(Clockwise from top left): Laureth “Laurie” May is missing with a former student, Destiny Gruba, and May’s three children — Spencer Collins, 1; Oliver Collins, 2; and Quincy Collins, 5. (Credit: Aurora Police)
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AURORA, Ill. (CBS) — A $5,000 reward is being offered for information concerning the whereabouts of an Aurora woman, who has been missing with her kids for more than a month.
As WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports, Laureth “Laurie” May has not been heard from since Feb. 15. The 29-year-old mother of three was fired from her teaching job, got into a fight with her fiancé, Shelton Collins, on Valentine’s Day, and hopped into her station wagon with their children and left the following day.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports
May and the three boys – Quincy Collins, 4, Oliver Collins, 2, and Spencer Collins, 1 – are considered “missing and possibly endangered.”
On Thursday, an attorney for May’s mother, Tara Selman, announced the $5,000 reward for information that leads to boys’ safe return home. Selman, of Geneva, said the past month has been torturous.
“Everything you do is going to remind you of one of the four. I wish I could tell Quincy about this, or Spencer would really like this,” Selman said through tears. “More than anything, I feel a loss of my family. I love Laurie and I miss her boys. And want them home so very badly.”
Before leaving, she gave no indication of intending to hurt herself or her children, police said.
Selman said her daughter had not run away since she was a 3-year-old girl who packed two of everything before she threatened to leave. Selman is mad at herself for not recognizing the signs of stress in her daughter.
“I have no clue why this happened, why life is so harsh,” Selman said.
After she left, May apparently picked up a former student, 17-year-old Destiny Gruba of Cicero. Aurora police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said it is not clear what, if any, relationship there was between May and the teen.
Selman said when the kids initially went missing, there was a flurry of stories. Now, she hopes the reward will put the kids’ pictures back in the news and trigger someone’s memory, or remind her daughter that there are people who miss her.
“I would prefer to hear to my daughter’s voice, but we’d like to hear from anyone,” Selman said through tears.
Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora police at 630-256-5500, Cicero police at 708-652-2130, the Clearinghouse for Missing Persons at 1-800-U-HelpMe (or by e-mail at missing@isp.state.il.us) or local police.
Anyone who has information that they feel may be helpful and who wants to qualify for the reward should contact attorney Mark Brent at 630-406-5440 or mdb@batavialaw.com.
Police describe May as 5 feet tall, 135 pounds, with red hair, blue eyes and freckles. She was last seen wearing jeans and a blue jean jacket with a fur collar. Her children all are fair-skinned black boys with black hair and brown eyes. Police said Quincy is 4 feet tall and 40 pounds. Both Oliver and Spencer are about 2 feet tall and 30 pounds.
Cicero police said Gruba is white, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, 235 pounds, with long brown curly hair and hazel eyes. She has a piercing above her right eyebrow and a tattoo on her right calf of dice and playing cards.
The Aurora Beacon-News’ Matt Hanley contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
