Leta Cordes

Cloud of suspicion hangs over island after man’s wife goes missing

“The Cordes couple was solid on the outside, but with a deep crack running beneath the surface. Maybe that was easier to ignore, after they bought a house on an island in the sun. Easier to ignore, until the night Leta Cordes disappeared. Join NBC’s Dennis Murphy for “The Party’s Over” this Friday at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT.”

Please help us find our friend Leta Cordes.

Your donation will go toward the on-going efforts to locate the remains of Mrs. Cordes to enable her family and friends to lay her down peacefully near those that love her. If evidence is found with Mrs. Cordes remains the full weight of the Law will come down on the suspect(s) and justice will prevail.

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Friends of Leta Cordes would like to send their continued thanks and gratitude to the Officials of St. Maarten for their on going support and diligence in the search for Leta Cordes.

We could not have come this far without you.

Thank you St. Maarten from the bottom of our hearts.

There is yet another sad chapter to the tragedy of Leta Cordes disappearance.

Modena McLendon, Leta Cordes Mother passed away this past Friday March 6th, 2009 due to complications of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Leta was one of her mothers primary caretakers when she disappeared. Shortly after Leta Cordes disappearance Mrs. McLendon was placed in a California run hospital.

The only peace this news gives us is that Modena Mclendon is now in heaven with three of her children that left this world much too early.

God Bless all of you.

I will miss each and every one of you.

My heart goes out to Rory Bryant, Leta’s only child.

Rory has not only lost his mother and two uncles, but now his beloved Grandmother.

Lots of love to Leta’s family and friends during this sad time in our lives.

We send our condolences to Leta’s family and friends upon hearing the news of the passing of of Leta’s Mother Modena Mclendon.

–Elaine Karas

From left to right top row: Frank Cordes, Rory Bryant (Leta’s son), Curtis Mclendon (Leta’s younger brother passed away 2003), Jim McLendon.
Bottom Row: Rick McLendon (Leta’s older brother passed away 1998), Leta’s mother Modena McLendon (passed away 2009), Leta Cordes (disappeared - presumed dead 1/11/08), Lisa McLendon, Curtis McLendon’s wife.

The search and investigation concerning the well being of Leta Cordes is in full force on the island of St. Maarten / Saint Martin. We have great faith in the expertise of the authorities on the island. We are aligned with a brilliant team.

Meanwhile, the local AVS press had a few words with the number one suspect.

Please stay tuned.

My best to all of you.
Elaine Karas

As we near the one year anniversary of Leta Cordes disappearance, The Friends of Leta Cordes would like to thank all of the Officials of Sint Maarten, US Homicide Detectives, the Dutch Police Force, French Authorities, the FBI and all of the local citizens of Sint Maarten that continue to offer their support, resources and assistance in the on-going search for Leta.

Dutch Authorities continue to hold Leta Cordes’ husband Frank Cordes behind bars in connection to her disappearance, however they may not be able to hold him in pretrial detention much longer.

Sadly, it appears that Frank Cordes may be involved in his wife’s disappearance. Although the Dutch Authorities seemingly have substantial evidence against Mr. Cordes indicating his possible involvement, the case may not be strong enough to ensure a conviction at this time. Regardless the investigation continues. Collectively, the friends of Leta Cordes alongside Dutch Law Enforcement will continue their search for Leta.

Dutch Officials have strong leads they are following and will be conducting two separate searches on the Island in February (dates to be announced soon).

We are requesting the assistance of anyone who can help us find our friend Leta Cordes.

Please email us your contact information at www.letacordes.com if you can help with the upcoming searches.

Thank you so much,

The Friends of Leta Cordes

On October 1st, 2008, the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office released an official statement citing the discovery of “new evidence” related to the disappearance of Leta Cordes. Officials have not stated what this evidence is exactly, but they have revealed they are now working with nearly a half a dozen different agencies including the French St. Martin Authorities, the Royal Dutch Marechaussees, the Kingdom Cooperation Detective Team RST, the Police Force, the FBI, and California Homicide Detectives.

“The fact that we have sent out a press release should state the fact that we are not going to be saying anymore more about it at the moment,” Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein recently told The Daily Herald newspaper on the island.

According to The Daily Herald, the case still remains in the hands of Dutch Authorities even with the cooperation of other agencies.

The Daily Herald also states that Leta Corde’s U.S. and St. Maarten homes we’re both searched within the last few weeks raising suspicions of Frank Cordes, Leta’s husband.

This news has brought reaffirmed hope to Friends of Leta, and has made us more determined than ever to find her, and bring to justice anyone who has done her harm. We miss you and love you Leta!

Friends of Leta would like to confirm that the land search that took place in mid-April for Leta Lynn Cordes was in fact coordinated by Friends of Leta (the operators of this site). The search team consisted of Friends of Leta, search and dog teams from the USA, as well as local Dutch and French authorities.

From Zebrabot, Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein said “We are very pleased to have this group on the island. They are working in close cooperation with the Dutch and French authorities. They are under our direct supervision and we have officers to assist them if anything should be found.” Both the Dutch and French authorities on the island have been very supportive in our search for Leta, and we are very grateful for their continued professionalism and assistance.

Unfortunately, the search did not turn up anything despite any rumors otherwise, and we will continue to search for our friend Leta.

Lastly, the reason we did not immediately publicize this search was for two reasons, 1) if someone did do Leta harm we did not want to alert them of our teams presence, 2) we did not want the media getting in the way of our search. Our search covered a lot of ground, however our beloved friend Leta Lynn Cordes remains missing.

There is still no sign of Leta Cordes, and friends of Leta are extremely concerned. Friends of Leta are determined to find her and bring to justice anyone who may have done her harm. Leta we love you, miss you and will continue to search for you.