12.28.07: For those of you who do not read comments and may not know this– there is evidence which indicates that Anu is alive:
Authorities from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department announced they believe Solanki has left the Chicago area with a friend of hers, and that she has gone willingly. [oh, snap]
Developing…
I know we’re still shocked about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, but there’s a story about another South Asian woman which deserves attention, in case any of you can help.
We’ve received several tips about a young woman who currently lives in Chicago, who has disappeared under what I think are extra-tragic circumstances. Anu Solanki is 24 years old and a newlywed from Virginia. The last time she was seen was when she was leaving her job at a hotel gift shop, on Monday, the 24th. A few miles from there…
Her car — which was still running with its doors unlocked– was found in a forest preserve parking lot late Monday afternoon.
Forest preserve police used divers to search the river in the Wheeling Forest Preserve on Wednesday, but said they would stay inside the boats on Thursday. [abc7chicago]
This is what makes my heart ache, why I wrote that this story had an extra element of tragedy:
Solanki’s husband said his wife may have gone to the river to place a broken statue of the Hindu deity Ganesh in the water, as they were told to do by a priest, to prevent bad luck. Authorities fear the woman slipped while placing the statue in the current. [abc7chicago]
“There is some concern at this point that this is a rapid current of the Des Plaines River, that it may be wise to check even further,” said Cook County Forest Preserve District spokesman Steve Mayberry. “Miss Solanki is a petite woman, and in fact, the current may have carried her further than initially believed.” [WBBM780]
Who among us hasn’t tried to do the “right” thing, on the advice of someone we trust, even if it seems superstitious? I’m just haunted by the mental picture I have of this girl earnestly, gingerly transporting this broken-but-sacred statue, on her way to the river.
While her slipping and falling while trying to do something respectful is awful enough, there’s the possibility of worse:
Police are checking the validity of a report that Solanki called a relative and said she was being watched, but then called back minutes later to say she was fine. [abc7chicago]
That report says she called a relative, this says she called a friend:
Dignesh Solanki says his wife spoke with a friend by cell phone that afternoon, telling her she was being followed by four men, then called back to say the men had disappeared. [WBBM780]
I hope she will be found soon. Chicago mutineers Neeraj and M, thank you for keeping us posted about this.
this was all over foxnews last night as they like these stories, especially greta van susteren. they were saying that 4 guys were watching her at work as she handled cash from the register. then she appartently called someone to say the same 4 guys were following her in a car. but when her car was found the cash was in her purse.
“Her Honda Civic was found Monday afternoon in the forest preserve. A family friend said the car was unlocked and Solanki’s purse and laptop were missing.”
Barring that she even brought her laptop with her, I find it strange that it went missing. Given that her car was running, I doubt she took it with her to the river bank.
Maybe its a very clever murder by her husband? …Making her go all the way till the river by herself by creating an artificial situation, with all thats needed being a push into the river. (considering the people following her disappeared when she made the phone call implying a potential feedback loop?!)
Alpha: Some consideration please. It’s so damn easy to malign people’s reputations without cause
This is unsettling – the Wheeling preserve is not too far from where I live, although I am now visiting family in NY.
I read this story this morning and felt terribly sad. Young, newly married and Lord Ganesha. My heart just broke. I read a few of the reports and found a few conflicting things. The bit about people following her, where is the friend? Why isn’t he/she coming out? And then a report that says her purse and laptop went missing.
3 · alpha said
Alpha beta, don’t rush to judgment.
Very sad. The place is close to where I live. Area looks (?) peaceful and safe, but news like these give you a reality check.
Why do the reporters keep saying South West Suburb! This is NorthWest suburb.
JOAT – welcome back. Missed your commenting on SM. Guess married life must be keeping you busy 😉
Thanks for posting Anna-I actually passed by there today on my way home and it sent shivers down my spine. I hope for a speedy return to her family. -M
I dont think Alphabeta is rushing to judbement. He is merely brainstorming. Quite frankly, when i heard that Ganesha story, it sounded kind of weird to me too. Not saying he is responsible, but I wouldnt be shocked either.
Such brainstorming at this juncture has the potential to be extremely cruel, especially considering that people often find Sepia Mutiny when their family members are on it. Please be more considerate.
Does Chicago have an ‘amber alert’ type system?
