Black and Missing but not Forgotten

Found Dead and Ignored: Cassandra Morton (Virginia)

2009-12-02T11:01:00.003-06:00

When your case is the only recent and active missing person case in your city, you would think that the first person that comes to mind when a body was found was you. Unfortunately for (now deceased) Cassandra Morton, this was not the case.

Research Google News for "Cassandra Morton" and you will find that most articles written on a body being found in Campbell County referred first to missing white woman Morgan Harrington from Roanoke rather than Cassandra Morton who is from Lynchburg where the body was found.

“The clothes, Guthrie added, did not match the description of those worn by Harrington when she disappeared from a rock concert in Charlottesville on Oct. 17. Harrington, 20, was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black miniskirt , black boots and black tights, with a Swarovski crystal necklace made up of large crystal chain links. Guthrie said investigators have "no reason to believe" the body is Harrington's.”

[Source]

“Virginia Tech student and Roanoke resident Morgan Harrington's disappearance from a Charlottesville concert in October has been widely reported. Two others have recently been reported missing from Lynchburg, he said. Cassandra Ann Morton, 23, was last seen in Lynchburg on Oct. 10. A student at Lynchburg College from Pittsylvania County also was reported missing recently, the sheriff said.”

[Source]

“This story is generating a lot of interest from media outlets around the state. A crew from Richmond has shown up believing the remains could be those of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. The sheriff tells me they are too decomposed to be Harrington's and the victim’s victim's clothing does not match what Harrington was last seen wearing. Still, state police tell us they have followed up on the discovery, just as they have with any other unidentified remains that have been recovered since her disappearance. Harrington vanished last month while attending a concert at the University of Virginia.”

[Source]

Cassandra’s name does not even show up under the related names column for the articles:

Who was even looking for Cassandra? One article states that the only reason why the discovery garnered statewide interest was because the body was believed to be Morgan Harrington.

“The discovery had garnered interest statewide because of the missing person case of Morgan Harrington, who disappeared from a concert in Charlottesville in October.”

[Source]

Cassandra was a loving mother, daughter and sister. She had a family who cared about her. She was not only a victim of foul play but also a victim of the disinterested media. Cassandra was last seen on October 10, 2009, but no article was written on her until she was missing for more than a month. To Cassandra and her family: I’m sorry more attention was not being paid to you.

Anyone with information regarding to Cassandra’s disappearance or death, including her whereabouts around the time she disappeared or the identity of any suspects, is urged to contact the Lynchburg Police Department at 455-6054, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office at 332-9580 or Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900.

Read latest article here: Clues sought in Cassandra Morton's death

Missing, Pregnant and wearing high heels: Finlea Mitchell (Ohio)

2009-11-29T00:27:00.003-06:00

A pregnant child disappears with an adult in a bathrobe and high heels and we don't make a commotion about it? Unbelievable. If this doesn't scream human trafficking, I don't know what does...I just pray it isn't what I think it is. Story below:

Officials have not yet heard from a pregnant teen who has been missing from a local group home for the last three days.

Finlea Mitchell, 15, has been missing from Youth in Transition Inc. since Sunday, Nov. 22.

She has several medical conditions that warrants immediate treatment, according to a news release.

“We haven’t heard from her yet,” Youths in Transition Director Sam Singletary said Wednesday, Nov. 25. “We hope she’s OK.”

According to the release, the teen is black with a medium brown complexion, shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. She is 5-foot-1 in height and weighs about 208 pounds.

She was last seen wearing a bathrobe and high-heeled shoes leaving the group home in a vehicle being driven by an adult.

Singletary said Mitchell has a history of running away.

“I don’t want to say too much about that,” he added. “We hope we can get her to a place where she’s stabilized.”

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the Springfield Police Division at 937-324-7680

[Source]

I don't see a picture on any of the four articles posted on her. No Myspace or Facebook page either.

Missing: Tatayana Christian (Detroit)

2009-11-28T15:56:00.002-06:00

Detroit police are looking for a missing 12-year-old girl.

Tatayana Christian was last seen leaving her home on the 1400 block of Van Dyke Avenue at about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Christian's family said she left the home voluntarily after a disagreement with a family member, and police said that's why they haven't issued an Amber Alert for the missing girl.

Christian is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, 150 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown hair in a high ponytail. She was last seen wearing an orange shirt, black jeans and black gym shoes.

