son, Russ Johnson and his wife, Naleesha of Willisburg; three grandchildren, Der- rick Gibson, Aleeara Law- son and Devin Johnson; a sister, Scotty Clenney and her husband, Ty of Scottsville; and two broth- ers, Bruce Cocanougher of Springfield and Stewart Co- canougher and his wife, Pat of Danville. Funeral services were today at St. Dominic Catholic Church with the Rev. Culpepper Elliott, the church pastor, officiating. Burial will be in the Bethlehem Cemetery. Carey & Son Funeral Home was in charge. A2 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 LOCAL THE ADVOCATE-MESSENGER WWW.AMNEWS.COM Obituaries Visit our online obituary archive at www.amnews.com Published Monday-Friday and Sunday by ADVOCATE COMMUNICATIONS • USPS 148-260 Periodical postage paid at Danville, KY. The Associated Press is exclu- sively entitled to the use for publication and not otherwise of all new dispatches credited to this paper and also the local news published herein. All rates include the Kentucky Advocate published on Sundays. Postmaster: Send change of address forms to The Advocate-Messenger, 330 S. Fourth St., Danville, KY 40422 CONTACT NEWSROOM 859-236-2551 To subscribe, place news items or submit news tips, Monday-Firday. CONTACT ADVERTISING Classified Line Ads: 236-2589 Other Advertising: 236-2551 SUBSCRIPTION RATES E-Z Pay Home Delivery: $13 per month Pay-By-Mail Home Delivery: $43.35 per 3 months Pay-By-Mail Mail Delivery: $52.90 per 3 months Senior rates (60+) available. Call for additional rates and information. 800-428-0409 All carriers and distributors are independent contractors keeping their own accounts. The Advocate-Messenger is not responsible for advance pay- ments made to these carriers, their agents or their representatives. The Advocate-Messenger recommends advance payments be made directly to our office, where they will be held in trust for the carriers and paid to them weekly or monthly, depending on delivery of the newspaper. CUSTOMER SERVICE If you fail to get your paper: Paper Replacement Service available Monday-Friday 5-6 p.m.; Sunday 7-10 a.m. Please call the Subscriber Service Department at: 859-236-2551 or 800-428-0409 with any problems OFFICE HOURS / INFO Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Fax: 859-236-9566 Email: [email protected] Web: www.amnews.com Scott Schurz • President, Editor and Publisher of Advocate Communications Inc. Ad Manager Jerry Dunn Circulation Jill Sinkclear Exec. Editor John Nelson We accept Mastercard, Visa and Discover - Accepting New Patients - (606) 365 - 9181 126 Portman Avenue • Stanford, Kentucky 40484 Monday, Tuesday, ursday & Friday: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Trust your health to those who care- Physician for Families - Accepting New P atients - Physicians for Families, PSC C. Glen Click, MD and Sta Most Insurance Accepted Including Medicaid & Medicare NOW OFFERING FLU SHOTS Providing care for the entire family for over 29 years through physical, emotional, and spiritual support. A cast of a mosasaur hangs high above as a un- named Centre College stu- dent walks into Young Hall as a Saturday at Young Hall on the campus of Centre Col- lege. A mosasaur is a swim- ming reptile or large marine lizard. The cast is among one of the many items on loan from Danville's Dr. Jack Han- kla and his son, John Hankla. Photo by Clay Jackson [email protected] When dinos fly By JOSH KEGLEY Lexington Herald-Leader LEXINGTON (KPNS) — The two days it took the coroner to identify a body found in a trash can earlier this month were spent by June McCarthy and her family in fear, and in prayer. That’s because McCarthy had good reason to think the body would turn out to be that of her son, Michael Metz, who has been missing for more than a year. The last McCarthy heard about her son was a troubling voicemail message left on her cellphone last summer: “We have found Michael Metz in a trash can,” the anonymous caller said. But the decomposed body found on Fortune Drive in Lexington on Feb. 1 turned out to be that of a Lexington woman who had been reported missing in December. That