Thursday, June 7, 2007
Mother of missing girl denied access to Vegas
Las Vegas CityLife by Matt O'Brien
What's worse than not knowing the whereabouts of your missing daughter? According to Canadian Glendene Grant, whose daughter disappeared from Las Vegas in March 2006, being denied entry into the United States to search for her.
On May 29, Grant was denied entry into the States at the Vancouver International Airport. She had traveled to the country to search for her daughter, Jessie Foster, three times previously without incident.
"I can accept that I have been denied entry into the U.S.A., but not that it was not enough to deny me in any of the three previous trips," said Grant in an e-mail from Kamloops, British Columbia. "Why is it an issue now? The only reason for me going to Las Vegas or the U.S.A. at all is because that is where my daughter went missing. It's not our fault that we have to look for her there."
In the spring of 2005, Foster traveled the States with a friend. She ended up in Las Vegas in May of that year and decided to stay.
In November 2005, Foster flew home to Kamloops to visit. On Christmas Day, her family drove her to the airport, where she caught a flight back to Las Vegas.
It was the last time the family has seen her.
On March 28, 2006, Jessie's older sister Crystal talked to her on the phone. No one in the family has talked to her since.
After questioning Foster's live-in boyfriend and his ex-wife, the North Las Vegas Police Department closed the case pending further information. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Kamloops Police Department and the Canadian consulate never got involved, said Grant.
Grant was returning to Las Vegas to meet with the police, the media and politicians. She said she was denied entry because of a 1987 drug conviction.
"I am not a terrorist, so please do not treat me like one," said Grant. "I just want my daughter back. When I get her back, I will never come to your country again. I promise."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection could not be reached for comment.
For more information on Jessie Foster, visit http://www.jessiefoster.ca.
Matt O'Brien » mobrien@lvcitylife.com
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