Hope gives way to heartbreak for some in tornado-ravaged Joplin (850 hits)
Joplin, Missouri (CNN) -- A Missouri mother said Thursday that her 16-year-old son was killed by this week's powerful tornado, one of scores who have been confirmed dead even as authorities try to track down many others who are considered missing.
Michelle Hare told CNN that her son Lantz, who was ripped from a car Sunday night by winds exceeding 200 mph in Joplin, is dead and his body has been located. In the wrenching hours and days since the tornado, the boy's father, Mike Hare, said he'd searched hospitals and continually called his son's cell phone, getting no answer.
"It rang for the first day and a half, and now it goes straight to voice mail. But just in case he gets it, I want him to know his dad loves him," the father said earlier this week. Lantz Hare was among those on the list, released Thursday by the Missouri Department of Public Safety, of 232 people from the southwest Missouri city for whom missing persons reports have been filled out. The Hares were among many around Joplin, still desparately searching for missing loved ones and clinging to hope.
At least 126 people in Joplin had died due to the storm as of Thursday night, said Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges. That makes the tornado the single deadliest to touch down in any U.S. community since modern record-keeping began in 1950.
One of the frustrations for families desperately trying to find their loved ones was a holdup at the morgue. Some were told that they may have to wait for two weeks before they can visit the morgue to search for relatives. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said state officials were brought in "to get this information out much more quickly and respectfully for these families that need to hear the information about the loved ones who are -- have been lost."
Families of the missing have provided DNA samples and contacted dozens of hospitals, shelters and nursing homes in their bids to learn whether they have a "John Doe" or "Jane Doe" that could be their loved one. ...
Missouri Makes Progress in Identifying Missing By A. G. SULZBERGER and MONICA DAVEY The number of people missing after a tornado in Joplin has been reduced to 232 from about 1,500, officials said.
