The mother of a missing man found dead says she's frustrated that police could not find her son but volunteers could.
Brandon Herring's body is one of two found during the search for a missing Raymore woman, Jessica Runions.
Rhonda Herring said she knew in her heart that her son was dead, but she desperately wanted closure.
"I've been mourning for 2 months. I've been preparing my family for that day, which was Monday because I already knew that God had Brandon," said Herring.
Brandon Herring disappeared in November. Raytown police launched a missing person investigation, but couldn't find him. Last Saturday family members and volunteers looking for Runions found Brandon Herring's body.
They found another body the following Saturday.
"They found my son. I don't understand why they found my son and Raytown couldn't," said Herring.
Raytown police would not talk to us about Brandon Herring's case.
David Rader with Texas Equusearch Mounted Search and Recovery said most police departments simply don't have the money or manpower to continue searching for missing people.
"It's not like that's the only thing they have going on missing persons. They're trying to protect the city and deal with other crimes. That's where we step in," said Rader.
Texas Equusearch started in August 2000. They provide volunteer horse-mounted search and recovery for lost and missing persons. The volunteers travel the country to help families find closure.
A commitment Herring has a new found respect for.
"This is not the end; this is the beginning because I want to help any family. We need to be together, we need to depend on someone else other than these police departments," said Herring.
According to the National Crime Information Center, there are as many as 100,000 active missing persons cases in the U.S. at any time.
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Lisa Benson can be reached at lisa.benson@kshb.com.
