Friends and family of a missing Scarborough woman are hoping that a roller-skating event this month will draw attention to her case and raise additional money for a reward.

The fundraiser is also planned as a celebration of Megan Waterman’s 23rd birthday.

Waterman has been missing since early June, when she went to New York’s Long Island with her boyfriend. Her family is still awaiting results of DNA testing on four bodies that were found on a remote beach there last month. They fear that Waterman, who advertised as an escort on Craigslist, may have been a victim of human trafficking.

The roller-skating event is scheduled Jan. 29 at the Happy Wheels Skate Center on Warren Avenue in Portland. That’s where Liz Conley of Windham, who came up with the idea for the event, met Waterman more than a decade ago.

The girls went skating often and became great friends, with Conley growing to feel like part of Waterman’s family. The two lost touch after Conley moved, but they bumped into each other a couple of years ago.

Conley wants the fundraiser to provide hope to Waterman’s family — especially her 4-year-old daughter, Lily, who knows that her mother is lost and that people are looking for her.

“I just felt like it would be appropriate to do something fun and include all the kids. We used to go skating all the time,” said Conley, who, as the mother of 5-year-old Alexis, has had reason to go skating again.

Scarborough police expect they could hear about DNA testing on the bodies in Long Island any day. The four decomposed bodies were found along the Ocean Parkway in the town of Babylon.

“We’re waiting for the scientific information. Until then, we’re not going to speculate one way or another,” said Detective Don Blatchford.

Waterman’s supporters hope that the reward money will motivate someone to come forward with information about her whereabouts. They raised $2,500 through a spaghetti dinner and silent auction in November.

“We’re going to keep ourselves busy doing these things,” said Elizabeth Meserve of Portland, Waterman’s aunt. “All the money we raise in this fundraiser — and anything we raise — is going to go toward upping the reward. We think if we offer more money, somebody might be willing to talk about what’s going on.”

Meserve is optimistic about the turnout for the fundraiser, which will include a 50/50 raffle and a bake sale. She said she plans to tie a pillow around her bottom to skate for the first time in a long time.

Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at:

akim@pressherald.com

 

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