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Wednesday, August 9, 1989

Documentary on Ann Gotlib sheds light

on ongoing mysteryBy Tom DorseyThe Courier-Journal

"I think there's a good possibility that she just ran away from home " says onein!estigator in "The nn #otlib $ile " a % & -( do)umentary at *+(, tonight

That's just one of the theories e.plored in the (,-minute spe)ial that tra)es the efforts tofind out what happened to the /ouis!ille girl who !anished on June 0 012( when shewas 03 The )ase has been the subje)t of the most intensi!e sear)h in the area's historyThere ha!e been hundreds of leads that went nowhere 4u)h of the program's materialalthough )ir)umstantial is fas)inating and has not been reported elsewhere

"%e're not taking a position on any of the theories " says % & -( reporter #regDonaldson 5e and photographer 4ike Theobald spent 0, weeks )hasing leads from 6ew7ork to 6ew 8rleans from %ashington D C to $lorida

The do)umentary uses some re-)reated s)enes with an a)tress playing nn They don'tdistort the report but they aren't ne)essary either espe)ially in light of the )ontro!ersyo!er staging s)enes in news-related programs

The pre!ailing law enfor)ement theory is that the )hild was abdu)ted by a se. de!iateThat's also the )on)lusion of John 9abun )hief operating offi)er of the 6ational Centerfor 4issing and .ploited Children and head of the Jefferson County 4issing and

.ploited Child :nit when nn disappeared 4any su)h !i)tims don't sur!i!e theirabdu)tion but Donaldson says there's a ;,-;, )han)e nn is ali!e

That per)entage is based on a theory that suggests nn ran away and is li!ing somewherein 6ew 7ork or maybe California

Donaldson points out that the )hild of 9ussian immigrants was ha!ing a diffi)ult timeadjusting to her new life in meri)a and was unhappy be)ause of problems at home The% & reporter says that nn had written a story about a troubled girl and was reading ano!el about a missing )hild when she !anished

The spe)ulation is further fueled by numerous reports that nn has been seen in theBrighton Bea)h neighborhood of Brooklyn 6 7 where 0,, ,,, 9ussian immigrantsli!e %5

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nn's mother /yudmila #otlib says she doesn't belie!e her daughter ran away

8thers in the do)umentary insinuate that nn's best friend Tanya 8kmyansky the last person to see nn knows more than she has told Donaldson )ouldn't find Tanya now02 who li!es in

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It fo)uses on one week at the still County @>y A )amp that treats )hild )an)er !i)tims toa week of fun instead of radiation or )hemotherapy 6obody makes fun of anybody whohas lost hair or who is missing a leg They all share the burden of fighting the disease

There's not a sigh heard or a frown in sight as the )hildren swim hike and tell !ery tall

stories to ea)h other The mental and physi)al s)ars of these youngsters are erased bytheir laughter at least for a week

Tom Dorsey's )olumn appears 4onday through Thursday in the $eatures se)tion