Her family said she is in good mental and physical condition.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Detroit Police Department.

[Source]

Missing: Betty Williams (Chicago)

2009-11-28T15:35:00.002-06:00

Police and worried family members of a 60-year-old woman last seen Wednesday outside of John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County continue to look for the woman Saturday.

Betty Williams’ brother dropped her off outside Stroger Hospital, 1901 W. Harrison St., around 1 p.m. Wednesday, police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez said.

Williams, who has a heart condition; arthritis and a “number of health problems” went to the hospital to get a prescription and was supposed to take a cab from the hospital to her sister’s Maywood home after her appointment, according to a flier released by her family.

Williams' daughter, who lives in Chicago Heights, reported her missing to Chicago police around 4 p.m. Thursday after her mother didn't show up at the Maywood home, Perez said. Williams has a Maywood address but also stayed in Chicago Heights.

According to the flier, Williams had no more than $30 in her purse when she arrived at the hospital and has not been seen or heard from since before 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Williams is a light-skinned African American woman, and is 4–foot-10 and 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She also has blond highlights in her hair. She was last seen wearing a cream colored hat, scarf, blue jeans, blue coat and white gym shoes.

Anyone who may have seen Williams is asked to call 911 or the Harrison Area Special Victim’s Unit at (312) 746-8365.

[Source]

Letter to the Black Press

2009-11-25T12:57:00.002-06:00

Letter to the Black Press:

Where were you when 5 year old Shaniya Davis was being sold, raped and murdered a few weeks after her mother took her in? Where were you when Romona Moore’s mother was told not to take a missing person report by the police because she was “21” – apparently too old to be found four days later chained, raped, tortured and killed in a nearby basement? Where was you when Aarone Thompson disappeared for two years before her father (and alleged murderer) reported her missing? Where was the public outcry for these missing and now deceased girls?

When it was announced that People Magazine was to feature 6 young people who “Vanished Without a Trace”, I was ecstatic beyond words. Not just because all these children were going to receive national attention to help solved their cases, but that two underpublicized missing blacks (Adji Desir and Mitrice Richardson) were finally going to get a chance at the spotlight after what seemed like months of abandonment by the national media.

But my enthusiasm quickly faded away. While I read through the pieces about each missing child, I am reminded of the countless times I spent to get one missing black featured in black oriented newspapers and magazines. I was shot down almost every time I asked and those who showed interest did not follow through. I couldn’t fathom why missing blacks is not as big of an issue in the black community as HIV/AIDS, hip hop or even the popular discussion of “Good Hair” in Chris Rock latest documentary.

The statistics alone should be alarming:

During 2008, 778,161 persons were entered into the NCIC (National Crime Information Center) Missing Person File. Missing blacks accounted for 255,275 (33%) of these cases compared with 479,697 (62%) of Whites (Hispanics included).

Missing persons under the age of 18 accounted for 614,925 cases. Black children made up of 211,921 (34%) compared with just 25,333 (4%) of whites (including Hispanics). Pretty shocking when you know that the 34% wasn’t being reflected in last year national media. So where’s the news on these missing children? More importantly, why didn’t someone blink an eye about the fact that these missing black children were not accurately represented in the media? Shouldn’t that be call for concern?

I decided to do a little research to see how often missing blacks were really being represented in the media in 2008 compared to their white counterparts. It was done by doing a simple search through CNN.com, CBS News.com and ABC News.com for four children who disappeared in 2008.

I used the following children in my research, keeping them close in age for comparison:

- Selah Davis (black female age 2)
- Julian King (black male age 7) – Jennifer Hudson’s nephew
- Caylee Anthony (white female age 2)
- Cole Puffinburger (white male age 6)

The results were as follow:

On CNN.com: The number of mentions was: 0 [Selah], 57[Julian], 202[Caylee], and 4[Cole] respectively.

On CBS News: 0, 48, 92, and 3.

On ABC News: 0, 64, 194, and 25.

Being the infamous nephew of superstar Jennifer Hudson didn’t help here as some might say. Neither does being 4 months old (at the time of disappearance) and missing along with your mom and her friend. Nevertheless, in each case, missing whites had more coverage than missing blacks, at least 2 times the amount. Wow. But wait. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t missing persons in the media reflect what is entered into the NCIC database?

