Father of missing child tells of ordeal

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

The agony of a parent when a child disappears is recounted with candor and detail in "Missing: The Jaryd Atadero Story" written by Allyn and Arlyn Atadero.

Available electronically and in paperback, the book is for sale through Tate Publishing in Mustang, Okla. (www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/).

The story that captured national news media attention started on Oct. 2, 1999, when 3-year-old Jaryd vanished along the Big South Trail in Poudre Canyon. He had been hiking with a group of friends of his father, Allyn Atadero, co-owner of the Poudre River Resort. The hikers had divided into two groups and did not realize Jaryd was not among them until they met up on the trail.

Dozens of people searched for Jaryd but turned up no sign of what may have happened until the week of June 6, 2003, when hikers found a child's clothing that fit the description of what Jaryd was wearing the day he disappeared. At his home in Littleton, Allyn Atadero first confirmed the clothing belonged to Jaryd though five photos sent to him by e-mail and then verified the identification with a visit to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

Going back to the scene where Jaryd's clothing was found, searchers also recovered a tooth and a piece of skull. Analysis by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation left many of his questions unanswered, Atadero wrote.

"The day Jaryd walked into the unknown, he was three years and nine months old," Atadero wrote in "Missing." "Jaryd's clothes were found almost three years and eight months later. The days with my son were almost equal to those of my search, and I wanted to believe this was Jaryd's way of communicating with me; his plan to demonstrate all was fine."

In writing about nearly four years of searching and hoping Jaryd was still alive, Atadero recounts many frustrating moments with the search, thankfulness to all those who helped and shared his family's grief, and his own journey of faith in God.

His story is often critical of the sheriff's investigation methods, yet he thanks a long list of people for the work they put into finding answers to Jaryd's disappearance. The grief-stricken father also recounts many incidents that gave him hope of finding Jaryd alive, only to have another piece of information send him into an emotional nosedive.

Since Jaryd disappeared in 1999, Atadero has found many ways to pick up the cause of other missing children. He is currently a board member of Whistle Away Crime, a nonprofit organization developed to promote safety among children, and he plans to remain active in issues concerning missing children. More information is available at www.atadero.com.