Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

The disappearance of Sherry Arnold has rocked the eastern Montana community of Sidney, and also had an impact in the world of running.

Arnold, a 43 year old teacher in Sidney, went for a run on the morning of Saturday, January 7th, and hasn't been seen since. Two men have been arrested and charged with kidnapping in her disappearance; officials are continuing to search for her body.

Now Sherry's cousin, Beth Risdon of Colorado, wants to honor Sherry, by sponsoring what she calls a "virtual run" that anyone can participate in.

The event will be held on Saturday, February 11th, at 9 am (MT time); the rules of the virtual run are simple:

Print out a running bib and pin it to your shirt

Gather your friends, your running club members, your families

If it's wet where you are, "laminate" your bib with postage tape and punch holes in it

If that time doesn't work, go when you can

GO. Run as far and as long as you want. Walk, hike, cycle, rollerblade if you don't want to or can't run.

Please share this on your blogs, Facebooks and Twitters

Keep it simple. Just run with Sherry on your minds and hearts.

Beth writes that Sherry's disappearance and "heinous death" has shocked, angered and saddened Sidney, and adds that on a broader scale, it has also rocked the running world, with many runners wondering how "something so random, violent and senseless could happen to someone so giving, someone loved by so many."

Read more about Beth's "virtual run" at her website. Beth has also created a Facebook page for the event.

SHERRY ARNOLD TIMELINE

January 7th: Sherry Arnold, a 43 year old teacher in Sidney, Montana is reported missing after failing to return from a morning jog.

January 7th: A search begins for Arnold which includes 100 people, including 40 members of the Montana National Guard and two planes searching by air.

January 7th: Authorities recover one of Arnold's jogging shoes in northeast Sidney along Ninth Avenue. A substance which has not been identified by law enforcement was found on the shoe.

January 9th: The Montana Department of Justice issues a Missing Persons Alert for Arnold.

January 10th: The Federal Bureau of Investigation becomes involved in the investigation into Arnold's disappearance due to proximity to North Dakota and potential of kidnapping.

January 11th: A tip line is set up by investigators for information leading to the whereabouts of Sherry Arnold (406) 433-4027. Also, a "Help Find Sherry Arnold" page on Facebook garners thousands of visits.

January 12th: Formal search efforts are suspended until authorities receive new information.

January 12th: Arnold added to the FBI Missing Persons List.

January 13th: The Sidney School District posts on their website that it had informed students and teachers that Sherry Arnold is dead. The school says they were informed by Arnold's family.

January 13th: A press conference is held by Sidney police in conjunction with the FBI. Sidney Police Chief Frank DiFonzo said a 47-year-old man is in custody in Williston, North Dakota, and a 22-year-old man had been detained for questioning in Rapid City, South Dakota, both in connection with Arnold's disappearance.

January 13th: Hundreds pour into the gym at Sidney High School for a memorial vigil.

January 14th: Sidney Police Chief Frank DiFonzo confirms that the two men in custody have been arraigned on charges of aggravated kidnapping and are being held at the Williams County Jail in Williston, North Dakota.

January 15th: The two men held on charges of aggravated kidnapping are identified as 47-year-old Lester Waters Jr. and 22-year-old Michael Spell. Both men are most recently from Parachute, Colorado.

January 16th: Montana and North Dakota law enforcement, as well as the FBI, ask landowners in eastern Montana and western North Dakota to look for disturbed soil on their property. Authorities say they believe Arnold is deceased but they have not recovered a body. They believe her body may be located near a shelter belt of trees.

January 17th: The original citation issued to Waters and Spell from the Sidney Police Department is released. The citation sets the time of the alleged kidnapping at 6:40 a.m. at 900 East Holly Street, which is located along the truck route Arnold may have been jogging.

January 17th: Waters and Spell appear in District Court and bond is set at $2.5 million dollars for each man. The men do not agree to be extradited to Montana, so a formal extradition hearing must be scheduled.

January 18th: An arrest warrant and complaint are released. If Waters and Spell are found guilty of aggravated kidnapping they could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

January 19th: Court records from Colorado reveal that suspect Michael Spell had been granted court permission to travel to Texas for a family emergency only two days before Arnold's disappearance.