Detective honored for help in amnesia case

Quinones regularly talks to man who still can't remember his life

David Montero, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Jeff Ingram's first real friendship began when he was 40.

Not that Ingram didn't have a life before. He did. He just doesn't remember any of it.

So, the first person who showed compassion and concern for him became like extended family.

That was Denver police Detective Virginia Quinones, who led a national media blitz trying to help Ingram, known as "Amnesia Al," track down family and friends after he wound up in Denver with no memory of his past life.

The bond between the two is so tight, they talk regularly by phone.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ingram was on the phone again when Quinones was surprised by Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman with the presentation of a $500 check from the Daniels Fund and recognition as a Bill Daniels Neighborhood Hero.

Quinones didn't know that's what she was there for. As the television cameras fixated on Whitman, the police spokeswoman melted into the background.

Less than 30 seconds into Whitman's talk, she looked startled to see the chief motion to her.

Next to Whitman, Daniels Fund Chief Executive Officer Linda Childears smiled while clutching a check for $500.

"She's just a class act, and we love her dearly," Whitman said of Quinones. "Today we want to thank her specifically for all the hard work that you do and specifically for the Jeff Ingram case because you really took Jeff under your wing."

Quinones worked with Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson to get Ingram's face all over television. The effort paid off when Penny Han-sen contacted police from Olympia, Wash., saying she was his fiancé.

On Tuesday, Ingram said he still doesn't have any recollections about his life prior to Sept. 10. He said he's looked at many photos from his past and visited with family and friends, hoping for some glimmer of an independent memory.

That's the hardest part, he said, not feeling like he has an identity.

"I'm just going through everyday normal things that might trigger my memory back," he said. "It's like a panning effect or zooming out effect. One little item might trigger something. And then you try and pull out further, like a lens, and hopefully you will remember the things around that thing or related to that thing as the picture gets bigger and bigger."

But he admits he's got a very small foundation right now.

"Everyone's conversations revolve around their past," he said. "You listen to people talk, and it's about high school or where they went to college or their summer vacation. It makes them who they are. I don't have that right now."

What he does have, however, is a friendship with Quinones. Ingram said the detective is important because memories of her are his own.

Quinones said Ingram - who was on the speakerphone for the award ceremony - reminds her how much she can help people in her job.

"It's nice to know you helped make a difference in a life," she said.