Tough luck if you’re a criminal justice major looking to study about a missing black person. Book and movies on them are almost nonexistent. A search for “Missing Persons” in the True Crime category of Barnes and Noble’s website came back with 18 items. None of them had a missing black person on the cover. Don’t even ask me to tell you the last three movies on a missing black. The two movies that did come to mind was “Gone Baby Gone” and “Changeling” – neither one of them focused on a missing black person. This is not to say that I’m going to the store just to look for a movie only on a missing black person, but if media bias should cease to exist, there should be a more accurate representation whether it’s on the news or in a movie. We make up the missing too.

So where are you black press? What are you waiting for? Why can’t Chioma Gray generate enough interest to be on the front page of your magazine? What does it take to get Yasmin Acree on every news channel you see? When are you going to help bring these loved ones home? The time is now. You have the power, the resources, and the funds to help bring a loved one home. Unless you can help me out in my endeavors (providing me with the resources you have), I suggest you use your time wisely.

With that said, let me be the first to challenge you. The following blacks are still missing (and many more where that came from):

- Tyesha Bell
- Jasmine Earl
- Hasanni Campbell
- Monica Renee Bowie
- Ali I. Grimsley-Gilmore
- Marcie Peterson
- Caleta White
- Asha Degree
- Brian Trester

I dare you to do around the clock coverage for ONE of them. National attention does not guarantee a missing person coming back home, but the more eyes and ears, the better. Are you up for the challenge?

Sincerely,

Black and Missing but Not Forgotten

Black and Missing Email Address

2009-11-25T03:39:00.001-06:00

FYI our email is info@blackandmissing.org! Send any questions or suggestions you have so you can help us help YOU!

Missing: Lottery Winner Abraham Shakespeare (Florida)

2009-11-25T01:02:00.002-06:00

Abraham Shakespeare, a Lakeland man who won millions in the Florida Lottery in 2006, is missing, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

But investigators said they don't know whether something has happened to him or whether he just doesn't want to be found.

Shakespeare was last seen in early April, his family and friends told Sheriff's Office detectives. The 43-year-old Lakeland man was reported missing by his cousin, Cedric Edom, on Nov. 9.

Polk County property records show Shakespeare's North Lakeland home, bought in January 2007 for about $1 million, and all his other real estate holdings and mortgages recorded at the courthouse were sold or assigned this year to American Medical Professionals, PEO, LLC, of Plant City, a medical staffing company.

State records show that company is owned by a woman named DeeDee Moore.

Moore has been in contact with The Ledger in the past several months, most recently two weeks ago, to talk about Shakespeare and address rumors that he is missing.

Since April, she has told three different Ledger reporters that Shakespeare was lying low because people were always trying to get money from him.

Moore said Shakespeare was living with a girlfriend outside Polk County and that the residence they shared was in the girlfriend's name so he couldn't be found.

Moore told The Ledger she had met Shakespeare through a mutual acquaintance and that she was working on a book about him. Although she told all three reporters she could set up an interview with Shakespeare, she never did.

Text messages and telephone calls to Moore were not returned Tuesday.

Photographs on her MySpace site online show pictures of "my Lakeland home," and they appear to be of a house at 9340 Redhawk Bend Drive in North Lakeland that was sold by Shakespeare on Jan. 9 to American Medical for $655,000.

Problems began for Shakespeare soon after he hit the $31 million Lotto jackpot in November 2006. He opted for a $17 million lump-sum payment and then had to defend his winnings against a co-worker who claimed the ticket was stolen.

The co-worker sued in April 2007, and Shakespeare won the suit in October 2007 after a jury trial in Circuit Court.

For months this year, rumors have been circulating that Shakespeare was dead, that he was deathly ill or that the FBI was looking for him.

The rumors became so rampant that Coney Funeral Home got calls for two weeks this summer asking whether Shakespeare's body was there, said Sonji Coney, owner of the Lakeland funeral home at 1404 Martin Luther King Blvd.

The missing person's report filed Nov. 9 with the Sheriff's Office has fueled even more speculation.

Super Choice Food Mart on West Memorial Boulevard was a popular hangout for Shakespeare, according to people interviewed there Tuesday.

Eddie Dixon Jr. said he has known Shakespeare all his life and said his friend liked coming to Super Choice to watch women. But Dixon said he hasn't seen Shakespeare in months and said it's unusual for him to be missing.

Dixon said he has questions about Moore. He said he was concerned about what was going on with Moore because he said Shakespeare couldn't read or write and he was concerned his friend could be taken advantage of.

