Delaware County Daily Times - Sept 14, 1999 Article

No new clues on Katelyn 's whereabouts

Delaware County Daily Times (Primos - Upper Darby, PA) - Tuesday, September 14, 1999

Author: ROSE QUINN ; Of the Times Staff

Katelyn Rivera-Helton is a month older.

She turned 21 months old Sunday -- 34 days after she vanished.

Today marks day 36 and the intensive missing person's search -- which has primarily focused in Cecil County, Md. -- continues.

""I don't know that much has changed,'' Delaware County District Attorney Patrick Meehan said yesterday, referring to the dogged efforts of a team of investigators tracking leads on a daily basis.

Last week, Cecil County Detective Robert Jones said finding the Upper Chichester child was his top priority.

"This is my life until it's over, until I find her,'' said Jones, who's working in conjunction with Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division detectives and the FBI.

To date, a river, woods and construction site have been searched in the Blair Shore area of Cecil County, where Katelyn 's father and jailed accused kidnapper Robert N. Rivera visited some friends the night of the Aug. 10 kidnapping.

Rivera, who was held for trial on kidnapping and related offenses, allegedly kidnapped his daughter just days after a protection from abuse order restricted him to only supervised visits with her. Katelyn 's mother and Rivera 's ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Helton, sought the order.

He told police he gave Katelyn to couple he met but did not know at Longwood Gardens. A $10,000 reward has been posted for information leading to the return of Katelyn . Half of the money was offered by contractor Davoud Baravordeh, with the rest raised at a benefit at the RS Club coordinated by manager Annemarie Jowder.

In a letter published in the Daily Times last week, Jennifer Helton not only expressed thanks for continued support and prayers, but made a personal appeal to Katelyn 's captor.

Katelyn is described as between 30- and 31-inches in height and weighing 23 pounds. She has dirty blond to light brown hair, brown eyes and has a light mark on the back of her left shoulder.

While all information is appreciated, only information leading to her return would qualify for collection of the reward.

Anyone with information can call Upper Chichester police at 610-485-8400, county detectives at 610-891-4700, the FBI at 215-418-4000 or Cecil County authorities at 410-996-5547.