#34 - Triangle

Excerpt from the Santa Barbara Times:

Santa Barbara the New Bermuda Triangle

By Stephen Wilson

Airplanes aren't crashing; compasses still generally point north. But there have been some strange developments in our sleepy California town that have the writer of this editorial worried.

Calling out specific individuals is not the intent of this editorial; as such, this writer has not contacted any government officials for quotes or responses. Answers have been sought before, with no straight ones being found. On the surface, everything is normal in Santa Barbara.

But what about under the surface?

Subtle policy changes in local government are no longer ignorable. They seem to be rational choices, and the vast majority of them do not affect day to day life. But there have been seventy-seven amendments and additions to local law in the past two years alone. For reference, in the sixty year period preceding this age of sudden change, there were only two amendments and three additions. They seem like innocent, bureaucratic modifications, but when one looks closer, the questions form. Why should the weight of jurisdiction have been shifted away from state police and into the hands of local police, especially on matters concerning missing persons? Has the local police department decided they are better equipped to find missing people? They aren't. So why would the new and amended laws give them power over the state police, who are historically several times more effective at solving kidnappings and runaways? And who in our local government supported this sudden change? These questions have, as of yet, gone unanswered.

This writer may not have even stumbled upon the shift of jurisdictional powers in such matters if not for one undeniable fact: the people of Santa Barbara and its surrounding areas are going missing at an alarming rate. In the past year, missing people reports are up 950%. That is not a misprint. 950%. No official comment or speculation is being offered by the local police; as a matter of fact, unnamed sources in the department sounded exceedingly unworried when questioned about it. There are over a hundred active investigations into person disappearances on the books as this editorial is being written, but the department has no comment on the matter. When asked about progress or success in any of the open cases, an anonymous source in the department told this reporter, "If we find any of them, you'll be the first to know." The comment implies that out of over one hundred missing people, not a single one has been found.

Not all of these people are transients or teenagers, either. People with good jobs and families have gone missing. Robert Benning, a private detective out of Tempe, Arizona, has set up a makeshift office in the Best Western hotel on State Street. He is diligently working on six missing person cases, independent of the SBPD. When asked about the details of his investigations, he scratched his head and said, "It's definitely the toughest bunch of cases I've ever worked. Usually, people leave a trail when they go somewhere, whether it's by choice or by force. A paper trail, a physical trail, even a trail of witnesses. Nobody just disappears, but that's exactly what the people of Santa Barbara seem to be doing – disappearing without a trace. It's baffling, but I'm not giving up. Not by a long shot. If I can find one of them, I might be able to figure out what happened to the rest of them."

There have also been strange, unexplained sightings in the town. Reports of strange lights in the night sky and unidentified creatures in and around Santa Barbara have all been filed. Strangely enough, none of the citizens making these reports were able to be contacted for comment.

All of these bizarre and puzzling recent developments have this reporter acutely worried. Keep an eye on your loved ones, and be wary of strange or disturbing things. This editorial will probably be dismissed by many as the ramblings of a paranoid man, and those people are possibly right. But, on the other hand, it is almost impossible to deny that something is not right in Santa Barbara. It may not be anything sinister. But the evidence supports the idea that sleepy Santa Barbara is not sleepy anymore. There is an air of tension in the once-relaxed seaside town. At some point, its citizens are going to have to take notice and do something to protect themselves from an unseen, potential threat.

Santa Barbarians are disappearing every day – that is fact. These people come from all backgrounds and demographics. Seemingly, no one is immune. You are urged to be vigilant, so that you don't wind up one of the statistics.

Excerpt from the Santa Barbara Times, one week after the running of Santa Barbara the New Bermuda Triangle:

Times Staff Writer Among Missing

By Patricia Clark

Santa Barbara Times staff writer Stephen Wilson has been officially reported missing as of 9:00PM yesterday.

Yvette Collins, Wilson's long-time girlfriend, reported him as a missing person to the SBPD at mid-week. "They told me he was probably just working a story," Yvette claimed. "I told them I'd been in touch with his editor at the Times, who assured me he wasn't on a job and hadn't been seen for twenty-four hours. The officer who took my call said, "Maybe he went out on his own to find some of the missing people he keeps writing about." I didn't know what to say to that, other than Steve wouldn't do that. The officer then told me he hadn't been missing long enough to make a report, told me to wait a while, and hung up."

Miss Collins story is similar to other key accounts given of dealing with the SBPD in relation to missing person cases. Police Chief Albertson was asked about the seeming lack of concern by his department on the matter, to which he responded, "My staff is dealing with an inordinate amount of missing people. They've all received sensitivity training, but you can imagine how such a large workload could desensitize a person." When asked about why his understaffed department was shouldering the burden of the missing people cases without the assistance of state agencies, he replied, "No comment."

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Stephen Wilson is urged to call the Santa Barbara Times as well as the police.

Author's Note: A sincere thank you to everyone who reviewed the last few entries! I greatly appreciate all feedback, and feel free to offer constructive criticism as well as compliments! Thank you again!