is of little solace to McCarthy, who still does not know what became of her teenage son, or who left the voicemail message. Metz, 19, has not contacted his family since December 2009, McCarthy said. The last sign they had that he was alive was when they heard he had been ar- rested in Lexington in May 2010. Sgt. Jennifer Taylor, a Fayette County jail spokeswoman, said Metz was jailed for sexual abuse, but he was released about two months later. Lisa Lamb, spokeswoman for the state department of corrections, said Metz never spent time in state prison. Family members said they thought the charges against Metz had been dropped. One of Metz’s friends told the family that he had stopped by a few days after he was released from jail, but the trail went cold after that, she said. That is, until McCarthy received the voicemail message last June — about a year after Metz spoke with his friend. The message was left by a female caller. Mc- Carthy saved the message and played it for a reporter. The woman identifies herself possibly as “Lieutenant Dan” or “Lieutenant Jan” from Lexington. The call quality improves as the woman goes on to say Metz’s body was found in a trash can. She asks McCarthy to return her call. “We really need to talk to you. It’s about your son. He has passed away,” the woman on the message said. However, the caller did not leave a call-back number, and the caller’s num- ber was blocked. She never called again. The caller’s statement that a body had been found in a trash can in Lexington in June 2011 was untrue. Lexington police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts said po- lice did not find a body in a trash can last summer, leaving McCarthy to question what really prompted the call. “If this is some kind of joke, it is a cruel one,” she said through tears as the mes- sage played. Roberts said police took a missing- person report for Metz in August. The case is still open. The Fayette County coroner identified the body found in the trash can on For- tune Drive as that of Sharon Cave- Howard. Cave-Howard’s son, Mark Cave, 27, has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence. It came as welcome news, McCarthy said, that her son might be alive. But now the family is back to square one, and without closure. “I’m happy that my son could still be out there, but I’m regretful for the family that just went through this. My thoughts are with them,” McCarthy said. Metz grew up with McCarthy in Florida before moving with her to Lex- ington in 2006, she said. He was a ram- bunctious child, and McCarthy said she had to attach a dog leash to a belt loop on his pants to keep him in line. She laughed as she recalled an in- stance at Walt Disney World when Metz was 5 or 6: He attempted to bite Mickey Mouse while on the leash. “He said, ‘If you’re going to treat me like a dog, I’m going to act like one,’” she said. As he grew older, he became an avid and talented skateboarder who went by the names “Zed” and “Psycho Mike.” He could often be found at the Woodland Skatepark. The family had its share of problems — Metz spent some time in foster care when he was 17 — but he would have no reason to want his family to think he was dead, McCarthy said when asked whether he or one of his friends could have left the message. McCarthy said she and Metz’s broth- ers, Jason and Jonathon Metz, and sister- in-law, Tiffany Metz, have been searching for him for months, staying at local homeless shelters during the search. “I just want him to know that we’re looking for him and that we love him and that we want to see him, even just for a second,” she said. If he didn’t want to talk to McCarthy, he would want to talk to his brothers, she said. McCarthy asked that anyone with in- formation contact Jonathan Metz at (606) 571-4784 or reach her by leaving a mes- sage at The Salvation Army in Lexington, where she has been staying. McCarthy, who had returned to Florida for a time, found herself home- less after coming back to Lexington to look for her son. Months after mysterious phone call, mother still awaits word about missing son