When she started showing up at Super Choice, Dixon said, Moore began acting as a collector, trying to get money from people who owed Shakespeare.

"She popped out of nowhere," he said. "When this white lady came into the picture, he stopped coming up here. I feel like this woman knows where he is."

Polk County records show eight people had debts totaling more than $570,000 that they owed to Shakespeare.

Most were recorded with the county as mortgages. At least five of those, totaling more than $370,000, were assigned to Moore's company, American Medical Professionals, this spring.

The Sheriff's Office on Tuesday declined to comment on its investigation into Shakespeare's whereabouts.

It did release a picture and physical description of Shakespeare, who is black and has brown eyes and black hair. He is about 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 190 pounds.

Anyone with information about Shakespeare's whereabouts can contact Detective David Clark at 863-534-6379 or 863-534-6200.

[Source]

Found Dead: Jashon Williams, Killer Wanted To Silence Mom (Cali)

2009-11-25T00:40:00.002-06:00

Curtis Martin III killed his girlfriend's 17-month-old son, authorities say, and soon found himself with a problem: Little Jashon's mother kept asking where the boy was.

The Oakland resident hatched a plan to put an end to it all, prosecutors say. He allegedly beat and shot Zoelina Williams, 23, and dumped her body at Berkeley's Aquatic Park.

Before Jashon Williams' body was found at the nearby city marina, Martin told police that the boy's whereabouts were "not his problem," investigators said in court records released Tuesday.

On a day when Martin, 38, appeared in an Oakland courtroom on charges that he murdered both Williams and Jashon - a case that could bring the death penalty - authorities painted a portrait of an uncaring, abusive man whose behavior evoked comparisons to how he acted in 1994, when he killed the 3-year-old son of his then-girlfriend.

In that case, his girlfriend initially backed up his story that the boy fell from a play structure at an Oakland park. She later recanted, saying Martin had asked her to cover for him.

Two counts of murder
Martin was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder and special circumstances for allegedly killing Williams, who lived around the corner from him in West Oakland, and her son.

Authorities, confirming for the first time that the body of a child found in the bay Sunday was that of Jashon, theorize that Martin murdered the boy first. Then he killed Williams early Friday to keep her from revealing what he had done, police believe.

Martin did not speak as Judge Robert McGuiness of Alameda County Superior Court read the criminal complaint aloud.

Relatives of the victims wept as McGuiness told Martin that besides being accused of the two murders, he faces special circumstances alleging that he committed multiple murders and that he murdered Zoelina Williams because she was a "witness to a crime."

Martin, who did not have a lawyer present, did not enter a plea and was ordered to return to court Thursday. If convicted of murder and either of the special circumstances, he could face the death penalty.

Not seen for days
Sources close to the investigation say police believe Martin killed Williams because she knew he had killed her son, although they don't know when or how he died.

Williams' relatives say they last saw the boy around Halloween. Williams told them Jashon was with Martin and that she was repeatedly asking to see the boy, family members say.

Martin is accused of fatally bludgeoning Zoelina Williams with the barrel of a .22-caliber Ruger rifle and shooting her in the stomach and the back of her head, before dragging her body to the shoreline at Aquatic Park.

He wore rubber gloves to avoid getting Williams' blood on him, police said in court documents. When he was surprised by Berkeley police Officer Darren Kacalek near his van at 4 a.m. Friday, Martin explained that "he had just been kicked out of the Berkeley Marina," on the other side of Interstate 80, authorities said in a court affidavit. Jashon's body was later found floating near the marina.

Kacalek checked Martin's identification, warned him the park was closed and sent him on his way, police said. He also noticed that Martin had a "speck" of what appeared to be blood on his face, the affidavit said.

Ran over rifle
As Martin drove away in his van, the tires ran over what the officer thought was a stick. It turned out to be a rifle, and Kacalek then saw drag marks that led from the van to Williams' body, sources said.

Several of Williams' teeth were found at the scene, apparently knocked out when she was struck by the weapon, court records said. Also found at the park were seven to eight .22-caliber rounds, authorities said. Martin was arrested later Friday.

1994 killing
Some elements of the case are similar to the 1994 case in which Martin was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for fatally beating 3-year-old Devin Brewer of Oakland, the son of his then-girlfriend.

Devin had suffered burns and other injuries in the weeks before he died of blunt force trauma to the head, court records said. When asked at one point about a burn mark on his hand, Devin said, "Curtis did it," records said.

