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MADMAN FOREVER CHANGES FAMILY'S LIFE Published Sunday, September 5, 1999 (The Post-Crescent) By Dan Wilson Post-Crescent Staff Writer Button eventually gave up his early morning ritual of running up the stairs to wake her up. After Cora Jones was abducted and murdered in 1994, the family dog didn't understand what happened. "He looked for her for several months," said Cora's father, Rick Jones, who admitted the dog wasn't the only one who followed the same routine. "I often found myself finding it hard to not get out four plates for supper," he said. Jones is now 43 and his wife Vicki is 41. Zachary, who was 10 at the time of Cora's disappearance and only belt-buckle tall, is now a 6-1, 215-pound teenager. "What was difficult for us was when Zachary turned 12," said Jones. "We found that hard to adjust to because to us, Cora will always be 12 years old." The Joneses maintain the cross bearing Cora's picture on Sanders Road in the Town of Dayton, the spot where Cora was abducted. There is a similar cross at the site in Langlade County where her body was found. That site is maintained with the help of residents in the area. The exact spot where Cora was killed has never been determined, other than that is was near the spot where her body was found. "We kept Cora's room the same for a long time," said Jones. "But now Zack is moved into her room. We talk a lot about what she would be like today. She would be a senior in high school, she would be driving and we would probably need another phone line. "We talk about these things quite a bit. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't talk about it because if you don't it would eat you up inside." The Joneses still live in the same house and still work at the same jobs, but their lives were forever changed. They know their loss will keep them in the public sphere. They have had numerous contacts with othe rparents who have suffered the trauma of losing a child, because they remember how the support of others buoyed them. "It's a trememdous feeling when other parents came to us who had been through it and just the fact that they knew how you felt was a tremendous lift." The Joneses had contact with the Jessyca Mullenberg family in Junction City, Wis., when their 13 year old daughter was missing in 1994. She was later found with a 38 year old man who was eventually charged and convicted for taking her out of the state. The Joneses also work with Jay Breyer and his organization which teaches child safety issues. Jay Breyer's 2 year old niece, Amy, was abducted and murdered. Today, Sept. 5, has been declared Missing Children's Day by Gov. Tommy Thompson. The date was chosen because it marks the five-year anniversary of Cora's disappearance. Breyer, and his organization, Youth Educated in Safety, are trying to make this an annual event. Rick Jones will be speaking at a 2 p.m. rally today for Missing Children's Day at the Lawrence University Memorial Chapel. "Without all the support I don't know what we would have done. People just poured out of the woodwork. It was amazing to see all that. It taught us what kind of people there are in this state and what their priorities are. We realized how many people one bad guy could upset." "Cora went from being our little girl to everyone's little girl," said Jones. "It made us all one family." |
