Austin, TX

Missing in Texas: Hundreds of children listed as missing in our state

Published

1 year ago

June 9, 2023

Missing in Texas: Hundreds of children listed as missing in our state

Missing in Texas: Tanisha Watkins went missing in 1984

In this week’s Missing in Texas, Angela Shen took a look at one of the oldest cases in Austin, two-year-old Tanisha Watkins.

AUSTIN, Texas – Hundreds of children are currently listed as missing in our state. That’s according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

A scroll through their website shows more than 300 children missing in Texas.

Of the cases that show up for Austin, the oldest one dates back to 1984.

That’s when authorities say two-year-old Tanisha Watkins was lured away from her home. She was last seen walking down Riverside with a man and never heard from again.

Tanisha Watkins went missing in the Austin area in 1984.

50 People listed as missing in Greater Austin area

“I believe, yeah, I believe they should keep looking, the family would like to know what, she might be living or not, might be dead-might be living, you can’t ever tell,” Emilio Torres, a neighbor, told FOX 7 in 2018.

Watkins would be 41 now, as shown in an age-progressed photo. Age progression is one tool NCMEC can help with.

While law enforcement is the lead investigator in missing persons cases, NCMEC can help with searches, raising awareness, analytics, and forensics.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) released an age-progression photo of Tanisha Watkins, who went missing at two-years-old. Photo courtesy: NCMEC

“We’re here to just make sure that we apply as many resources and assist parents in whatever way we can and provide that support to law enforcement and resources so that we can help in the search for a missing child,” Leemie Kahng-Sofer, director of case management for the Missing Children division at NCMEC said.

NCMEC says they helped with thousands of cases in 2022.

According to their data, 98 percent of long-term missing cases are runaways and family abductions.

“Just because they’re with the other parent doesn’t mean that they’re doing well. Every missing child out there is at risk,” Kahng-Sofer said.

In their recent analysis between 2014-16, 151 children were found after being missing for a decade or longer.

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Missing in Texas: Jonathan Lee Hamilton

It’s been eight years since 26-year-old Jonathan Lee Hamilton from Houston was last seen in Bastrop. Some of his remains were found four years ago, but where the rest of his remains are, and what happened to him, remains a mystery.

In 2020, they documented more than 600 attempted abductions.

“The key message is that every missing child out there is vulnerable and that they are facing risks,” Kahng-Sofer said.

NCMEC recently observed the 40th anniversary of National Missing Children’s Day in May to keep these cases at the forefront.

They say community members can play a big role in helping. Sharing posts of missing children in your area or simply being aware can go a long way.

“It takes one person to see something, to say something to help bring a missing child home. And so we ask the community to maintain their vigilance,” Kahng-Sofer said. “We rely on the community, keep their eyes and ears open.”

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Austin, TX

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

Published

8 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas had a strong showing on OpenTable’s 2024 Top 100 Restaurants with 10 establishments making the list.

What You Need To Know

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users

The Lone Star State had the second-most restaurants on the list, tied with Illinois, behind California, which had a whopping 19 restaurants featured.

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list.

Aba – Austin
J Carver’s
Jeffrey’s Restaurant
Red Ash Italia
Sammie’s Italian
Uchi Austin
Uchiko Austin

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list.

Steak 48 – Houston
Signature – San Antonio
Hudson House – Lovers Lane – Dallas

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users.

According to OpenTable’s website, restaurants with enough reviews are automatically considered and are evaluated by their ratings, percentage of five-star reviews, number of alerts set, percentage of reservations made in advance, percentage of capacity and direct searches.

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Austin, TX

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

Published

17 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

AUSTIN — Texas defensive back Jelani McDonald made his mark in the Longhorn secondary on Saturday.

McDonald recorded his first career interception, and it was one for the books.

With five minutes left in the first half as Texas led 14-7, Kentucky had possession. The crowd went wild as McDonald dove for the ball to get possession back to the Longhorn offense. Commentators described the play as a “Superman” performance.

WENT FULL SUPERMAN FOR THIS PICK 👀🤯@TexasFootball x 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/ZV5AxOSWo7
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 23, 2024
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McDonald’s teammates also had their takes on the play.

“Superman…I mean everybody knows how athletic Jelani is, we’ve been talking about that all season, and even tied back to last season,” Michael Taaffe said. “He’s so athletic. I’m glad he finally got to show that and for you all to see, because we’ve known that forever.”

McDonald has totaled 22 tackles this season, playing in every conference and two non-conference games.

While he’s not a name on everyone’s mouths, like Quinn Ewers, Isaiah Bond, Taaffe or Kelvin Banks Jr., McDonald proved once and for all his impact on the team. McDonald could very much have a breakout season in 2025, and this play, which recorded Texas’ 16th interception of the season taking the national record, opened up the doors for his campaign.

That pick could even be awarded play of the year.

“I’ve been just happy to see him grow and get better as a player,” Anthony Hill Jr., who played with McDonald in the Freshman All-American game, said.

“He was playing corners, so I was like ‘Who’s this guy,’ and then one the game, he’s playing linebackers, and at one game he’s playing safety,” Hill said.

McDonald has one more shot to showcase his talent in the regular season as Texas faces Texas A&M next Saturday. But with two years left of eligibility, the sky is the limit.

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Austin, TX

No. 3 Texas ends UK’s bowl chances

Published

1 day ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

AUSTIN, Tx. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Wildcats (4-7, 1-7 SEC) ended their SEC slate with a 31-14 loss on the road against the No. 3 Texas Longhorns (10-1, 6-1 SEC). For the first time in eight seasons, UK will not be bowl eligible.

Junior quarterback Brock Vandagriff started the game for the Cats, going 3-7 for 51 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The staff opted to once against start true freshman Cutter Boley in the second half. The LCA alum wet 10-18 for 160 yards and an interception in the loss.

The Wildcats went 1-2 in the red zone and just 2-12 on third down conversions.

Senior inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson had a 25-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and also led the defense in tackles with eight.

Texas junior QB Quinn Ewers went 20-31 for 191 yards and two touchdowns for the Longhorns.

The season concludes next week as Kentucky hosts the Governor’s Cup game against Louisville at Kroger Field. Kick-off is set for noon on the SEC Network.

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