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Page 1: Months after mysterious phone call, mother still awaits word ...nyx.uky.edu/dips/xt79s46h1z22/data/02_70102_A2Mon0213.pdfTyler Dunaway, Michael Acey, Stacey Wilson, Herner Burton,

DEATHS

n Donald Cloyd, 81, ofJunction City, died Sunday.Arrangements are pendingat W.L. Pruitt FuneralHome, Moreland.

n James W. Weaver, 98,died today. Arrangementsare pending and McKnightFuneral Home, Crab Or-chard.

FUNERALS

Lucille L. LangfordLucille L. Langford, 80,

died Friday, Feb. 10, 2012,at Ephraim McDowell Re-gional Medical Center.

She was a member ofFirst Baptist Church, gradu-ated from Bate High Schooland retired from Martin-Durr Caldwell.

Survivors include twodaughters, Marsha(Richard) Hawkins ofFrankfort and Jacqueline(John) Bowman Phillips ofLexington; two grandchil-

dren, Tiffoni M. Clark andBrandon (Shashray) Mc-Cormack; and three great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will benoon Wednesday at FirstBaptist Church, Second andWalnut streets.

Visitation will begin 11a.m. Wednesday at thechurch.

Online guestbook:smith-jackson.com.

LINCOLN

John D. Burton1961-2012

STANFORD — John D.Burton, 51, of Stanford,died Saturday.

Born Jan. 20, 1961, inStanford, Ky., he was a sonof John B. “J.B.” Burton ofStanford and the late Bar-bara Aline Hazlett Burton.John graduated from Lin-coln County High Schoolin 1979 and received abachelor of science degreefrom Western KentuckyUniversity in 1983. He was

a horse trainer and a mem-ber of Stanford BaptistChurch.

Other survivors includethree sisters, Debbie Lynn(Stacey) Wilson of Hus-tonville, Ky., Jennifer RoseBurton of Palatka, Fla., andLinda Gail (Michael) Aceyof Perryville, Ky.; and 10nieces and nephews. Hewas preceded in death bytwo brothers, John B. Bur-ton Jr. and Rodman GlenBurton.

Funeral services will be2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14,2012, at Spurlin FuneralHome. e Revs. Stacy Wil-son and Max Hester will of-ficiate the service. Burialwill be in Buffalo SpringsCemetery.

Casketbearers will beTyler Dunaway, MichaelAcey, Stacey Wilson,Herner Burton, DennisRichardson and BarrySpurlin.

Visitation is 5-8 p.m.today at Spurlin FuneralHome Chapel,

Memorials in lieu offlowers may be given toGideon's International.

ELSEWHERE

Connie C. Johnson1949-2011

SPRINGFIELD — Con-nie Cocanougher Johnson,62, of Bloomfield Road,Springfield, died Friday,Feb. 10, 2012, at Flaget Me-morial Hospital in Bard-stown.

Born May 5, 1949, shewas a daughter of the lateWilliam C. and Ruby Chris-terson Cocanougher. Shewas a member of St. Do-minic Catholic Church, a1967 graduate of Washing-ton County High Schooland a retired employeewith 27 years of servicewith the Kentucky Depart-ment of Social Services andthe Department of Eco-nomic Security.

She was preceded indeath by a daughter, Brid-gett Gibson on Oct. 5, 2003.

Survivors include herhusband, William L.“Bloop” Johnson; a son,Russ Johnson and his wife,Naleesha of Willisburg;three grandchildren, Der-rick Gibson, Aleeara Law-son and Devin Johnson; asister, Scotty Clenney andher husband, Ty ofScottsville; and two broth-ers, Bruce Cocanougher of

Springfield and Stewart Co-canougher and his wife, Patof Danville.

Funeral services weretoday at St. DominicCatholic Church with theRev. Culpepper Elliott, thechurch pastor, officiating.

Burial will be in theBethlehem Cemetery.

Carey & Son FuneralHome was in charge.

A2 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

LOCAL THE ADVOCATE-MESSENGER

WWW.AMNEWS.COM

ObituariesVisit our online obituary archive at www.amnews.com

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by ADVOCATE COMMUNICATIONS • USPS 148-260Periodical postage paid at Danville, KY. The Associated Press is exclu-sively entitled to the use for publication and not otherwise of all newdispatches credited to this paper and also the local news published

herein. All rates include the Kentucky Advocate published on Sundays.

Postmaster: Send change of address forms toThe Advocate-Messenger, 330 S. Fourth St., Danville, KY 40422

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We accept Mastercard, Visa and Discover

- Accepting New Patients -

(606) 365 - 9181126 Portman Avenue • Stanford, Kentucky 40484

Monday, Tuesday, � ursday & Friday: 8:30 am - 5:30 pmTrust your health to those who care- Physician for Families

- Accepting New Patients -

Physicians for Families, PSCC. Glen Click, MD and Sta�

Most Insurance AcceptedIncluding Medicaid & Medicare

NOW OFFERINGFLU SHOTS

Providing care for the entire family for over 29 years through physical, emotional, and spiritual support.

A cast of a mosasaurhangs high above as a un-named Centre College stu-dent walks into Young Hall asa Saturday at Young Hall onthe campus of Centre Col-lege. A mosasaur is a swim-ming reptile or large marinelizard. The cast is among oneof the many items on loanfrom Danville's Dr. Jack Han-kla and his son, John Hankla.