Martin was originally charged with murder but agreed to plead no contest to manslaughter. In sentencing him to the maximum 11 years, Judge Larry Goodman of Alameda County Superior Court alluded to unspecified "proof problems" in the case and made clear he was reluctantly accepting the deal.

"If it was my daughter who had been killed, I would be a raving maniac and I would probably try to kill Mr. Martin myself," Goodman said at the sentencing hearing.

Martin was released in 2000 but repeatedly went back to prison for parole violations.

Distraught families
Relatives of Devin joined members of Williams' family Tuesday in court.

"To do something like that to a child is real evil. If there would have been justice in 1994, there would not have been another life taken," said the Rev. Anthony Hall, Devin's cousin.

Orlando Williams, 44, Devin's uncle, held up a picture of his slain nephew. "We have a new family hurting, so I want to be here to support them," he said.

Zoelina Williams' aunt, Elois Windmon, sobbed after the hearing and said she wanted Martin to go straight to the "chair."

"I know he's going to get his," she said. "He better."

[Source]

Found Dead: Shanita Brown (Detroit)

2009-11-25T00:36:00.001-06:00

The family of a Detroit woman is overcome with grief. A body found in a dumpster is their missing loved one.

Part of the mystery has been solved. Detroit police investigators are now turning their attention to the two men last seen with Shanita Brown. They're considered persons of interest.

A gut feeling by a sister proved to be right. "In my heart, I feel like something (is) wrong with my sister," Salina Brown told FOX 2 last week.

The medical examiner has identified the body discovered in a Detroit dumpster last week as 28-year-old Shanita Brown. Her body was so badly burned dental records were used to identify her.

"We don't know how she died, really. I mean, we know her body was burned," said Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans.

Investigators are now looking to surveillance images for answers. They show Shanita Brown with a girlfriend and two men the night she was killed. They were at the Celebrity Night Club on Plymouth Road on the city's west side. They spent a few hours there, and around 2:00 a.m., Shanita and those two men dropped the girlfriend off on Mark Twain. That's the last time Shanita was seen alive.

"What happened between that and the dumpster, we don't really know. We don't know where else they went. We don't know what else... could have happened," Evans said.

But something did because last Tuesday at 5:00 a.m., three hours after Shanita was seen at the bar, police respond to a dumpster fire near West Warren and Mettetal and discover the woman's body inside.

Two men, 33-year-old Shane Dolittle and 52-year-old Brian Euashka, have been charged with burning the body. However, police don't believe those men are the killers. That's why they're looking to speak with the two who were with Shanita during her final hours.

"These folks that were arrested for burning the dumpster were not the people that accompanied her away from the club. Those are the people of interest to us," said Evans.

If you saw Shanita that night, know what happened to her or can identify those two men, you are asked to call 1-800-SPEAK-UP. You can stay anonymous.

[Source]

Shaniya Davis: Timeline and Articles

2009-11-24T23:51:00.002-06:00

When Shaniya Davis, 5, was reported missing in North Carolina on November 10, 2009, suspicion turned to a man described as her mother's boyfriend. But he was let go, and police targeted another man spotted on hotel surveillance footage holding the child. Then, authorities arrested the girl's mother and accused her of offering her daughter for prostitution, hoping Shaniya was still alive, but fearing the worst.

The arrests offered a glimmer of hope Shaniya would be found alive. But on Monday Nov. 16, searchers discovered the girl's body off a rural road, nearly a week after her mother reported her missing from a mobile home park in Fayetteville, N.C.

November 10, 2009
Shaniya Davis Missing: Cumberland County authorities said foul play was suspected in the disappearance of Shaniya Nicole Davis. The 5-year-old girl went missing from her home in Fayetteville, N.C. Tuesday morning.

November 10, 2009
Shaniya Seen in Video: Police acquire horrifying surveillance video, released to the public six days later, which showed a man carrying Shaniya Davis through s Sanford, N.C., hotel.

November 13, 2009
Mario Andrette McNeill Charged: The man, police say, was seen on a hotel video tape carrying Shaniya Davis the day she went missing, turns himself into police and is charged with kidnapping. But he refuses to help find Shaniya.

November 14, 2009
Shaniya's Mother, Antoinette Davis, Arrested: North Carolina police charge Shaniya Davis' mother, Antoinette Davis, with human trafficking for allegedly selling her child as a sex slave.

