December 7, 2005

NATALEE ISN'T THE ONLY ONE BEING HELPED!


Joe M. Offers $100,000 Bounty on Florida Murderer



The man donating $100,000 to solve the murder of runaway Marissa Karp sounded almost as outraged as the victim's father. "Screw justice; I want revenge."

Joseph Mammana, a Pennsylvania businessman with his own criminal past, stood alongside Gary Karp on Tuesday pledging the reward for the conviction of the person who dumped the girl's body along Alligator Alley in 2002. "I don't want an eye for an eye. I want two for one," said Mammana, near a billboard with the girl's photograph and $100,000 in large numerals overlooking the Interstate 95 exit ramp to Griffin Road.

They hope that advertising the reward on America's Most Wanted will produce results, though no air date has been set. "Money is the motivating factor for everything we do;" it has persuaded spouses and siblings to turn on each other, Mammana said.


The CEO of Yardley Farms outside Philadelphia has made headlines for funding campaigns to solve high-profile killings such as the Natalee Holloway case in Aruba. He said his donations are meant to make amends for a past that included serving time behind bars in Florida. He did not
elaborate, but The Associated Press reported last year that Mammana was jailed in the 1980s on charges of aggravated assault, drug possession, fraud, car theft and identity theft.

Karp's father spotted Mammana on a MSNBC talk show discussing his anti-crime efforts.
"His statement from the get-go was, `don't judge me on my past, judge me on my present deeds,'" Karp said. "I didn't want his money. I wanted his reach" to the media.

Three years ago, Marissa Karp put a face on the problem of foster children state officials had been unable to find. The runaway was hiding in Hallandale Beach before her disappearance, but her body was found discarded under a bridge just over the Collier County line.



My daughter's name is Marissa Elan Karp and on August 19, 2002, her body was found shot and dumped in a canal off of Alligator Alley between Ft. Lauderdale and Naples. She was only seventeen at the time of her murder.


Marissa had always wanted to be a teacher. She was a normal, happy kid until her mother died in 1996. She had trouble dealing with her grief and began acting out. As time went on, her problems became more severe and she became more and more aggressive and at times was even violent.

On August 19, 2002 a local fisherman found the body of Marissa stuffed in a plastic bag, floating in the water near the Collier-Broward county line. Marissa had been shot to death before being stuffed in the plastic bag and tossed in the alligator-infested water.

Police ha
ve met with her alleged boyfriend on several occasions, but no one has been arrested in connection to her death. There have been very few leads in this case... On behalf of Marissa and the countless who can't speak for themselves, please never end your endeavor to close those cases.


3 comments:

Help Find Mary Grobe said...

I said it once and will say it again:

Mary Grobe was not a blonde young pregnant woman, she was a 74 year old legally declared incompetent child-like elderly widow from Poplar Bluff, Mo. She vanished from her home on 9-27-03. It was JOE MAMMANA that came forward to help a daughter get answers about her missing mother, Mary Grobe.

Thank You JOE MAMMANA for caring.
Thank You MICHELLE for everything you do.

Lauren N. Robbins said...

To Marissa, my dearest friend in Heaven, I miss you so much! A part of me died on the day your brother called me to tell me of your death. It was one of the worst phone calls of my life thus far. Still till this day I wear the best friend charm you gave me before I moved away. I have taken it off my neck maybe a total of 4 times since I moved out of Broward County with my family 13 years ago... Not a day goes by that I dont think of you and so many times I wonder had my parents adopted you would you have gone down the path you went. I feel your presence with me every now and then and I know you watch over us. I'll never understand just why god needed you by his side however my friend I know I will see you on the other side.. and to Josh, your brother.. I sometimes search for you.. I wonder how you and your dad are doing.. if you ever need me look up.. your always in my prayers.. I love you all and miss you.. I know its been a long time but I found this site an decided this may be the best way to reach out. Love and Prayers from across the way.. Lauren Robbins

Unknown said...

To Marissa, my dearest friend in Heaven, I miss you so much! A part of me died on the day your brother called me to tell me of your death. It was one of the worst phone calls of my life thus far. Still till this day I wear the best friend charm you gave me before I moved away. I have taken it off my neck maybe a total of 4 times since I moved out of Broward County with my family 13 years ago... Not a day goes by that I dont think of you and so many times I wonder had my parents adopted you would you have gone down the path you went. I feel your presence with me every now and then and I know you watch over us. I'll never understand just why god needed you by his side however my friend I know I will see you on the other side.. and to Josh, your brother.. I sometimes search for you.. I wonder how you and your dad are doing.. if you ever need me look up.. your always in my prayers.. I love you all and miss you.. I know its been a long time but I found this site an decided this may be the best way to reach out. Love and Prayers from across the way.. Lauren Robbins