The last login for her MySpace page was October 4, 2007, but Samantha Bittler has been missing since September 30. The login was likely from investigators in Virginia attempting to find some online trace of Samantha. From www.myspace.com/sjbittler:
Hey! My name is Samantha Jeane Bittler, I'm 18 years old, and i live in the smallest town EVER. I graduated from Liberty High School in 2006...thank god. and i have NO desire to go back! lol . Hopefully i'll be able to make it out there, without my dad doing and paying for everything...lol. My dad is like my best friend EVER, and has been there for me through it ALL. No matter how many times ive screwed up and pissed him off, he still tells me he loves me every morning, and every night! he's the greatest dad anyone could EVER have, and i'm so thankful that he's MY DADDY! I'm in the Army National Guard, and i love what i do...I have the greatest friends ever and would do anything for them...I don't know what i would do without them! They are always there for me no matter what. I can always count on them and trust them for anything. I love them so much, and i am so lucky to have them!My dad, my friends, and a little self determination, are the only reasons i've made it as far as i have...They complete me! =)
Samantha was last seen on a Sunday night at a relative's home in Botetourt County, VA, about 25 miles from her "smallest town EVER," Bedford, VA.
Samantha's boss called the woman's family when Samantha didn't show for her shift that Monday. The young woman had never gone AWOL from the Valley View Applebee's before.
Her mother Cathy Bittler spoke to Lynchburg ABC affiliate WSET-TV the following Thursday. She said, "[Samantha is] a very gentle person, she's a very gentle soul, she's very easy to get along with. If anybody knows anything or has any contact with her, just let her know that she needs to call home. She's got everybody worried!"
Bittler said she'd gone "a couple of days" without talking to Samantha in the past, but her daughter had "never, never gone and not spoke" to friends or family for four or five days.
Comments left by friends on Samantha's MySpace page beginning October 2nd seemed to confirm Cathy Bittler's statements. On October 4th a friend with the screen name "Lil E" wrote, "[Babe] please come back we havent talked since you left and we need to catch up please come home or at least call and say you're okay! love you lil bit."
Samantha's mother told the Lynchburg station that the family has done their best to get in touch with everyone they could think of, everyone with whom Samantha might have associated, to no avail. Cathy Bittler said, "It's just a mystery [. . .] a very, very strange thing. And strange behavior for her!"
Some things she'd written on her MySpace profile did indicate that certain friends and family meant the world to Samantha. She addressed a cousin on that page, writing:
You are the best cousin that anyone could ever ask for. You have always been there for me no matter what. You are the one person that i can turn to for ANYTHING, and the one person that i can tell ANYTHING and know that nobody else will find out. You have kept my deepest secrets to yourself for years now, and i love you so much.I am so glad that i am able to tell you things, and i can trust you to NEVER tell anyone else.
Some people concerned about Samantha Bittler's safety have taken the case to the Web. The response from other surfers was rude in one instance found on a MySpace message board, but there was additional information about Samantha to be gleaned from the posts left by the concerned person.
Using the screen name "Mama Wendi," she said that Samantha was her next door neighbor, and Samantha's family was "frantic." "Mama Wendi" also wrote that Samantha's cell phone was "her life," and Samantha would never leave it off, not answer, not respond to calls. "Mama Wendi" also stated that police in "six counties" were on the lookout for Samantha Bittler.
The rude replies to her posts were sadly typical, the kind of obtuse nonsense found on millions of message boards all over the Internet. "Mama Wendi" was admittedly ignoring a well-known web convention and using all caps in every post she made. This is typically considered "shouting" online. Still, no one answering the woman's messages cared much about a missing adult from Virginia. Many replies to "Mama Wendi" went something like this: "To MAMA WENDI: Turn off the Caps Lock and understand....he's not trying to be a dumbass or an idiot, but the General Discussion forum probably isn't the best place to post something like this, as it breaks the forum rules and will most likely be deleted before long anyways and all your angst will be wasted. I hope that you find her, and I hope that all turns out for the best."
"Mama Bear," the author of that response, was probably unaware of how hollow her final sentence sounded after admonishing "Mama Wendi" about the caps lock.
Unless a message board is specifically devoted to crime discussion or even missing people, it is best to not bother. And even with those boards, you're rolling the dice.
Botetourt County Sheriff's Investigators believe that Samantha Bittler's cell phone has been turned off. There has been no activity on her bank account.
Samantha's 1999 Chevy Cavalier is also missing. It bears a Virginia license plate, #KAB-1747. The black Cavalier has some distinctive stickers on it, such as a "support our troops" yellow ribbon.
Anyone who may information related to the whereabouts of Samantha Bittler should call the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office at (540) 473-7930.
Extra link: A Google Maps route traveling between the three locations mentioned in the entry.
Source: WSET.com.
Updates may be posted below.
UPDATE, 10/09/07
An unconfirmed report indicates that Samantha Bittler may have been in a car wreck. The report received by TrueCrimeWeblog.com stated that Samantha may have veered off Rt. 460 in Thaxton, VA, gone down an embankment, and remained there, undiscovered, since her disappearance.
Further info will be posted as an update when it becomes available.
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