May be so, but when a spouse goes missing or meets foul play the surviving spouse is always the chief suspect for the police since they usually have both motive and opportunity to carry out the crime. It may or may not be the case here we just have to wait and watch. Alpha just put in words what probably is going through a lot of people’s minds.
I’m sure the authorities have considered this possibility
Their indeed is a big loop about the phone call to her friend. between the gift shop in westin & the forest preserve river where her car was found is 2.0miles takes 5min (even with signal). I doubt the credibility of her being called within those 5 min saying people were following her on car & then again they were gone. my thought is that one has to be followed at least some distant to realize that they have been followed. this phone call thing has to be investigated whom anu called & trace that number.
Very phunny!
Did not catch this news on TV but read it here. Something doesn’t sound right. From my experience till now, the Purohits/Pujaris/Priests here in US are pretty careful abt asking people to leave any Hindu deities in river/lake. Now a days, the Priests are even asking people to do the visarjan in a pot of water and pour that water to plants. I was surprised to hear that this unfortunate woman went to a river to do this. Also, if I am not wrong, the Priest would have asked the male member of the family to do this (that is according to the Hindu culture). Hope that Anu returns home soon.
Not sure if people watched the news report the very next day after Anu disappeared — but her husband looked calm to me, unlike many distraught looking men (at least from a cultural perspective) in a similar situation — no tears.
But on the other hand, I am pretty pissed at the local/national media for not covering this in as much fanfare as some white chick who disappered (Stacy Peterson).
Sepia Commentors! Providing you with speculation and muck raking when Fox News won’t!
Rahul, I would not denounce that claim about the MSM ignoring these stories so easily. Have you ever heard the MSM mention a certain Rupinder Goraya, even though her case is strikingly similar to the Peterson/Petersen cases.
19 · Chetna said
Where’s desi Miss Marples when you need her. She’ll understand all thing desi, innit?
Oh, I agree that women of color are shortchanged in the public awareness/outrage sweepstakes – another very striking comparison was the case of Imette St. Guillen, a Latin American student who was brutally killed in New York right around the time Natalie Holloway’s face was splashed on every TV and newspaper screen.
But the trial by speculation and the ease with which some people here are suspecting the husband is absolutely ridiculous. It might turn out when there is actual evidence that he was indeed the perpetrator, but accusing him now is Greta Van Susteren/Nancy Grace behavior.
Relax, Fox News is already covering it, so you can be sure this same line of speculation is close behind.
Nancy Grace should be jumping on this any second too.
Perhaps their priest/advisor was new to the country? But even then, I don’t know why priests would ask people here NOT to throw broken deities into rivers or lakes or other natural bodies of water. We do it all the time. And it can be done by either male or female hindus.
I dont think speculation is the same as accusation. Saying something needs to be looked into is not the same as saying there is a good chance someone did it. Nancy Grace type behavior would be a lot more accusatory.
I first heard of this 2 nights ago on Fox. I forgot who the anchor was but she was an attractive allegedly conservative-leaning blonde who pronounced anu’s name “A-new” and has never dated dinesh d’souza if that narrows it down. o wait, it could’ve been laura ingaram so cancel the dinesh d’souza criteria. anyway, it was a fairly extensive piece and it looked like this would be a major story on fox for a while until some other indian chick named pluto or something hit the news.
When I think abt this more, it also sounds strange that her car was running and doors were unlocked. It is so strange for a desi women to keep the car running like that. Desi women tend to be more cautious abt things. And if she thought that someone was following her (according to her phone call) then why did she not postpone her plan to leave the Ganesh Idol and go home? I would have been scared if I thought I was been watched and chased. I would have never gone to a lonely place even for Lord Ganesha.
No, here in LA, priests never ask us to do that and the new Priests are trained to the US ways. Even for the Ganeshotsav here, we need to take a special permission to do Ganesh Visarjan in the Pacific ocean. And I am talking abt small Ganesh idols, nothing big.
UPDATE: An “important development” in the Anu Solanki case will be announced by the Cook County Forest Preserve Chief of Police and the Cook County Sheriff at a 1:30 p.m. news conference. Without explanation, the search for her body was suspended at 11 a.m., although officials had said they might suspend it for bad weather. From Chicago Tribune.
Anu Solanki is alive. Details to come… (developing story)
21 · Rahul said
Speculation? I call it Suspicion.
She’s alive. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-solanki_28_bothdec28,0,1486850.story?coll=chi_breaking_500
Anu Solanki alive and well; left of her own accord sheriff says
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=103040&src=1
I think the husband did it.