November 16, 2009
Cops Fear Shaniya Dead: Police still hoped 5-year-old Shaniya Davis would be found alive, but that hope was dwindling.

November 16, 2009
Shaniya's Father Pleaded for Her Return: Bradley Lockhart, father of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, appeared with his sister Carey Lockhart-Davis on CBS' "The Early Show" Monday to beg for the girl's safe return. Only hours later, his daughter would be found dead in Sanford, N.C., about 30 miles from her Fayetteville home.

November 16, 2009
Shaniya Found Dead: The body of missing 5-year-old Shaniya Nicole Davis was recovered Monday afternoon, Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine said.

November 16, 2009
Vigil Held for Shaniya: Shaniya Davis' father, Bradley Lockhart, arrived at a vigil for his murdered daughter Monday night. Tears ran down his face and friends helped him to stand, as he cried out to mourners who had come to pay respects to his daughter.

November 17, 2009
Antoinette Davis, Shaniya's Mother, is Pregnant: Antoinette Nicole Davis, the woman accused of selling her 5-year-old daughter, Shaniya Davis, into sexual slavery, is pregnant, according to her aunt.

November 18, 2009
Shaniya's Aunt Says Mom Was "Neglectful": When Shaniya Davis went to live for the first time with her mother, Antoinette Davis, alarm bells went off for the little girl's aunt.

November 18, 2009
Police: No New Charges … For Now: Investigators handling the death of Shaniya Davis say they can't file any more charges until they decide where the crimes took place.

November 18, 2009
Shaniya's Body Found Near Dear Carcasses: A dog trainer who helped look for Shaniya Davis said searchers overlooked her body at first because all they saw were deer carcasses in trash bags.

November 18, 2009
Shaniya Davis Autopsy Underway: Police hope an autopsy will determine exactly how Shaniya Davis died.

November 19, 2009
Mario Andrette McNeill Charged with Murder: Police say McNeill raped then strangled to death Shaniya Davis.

[Source]

Missing: Chrissita Cage (Detroit)

2009-11-14T12:35:00.002-06:00

Police are asking the public to assist them in finding a missing local woman.

Twenty-eight-year-old Chrissita Cage has been missing since Oct. 26 and suffers from bipolar disorder.

Officials said they found her vehicle on Belle Isle with all of her personal items in it.

[Source]

Missing: Shanita Brown (Detroit)

2009-11-14T12:30:00.002-06:00

28-year-old Shanita Brown hasn't been seen in three days, and her family fears something awful has happened to her.

"I talk to my sister everyday. Anybody that knows us (knows) I talk to my sister every day," said Salina Brown.

That's why Salina is worried sick about her 28-year-old sister, Shanita, who she hasn't seen or spoken with since Monday.

"This is not like her. She has not shown up for work. She didn't pick her work check up. She has not been to her house. I just want my sister to come home," Salina Brown said.

On Monday night, Shanita went to Detroit's Celebrity Club on Plymouth Road. Exclusive video obtained by FOX 2 shows Shanita entering the bar with two men and a girlfriend. Shanita is seen in the video wearing a dark jacket.

"I don't know who these two guys are. I just know she's (known) one for about two weeks and that's it," said Salina Brown. "No one has seen her."

The owner of Celebrity tells us Shanita spent a few hours at the club. When you look closely at the video, you can see one of the men becoming very affectionate with Shanita and rubbing her back. The other man sitting to the right of the couple. Cameras eventually capture a clearer image of the two men she was there with until early Tuesday morning.

After they left the bar, Shanita and those two men dropped the other girl they were with off in the 13300 block of Mark Twain. Shanita hasn't been seen or heard from since.

"I hope nobody has hurt her. She (has) so many people that love her. I just want my sister to come home. I want her to be okay," Salina Brown said.

Detroit Police are getting ready to examine the surveillance video, hoping to identify the two men Shanita was with and speak to them about what happened that night.

As each day passes without Shanita, her family can't help but fear the worst.

"In my heart, I feel like something (is) wrong with my sister because she never did this before," said Salinia Brown.

But they're praying for the best.

[Source]

Video:

Missing: 8 month old Jashon Williams (Cali)

2009-11-14T12:25:00.001-06:00

Divers were at Aquatic Park this morning probing the waters for the missing 8-month-old son of a 23-year-old Oakland woman found slain at the park Friday morning, authorities said.

