<P> This is the information I have concerning Trudy Appleby. Has there been an update since Audust<BR> 1997???<P><BR> Trudy Appleby (11 years old); Moline, IL Abducted: 8/21/1996<P> Date of Birth: Sept. 4, 1984<BR> Age (at disappearance): 11 years<BR> Height: 4' 8"<BR> Weight: 75 lbs<BR> Build: Average<BR> Eyes: Blue <BR> Hair: Brown <BR> Race: Caucasian<BR> Missing from: Moline, IL<BR> Date Missing: Aug. 21, 1996<P><BR> Notes/Comments: Trudy was last seen with an adult male, approximately 20 years old, with curly<BR> brown hair. He<BR> was driving a silver car. Foul play is suspected.<P> August, 1997:<P> THE YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE<P> The search<P> There has been no shortage of leads in the abduction of Trudy Appleby, but police, like her family,<BR> still are waiting for the one that will end the mystery. Since the girl disappeared a year ago Thursday<BR> from outside her Moline home, city police, the FBI and other agencies have heightened the<BR> investigation to a national level. Her family has appeared on nationally televised shows such as<BR> "Leeza", "Geraldo" and "America's Most Wanted." Family, friends, letter carriers and strangers have<BR> seen to it that her picture has been placed on posters, billboards and the Internet. And Moline police,<BR> who have run down leads and worked thousands of man-hours, have utilized missing children<BR> agencies and unique technological advancements, but still lack the big break the investigation needs.<BR> "We took advantage of a service of the FBI, a new child abduction/serial killer unit," Sgt. George<BR> Miklas said.<P> The TRACK unit helped complete a major case review, studying every report that had been generated<BR> in the course of the investigation."They approached it from an overview, where sometimes we<BR> become more focused on individual leads and not the big picture," he said.<P> With the assistance of a computer software program that Moline Police Department purchased after<BR> her abduction, investigators were able to track the progress of the case and tabulate their efforts<BR> into statistics.<P> Here's a look at some of the staggering numbers:<P> Vehicles - Police checked 378 gray vehicles because Trudy was last seen sitting in a gray four-door<BR> sedan with an unidentified man. Overall, they investigated 1,220 leads involving vehicles.<P> Leads - Authorities have received a total of 602 leads from 37 different states.<P> Interviews - Police have interviewed 1,344 people.<P> Psychics - Police have been in contact with 15 different psychics, some of whom contacted them.<P> Web sites - Trudy's case is featured on five different web sites on the Internet, including those of<BR> the City of Moline, the Illinois State Police, "America's Most Wanted," the National Center for Missing<BR> and Exploited Children, and the Vanished Children's Alliance.<P> Missing persons agencies - Nine agencies have provided assistance during the year long investigation.<BR> Among the agencies and the number of direct leads they have offered are: National Center for<BR> Missing and Exploited Children, 130; "America's Most Wanted," 15; Child Quest, one; Vanished<BR> Children's Alliance, four; Missing Children Help Center, one.<P> Public Vigil<P> Trudy Appleby's family will mark the one-year anniversary of her disappearance with a vigil at 7 p.m.<BR> Thursday at First Baptist Church, East Moline.<P> The public is invited to join her family and friends in a balloon release from the church at 4021 9½<BR> Street.<P> "The 200 balloons will each have a note so people can say what they want to Trudy," said her<BR> mother, Brenda Eddleman, who is helping organize the vigil. She said her message to Trudy would be:<BR> "I know that you'll come home someday and you're in the Lord's hands."<P> Can you help?<P> Anyone with information about Trudy's disappearance is asked to call Moline police at <P> (309) 797-0401.<P> Reprinted with permission from The Quad-City Times, as published in Section M on Sunday, August<BR> 17, 1997<P>