Charles Upham, the father of the late Misty Upham, is going off on local police officials for handling (or more specifically mishandling) his missing daughter's case.
"I really think the police could've been more proactive," Upham says, claiming that the Auburn, Wash., police department refused to take action.
They refused, he says, to change his daughter's status to endangered after the actress vanished on October 5, even though she was clearly in danger.
"He just said, 'We don't think she fits the profile to change her into an endangered person,'" her dad laments, and soon enough, his fears were confirmed.
A search party found Misty Upham dead at 32.
For whatever it's worth, the Washington state medical examiner's office said Friday, October 17, that Upham died on the same day she had disappeared.
The August: Osage County actress had been dead for 11 days before her body was found, and for nine days since the Upham family filed a report.
"They could've brought in the dogs," Charles says. "The first day we would've found her, and she could've been alive. [If not], we could've resuscitated her."
"Or, at the very least, we could've had an open casket, you know?" Charles adds, noting that they won't now. "And we pleaded with them, begged with them."
"She's endangered. And I don't know why he decided not to. And a lot of people are asking us: 'Do you think it's because of racism?' I don't know."
One thing was clear to the family:
"From what I'm looking at, it's irresponsibility, lack of empathy, absence of humanity. And I've said it before, the inaction is the worst part of it," Charles adds.
R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014). He will forever be missed!
He says that he was upset with the Auburn PD for stating in the wake of Misty's passing that the detectives "did everything we could on this case."
They didn't do anything!" Charles responds. "You know, it was the friends and family that found her. I really feel that had it been another situation."
"I mean, how would they have approached this if it was [the police chief]'s daughter? How many resources would they have attached to that endeavor?"
He adds that the family has also been upset with the detective attached to Misty's case. "I just didn't feel her efforts were sufficient enough either," he says.
"I think everybody in that position who could've helped and should've helped, decided not to… I don't care if she was ill or not! I would've put everything that I could into finding her."
"Because, you know, we're humans," he went on. "And Misty is a person! It doesn't matter if she's mentally ill or a Native American or if she's a celebrity."
In the weeks before her death, Charles says, Misty discussed her fears of local police with loved ones and friends. "Misty was afraid of the cops," Charles says.
He adds that his daughter claimed in the past she was "ridiculed, taunted, and harassed the last time they picked her up to bring her to the hospital."
He says she was not a person to commit suicide, though: "She used to tell me that. She said, 'Dad, I would never take my own life because I know that's a sin."
"We know her falling down was an accident. I said it from day one when I went down and told the police. I said, 'I think she's alive.' I think she slipped and got hurt."
Paul Walker died in a car accident on November 30, 2013. He left behind a daughter and a burgeoning film career.
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