The missing child was reported to Oakland police early today by relatives of Zoelina Williams, who was found beaten and shot to death about 4 a.m. Friday at the park.

Police in both Berkeley and Oakland apparently did not know Williams had a child until the relatives notified police. Oakland police said she and the infant had been living with relatives in West Oakland. The baby's name is Jashon Williams.

A suspect, Curtis Martin, 38, of Oakland, has been arrested as a suspect in Williams' slaying. But authorities said he so far is not talking about Williams' death or the missing child.

Authorities said he may have been driving both of them from Oakland to Vallejo early Friday before something happened to cause him to kill Williams and leave her at Aquatic Park.

It is still not clear what the relationship was between Martin and Williams and why she was killed.

The divers are part of the Alameda County Search and Rescue Team.

Anyone with information about the missing child should contact the Oakland Police Department at 510-238-3641.

[Source]

Still Missing: Video of Man Taking Shaniya Davis

2009-11-14T11:47:00.002-06:00

[Source]

Previous Posts:

Shaniya Davis

Shaniya Davis: 2nd Suspect Arrested, but Girl Still Missing

2009-11-13T12:09:00.002-06:00

A second man has been charged in the disappearance of a 5-year-old girl, police said Friday, but the whereabouts of the girl are still unknown.

Mario Andrette McNeill, 29, was arrested early Friday and and charged with first-degree kidnapping. He was being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $100,000 bond and was expected to make his initial court appearance at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Police also dropped the kidnapping charge against another man in the case and released him from jail.

Shaniya Nicole Davis was reported missing from her home, at 1116-A Sleepy Hollow Drive in Fayetteville, on Tuesday morning. Her mother told police she put the girl on a couch at 5:30 a.m., but she was gone when her mother went to check on her about an hour later.

A worker at a Sanford hotel called Fayetteville police on Tuesday to report seeing a child matching Shaniya's description with a man at the hotel. A security video showed the girl with a man believed to be McNeill at the hotel at 6:11 a.m. Tuesday.

By the time Fayetteville investigators reached the hotel, however, the man and the child had checked out, police said.

Shaniya appeared to be "well taken care of," Theresa Chance, spokeswoman for the Fayetteville Police Department, said Thursday night.

"We're hoping we find her alive," Chance said.

She said a tip led to McNeill's arrest, but she declined to disclose where he was found. Investigators are continuing to follow leads in the case, she said.

"We're receiving new leads all the time," she said.

McNeill has a criminal history, including arrests for fleeing to elude arrest, assault on a female and drug possession.

His relationship to Shaniya and her family is unknown, but Chance said that he admitted to investigators that he had abducted the girl.

On Wednesday, police arrested Clarence Darriel Coe, 30, of 211 Brookwood Ave. in Fayetteville, and charged him with first-degree kidnapping in the case.

A witness saw a man driving away from the Sleepy Hollow Mobile Home Park on Tuesday with Shaniya in his car, police said.

The man was initially believed to be Coe, but Chance said investigators have now determined he wasn't involved in Shaniya's disappearance. McNeill told investigators that he abducted the girl, Chance said, so the charge against Coe was dropped Friday morning.

Shaniya is described as 3 feet tall and 40 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt with pink underwear. She is thin and has a scar on her foot.

Anyone with information on Shaniya's whereabouts is asked to call the Fayetteville Police Department at 910-433-1856 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477.

[Source]

Still Missing: Mitrice Richardson - Sheriff Lee Baca says Department Handled Mitrice by the Book; New Website for Mitrice Richardson

2009-11-13T00:10:00.003-06:00

Sheriff Lee Baca reported to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Monday that although the Mitrice Richardson missing person’s case is in his words “unusual and unfortunate...the [sheriff’s] department’s release policy and procedures are consistent with state law, and our investigation revealed all applicable laws, policies and procedures were followed.”

Richardson mysteriously disappeared after release from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station on Sept. 17 and has not been heard from for close to nine weeks, despite extensive field searches and a concerted effort by her family to keep the missing 24-year-old’s story in the public eye.

Baca’s four-page report was requested by the board last month when the supervisors announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to Richardson’s whereabouts. He concludes that “the department did not identify any areas requiring modification.”

The head of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the LASD processes approximately 180,000 prisoners each year for release and “over-detention [carries] tremendous liability, as well as risk to the public’s safety and a deprivation of civil rights.”

