HelpFindBransonPerry's Blog

St Joseph News Press


01/19/08

Lamar aims to bring light to Branson Perry case


SKIDMORE, Mo. — Becky Klino hopes a larger-than life image of her son’s face in lights will stir someone’s memory about his nearly seven year-long disappearance.


The Lamar Advertising Co. recently placed two electronic billboards along the Belt Highway — at Sherman Avenue and Gene Field Road — that display Branson Perry’s face and contact information to help jog the memory of those with possible tips. It’s an effort that Lamar officials believe could turn the case toward resolution.


Mr. Perry disappeared April 11, 2001, from his Skidmore, Mo., home when he was 20 years old. He left the residence on foot and said he was taking a pair of jumper cables to a shed on a lot adjacent to the family home. Ms. Klino admitted she can’t afford the cost of large stateof-the-art billboards.

But the possibility of new progress in  finding Mr. Perry is precisely why Lamar has decided not to charge for displaying his photo, said vice president/general manager Bob Fessler,with the company’s Kansas City office.
“We want to get more awareness” about Mr. Perry, he said. “It’s out there 24 hours.”

Mr. Fessler said the company started displaying major crimes on its billboards with the Ali Kemp case in the Kansas City area in 2002.
A rendition of an  artist’s sketch of a suspect included with a Crime Stoppers phone number told the public about a fugitive wanted in Ms. Kemp’s murder.The signs have  proven themselves in creating tips with a Crime Stoppers phone number told the public about a fugitive wanted in Ms. Kemp’s murder.

The signs have  proven themselves in creating tips and are also being used to release information about missing children and weather alerts, he said.


“We treat (such cases) just like we would any other public service,” Mr. Fessler said.

To Ms. Klino, anything that  puts Mr. Perry’s face before many eyes is worth the effort. She expressed “incredible gratefulness” at Lamar’s assistance.
She’s placed several plywood signs about her son in Nodaway County. She and supporters plan to hold a fundraiser in mid-April — near the date Mr. Perry disappeared  — in Skidmore on behalf of search efforts.


Nodaway County Sheriff Ben Espey said there are no new leads in the case. A possible breakthrough in Oregon, Mo., didn’t pan out, he said. “He didn’t give us any information we didn’t already know,” Mr. Espey said of the tipster.

Billboards and other signs can be effective by informing the public about potential rewards that can be remitted for valuable information, he said.

The Branson Perry electronic billboards will continue operating in St. Joseph indefinitely, Mr. Fessler said.