missing person

A 14-year-old Tecumseh, Oklahoma, girl who has been missing since Monday – Deborah Kalai Fourzan – is reportedly traveling to California with a once family friend James “Jim” Reimer and stopping at various anime conventions along the way, starting this weekend with Ikkicon in Austin, Texas.

Some elements that give this story an unsavory twist are that Reimer sent a number of explicit text messages to the girl’s phone, which her mother turned over to police and were used as evidence for a current warrant for “using text messaging to solicit sexual contact with a minor”, and that the convenience store where Reimer works was reported a cash theft Monday afternoon of several thousand dollars. (KOCO)

Authorities advise anyone who sees the two individuals not to approach them, but to contact the Austin Police Department at 1-405-598-9305. Fourzan is 5″2 and weighs 120 pounds. She has blue eyes, pierced ears, a birthmark on the back of her arm, and blond hair, but she may dye her hair black and also use her middle name Kalai. Reimer is 5″10 and weighs 280 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and a beard, but he may shave his beard off.

Despite the man’s previous behavior, there is a small and possibly irrational part of me – the devil’s advocate part – that thinks maybe Fourzan wanted to go to this journey with him and, less likely, has some feelings for Reimer. (Remember that Reimer is 40 and Fourzan is 14.) I simply wanted to float that possibility even though it may not turn out to be the case. Seriously though, I hope she does not get harmed before this case gets resolved.

Considering the area between Texas and California and looking at AnimeCons.com, possible conventions in their travels include Animation On Display in San Francisco, CA, on February 14-15 (if they can drive to SF in a week); Mizuumi-Con in San Antonio, TX, on March 21 (don’t know why they would go a short distance southwest over a month’s time); Animeland Wasabi in Denver, CO, on March 27-29; AniZona in Phoenix, AZ, on April 9-12; Anime Matsuri in The Woodlands, TX, on April 10-12; KamiKazeCon in Houston, TX, in April 10-12; and FanimeCon in San Jose, CA, on May 22-25.