From the Chicago Tribune
Heh, Heh, Heh
So Dear Mr. Husband of Anu Solanki, if you are reading this, accept my apologies for the speculation of my previous comment. (I take the apology back if you indeed killed her though)
Actually, as some others have pointed out, I’m pretty sure the husband is completely aware by now that the police are actively considering that possibility. So, the chance that he comes to sepiamutiny and realizes from my comment, to his utter shock and dismay, that he is indeed suspect, is rather low.
Police said today that they believe Anu Solanki, 24, missing since Monday, is alive and is with a 23-year-old man from California.
Ouch.
Oops I didn’t read the earlier comments… I confirm my apology to the poor husband 🙂 Maybe I should also congratulate him for getting rid of what sounds like a crazy woman. -most respectfully, Alpha Beta.
UPDATE: Police said today that they believe Anu Solanki, 24, missing since Monday, is alive and is with a 23-year-old man from California.
Using cell phone records, dectectives learned that Solanki was in contact with Karan C. Jani many times on the day she disappeared. Police believe Solanki may have met Jani at the Dam 1 Woods after she left work that day. Phone records showed she placed a call to a female friend that day. Although Solanki said she was on her way to the woods to discard a religious idol in the river there, records showed she was near DeKalb.
Cook County authorities released a photo of Jani today and asked if anyone sees the couple to contact police. Authorities said they do not know where they have gone.
What a horrible thing to do, to fake your own disappearance and apparent death just because you didn’t have the guts to be honest.
29 · Chetna said
This was my thought as well. If I had suspicion that four men were following me–the last place I’d go would be a deserted forest.
It’s because it is SOP for the police to look into the husband that I thought it unecessary to speculate about it online. Anu is alive, but the comments remain forever.The easiest thing to do today is to mess with a person’s rep online, given that Google is often misused by employers as a background check. And I have no doubt that there will be speculation about why Anu would have left her husband and this, unlike the non-murder, will hang over his head forever
Open letter to my wife: If you are going to run away with your boyfriend, please be courteous and let me know before you go. It will save everyone a lot of trouble. Atleast, I won’t have my name spread over all the papers and online blogs. Also, I won’t have to call the police, who send cadaver-sniffing dogs after you. Thank you.
That’s extremely horrible of her… faking her own death and then running off with her boyfriend?
And here I thought that Law and Order episodes were actually fictional. Looks like stuff like that happens in real life.
One has to ask why she was so desperate to leave her husband in such a deceptive manner. Could she not have simply divorced him? Or were there threats to her life if she had.
Keep in mind that by faking her own death not only her husband and in laws would believe her to be dead, but her own family and friends as well.
More investigation is still needed to get to the bottom of this.
If I were to be reading about this I would just have sympathy for him… (but of course it is true that a potential future romantic interest might wonder if his wife left him because he isn’t good in bed or things like that…)
In any case, its an interesting coincidence that the latest posts on sepiamutiny have been on allegedly stupid desis – tiger taunting teenagers, and then a stupid woman who thinks she can fool the police, etc. into thinking she’s dead…(this is 2007 for heaven’s sake. how long does she think it takes to establish that a person is alive??)
not to clog the commetns, but latest from the Trib: UPDATE: Police said today that they believe Anu Solanki, 24, missing since Monday, is alive and is with a 23-year-old man from California.
Using cell phone records, detectives learned that Solanki was in contact with Karan C. Jani many times on the day she disappeared. Police believe Solanki may have met Jani at the Dam 1 Woods after she left work that day to properly discard a broken religious statue. Authorities said they have not found the idol and believe she went to the woods to meet Jani.
On the day she disappeared, Solanki placed a call to a female friend around 1:40 p.m. In that conversation, she told her friend she was at the Des Plaines River by the dam, but phone records showed she was actually near DeKalb, detectives said.
On Friday, Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart asked the couple or anyone who might see them to reach out to authorities. Though Solanki may have left williingly, her family is still concerned. Dart said. Solanki was married in May in New Jersey and Dart said her husband, Dignesh Solanki, did not know Jani or that she had a relationship with him.
Authorities believe the two fled in a rental car, but they did not know what make or model. Since she’s disappeared, Solanki’s cell phone has not been working, Dart said.
He added that authorities have spent $250,000 in the search for Solanki. He also said at this time they do not anticipate any criminal charges being filed against anyone.