Photo by Clay [email protected]

Whendinos fly

By JOSH KEGLEY

Lexington Herald-Leader

LEXINGTON (KPNS) — The two daysit took the coroner to identify a bodyfound in a trash can earlier this monthwere spent by June McCarthy and herfamily in fear, and in prayer.

That’s because McCarthy had goodreason to think the body would turn outto be that of her son, Michael Metz, whohas been missing for more than a year.

The last McCarthy heard about her sonwas a troubling voicemail message lefton her cellphone last summer: “We havefound Michael Metz in a trash can,” theanonymous caller said.

But the decomposed body found onFortune Drive in Lexington on Feb. 1turned out to be that of a Lexingtonwoman who had been reported missingin December. That is of little solace toMcCarthy, who still does not know whatbecame of her teenage son, or who leftthe voicemail message.

Metz, 19, has not contacted his familysince December 2009, McCarthy said.The last sign they had that he was alivewas when they heard he had been ar-rested in Lexington in May 2010.

Sgt. Jennifer Taylor, a Fayette Countyjail spokeswoman, said Metz was jailedfor sexual abuse, but he was releasedabout two months later.

Lisa Lamb, spokeswoman for the statedepartment of corrections, said Metznever spent time in state prison. Familymembers said they thought the chargesagainst Metz had been dropped.

One of Metz’s friends told the familythat he had stopped by a few days afterhe was released from jail, but the trailwent cold after that, she said.

That is, until McCarthy received thevoicemail message last June — about ayear after Metz spoke with his friend. Themessage was left by a female caller. Mc-Carthy saved the message and played itfor a reporter.

The woman identifies herself possiblyas “Lieutenant Dan” or “Lieutenant Jan”from Lexington.

The call quality improves as thewoman goes on to say Metz’s body wasfound in a trash can. She asks McCarthyto return her call.

“We really need to talk to you. It’sabout your son. He has passed away,” thewoman on the message said.

However, the caller did not leave acall-back number, and the caller’s num-ber was blocked. She never called again.

The caller’s statement that a body hadbeen found in a trash can in Lexington inJune 2011 was untrue. Lexington policespokeswoman Sherelle Roberts said po-lice did not find a body in a trash can lastsummer, leaving McCarthy to question

what really prompted the call.“If this is some kind of joke, it is a cruel

one,” she said through tears as the mes-sage played.

Roberts said police took a missing-person report for Metz in August. Thecase is still open.

The Fayette County coroner identifiedthe body found in the trash can on For-tune Drive as that of Sharon Cave-Howard. Cave-Howard’s son, Mark Cave,27, has been charged with murder andtampering with evidence.

It came as welcome news, McCarthysaid, that her son might be alive. But nowthe family is back to square one, andwithout closure.

“I’m happy that my son could still beout there, but I’m regretful for the familythat just went through this. My thoughtsare with them,” McCarthy said.

Metz grew up with McCarthy inFlorida before moving with her to Lex-ington in 2006, she said. He was a ram-bunctious child, and McCarthy said shehad to attach a dog leash to a belt loop onhis pants to keep him in line.

She laughed as she recalled an in-stance at Walt Disney World when Metzwas 5 or 6: He attempted to bite MickeyMouse while on the leash.

“He said, ‘If you’re going to treat melike a dog, I’m going to act like one,’” shesaid.

As he grew older, he became an avidand talented skateboarder who went bythe names “Zed” and “Psycho Mike.” Hecould often be found at the WoodlandSkatepark.

The family had its share of problems —Metz spent some time in foster carewhen he was 17 — but he would have noreason to want his family to think he wasdead, McCarthy said when askedwhether he or one of his friends couldhave left the message.

McCarthy said she and Metz’s broth-ers, Jason and Jonathon Metz, and sister-in-law, Tiffany Metz, have beensearching for him for months, staying atlocal homeless shelters during thesearch.

“I just want him to know that we’relooking for him and that we love him andthat we want to see him, even just for asecond,” she said.

If he didn’t want to talk to McCarthy,he would want to talk to his brothers, shesaid.

McCarthy asked that anyone with in-formation contact Jonathan Metz at (606)571-4784 or reach her by leaving a mes-sage at The Salvation Army in Lexington,where she has been staying.

McCarthy, who had returned toFlorida for a time, found herself home-less after coming back to Lexington tolook for her son.

Months after mysterious phone call,mother still awaits word about missing son