07/25/2002 - news

Police hope NASCAR fans will help find missing boy
By LYNN STEVENS / H-P Staff Writer

BENTON TOWNSHIP -- Townhip police are hoping the NASCAR truck race at the Brooklyn, Mich., track Saturday produces more than just a winner.
The 137,000 plus spectators expected at the Craftsmen Truck series competition and the thousands expected to watch the race by television also will see a 3- by 3-foot picture of Steven Kraft, a 12-year-old township boy missing since Feb. 15, 2001.
Police hope that will produce someone who knows where the boy is, or at least someone who has a lead on his whereabouts.
The picture is slated to be displayed on Entry 7, the John Conely Motor Sports truck driven by Bryan Reffner. The race at the Michigan International Speedway starts at 1 p.m. and is to be televised by ESPN.
The boy and his family lived in the Benton Heights section of the township when he vanished. His parents said he had gone into the yard about 6:30 p.m. to play with the two family dogs while his mother finished cooking dinner. By 9:30, they realized he was missing, not just late for dinner.
Volunteers and police searched extensively for him in the days that followed. They combed 10 square miles of Benton Township including four miles of Blue Creek. In May 2001, a Berrien County Sheriff's Department dive team methodically searched a pond near Steven's house where he used to play. They found nothing.
In June 2001, state police even brought their "cadaver dog," a German Shepherd trained to locate bodies. Again, the investigation found nothing. Detectives even followed leads to Milwaukee, Wis. without success.
Last summer, Detective Lt. Delmar Lange of the Benton Township Police Department said, "We have no physical evidence. There are no other witnesses. No trail of clothes, nothing. That's what makes this case so unusual."
Martin Gray, founder of the Missing Children's Racing Network and Sgt. Greg Jones, head of the state police missing children/prevention services section, agreed Steven's case might benefit from the increased exposure the NASCAR race would give it.
Jones said, "It's a joint effort between Conely Motor Sports, the Michigan State Police, Benton Township Police and the FBI. We're hoping by publicizing the image of Steven Kraft that we will develop new leads that will help the investigating agency locate Stevie and bring him home safely."
Gray, who works for Conely Motor Sports, said that last year, a 7-year-old missing child was found in Mexico, thanks to information from someone who saw the girl's picture on a car at the Detroit Grand Prix.
"Tori Wollanger had been missing one year," Gray said. "The amazing thing about that case was everything happened so fast. In three weeks she was back home."
He said the Missing Children's Racing Network has also led to the return of a child in three months and of another in six months. Gray is hoping for similar success in finding Steven Kraft.
"The whole idea is to bring his case into the public forum again," Gray said. "We hope this will generate new information and get him home safely. We never give up hope."
Benton Township Detective Tom Vaught said although there has been no new information released for almost one year, township police have not given up the case. He said they continue to investigate every lead they find.
"This investigation is just as much on our minds today as it was then," Vaught said. "When the opportunity came up with Missing Children's Racing Network, we were excited.
"Sgt. Jones contacted me about it. He said we've had great success with this in the past, is this something Benton Township would be interested in? We said yes we would!
"We hope this exposure will produce positive results."
Vaught said he and some other Benton Township police will be at the speedway Saturday passing out flyers with Steven's picture and talking to race fans about the case. He said Steven's family will attend, too.
Jones said troopers also will pass out fliers and talk to people about the missing boy Saturday.
Gray said Thursday that the case has now been turned over to the FBI.
"Anyone with information on Steven is asked to call Special Agent Al DeBrito, FBI St. Joseph Office, 982-0390, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-843-5678 or the nearest Michigan State Police post," Gray said.