His report includes a cursory outline of the department’s assessment of the circumstances under which the Cal State Fullerton honors graduate was placed under citizen’s arrest by the manager of Geoffrey’s restaurant for allegedly being unable to pay an $89.51 dinner tab and possessing less than an ounce of marijuana in her vehicle, then transported by deputies to Lost Hills for booking on two misdemeanor counts related to the allegations.

As Baca describes it, after Richardson’s 92-year-old great grandmother, the matriarch on her mother’s side, was unable to drive to the restaurant to pay the bill, her mother Latice Sutton spoke to the manager and she “opted not to assist her daughter with the payment.”

Although Geoffrey’s staffers had described the young woman’s behavior as “crazy,” she reportedly passed a field sobriety test and Baca said “her interaction with the deputies was coherent and rational” and “deputies described her as cooperative and polite.”

He said Richardson signed an Arrestee Medical Screening Form stating she has no medical issues or psychological problems.

Richardson, who was garbed in a T-shirt and jeans, and whose only possessions reportedly were a hat, a belt and her California driver license, left the station through a side entrance at 12:25 a.m. with no money, cell phone, or means of transportation; and ostensibly without making her plans known to anyone. Telephone calls to the great-grandmother are listed on the booking report, but no further information about them has been made available.

Regarding the timing of Richardson’s release, Baca said, “It is the policy of the department to release misdemeanor prisoners as soon as such persons may be reasonably and safely released.”

Baca said this policy “is no different than any other time of day,” adding that the procedures emphasize “prompt and safe release once there is no justification to deprive the arrestee of their freedom.” He said “it is not practical or legal for the department to hold people until someone is available to pick them up” and “altering this procedure would subject the department to potential litigation.”

The sheriff reiterated that Richardson was offered the option of being placed in a cell and being “free to leave at any time.” Baca stressed that there was “no legal basis to hold Ms. Richardson and she was released on her written promise to appear in Malibu Court on Nov. 16. Following her release from the station’s jail area, her movements were no longer monitored.”

PARENTS’ REACTION

Richardson’s mother Latice Sutton said she is “very upset by the report” and told the Malibu Surfside News: “It is unfortunate that the LASD deemed releasing anyone from their facility knowing that they had no transportation, form of communication or money as ‘prudent, reasonable and safe,’ particularly someone who they knew was behaving in a manner that warranted an evaluation by a qualified professional. Further the amount of time and manpower that it took to generate their erroneous report takes away valuable time in the search for my daughter.”

Richardson’s father, who maintains his own website concerning his missing daughter, as does the mother, (the couple separated when their daughter was very young), posted a similar comment to the mother’s statement on that site, adding:

“This is ridiculous and my daughter is still missing and really it’s the sheriff's who were the last verified people to see her. If I follow the sheriff’s department’s own logic, it’s clear they acted inappropriately. The initial call regarding my daughter from Geoffrey’s to the sheriff’s was that she was “acting crazy.” Crazy. Crazy as in mental problems, as in you don’t release her on her own in the middle of the night without money, her cell phone, or transportation. You call her parents and or hold her overnight.”

Michael Richardson added, “Now I'm no rocket scientist, but if a woman says she’s from Mars and is here to avenge Michael Jackson's death...chances are she’s in need of some help. My question is, who did they call or who was on duty that night that had the training and background to make the assessment on whether Mitrice Richardson was stable or not?

“If the sheriff’s handling my daughter would have used a little common sense or even put themselves in our shoes as parents and thought twice before just letting Mitrice out into the middle of the night, my daughter would not be missing. But because they didn’t, she is and they refuse to accept responsibility or even act as though they played a role in her disappearance or that they even care.”

The father concludes, “We are tired [of] being lied to and misled by the sheriff's department. I believe that someone at the Malibu-Lost Hills sheriff’s department had something to do with my daughter’s disappearance and this report only confirms it for me.”

Richardson’s last statement is being echoed on dozens of blog posts related to the missing woman on websites across Southern California, as well as blogs in other parts of the country.

OIR REVIEW

Lost Hills personnel’s position that the matter has already been reviewed notwithstanding, the Los Angeles Office of Independent Review indicates that it is still looking at the Richardson matter.

Deputy Chief Attorney Benjamin Jones told The News on Monday, “The Office of Independent Review has not completed its monitoring of the department’s review of the Malibu Station personnel’s conduct in their interactions with Ms. Richardson.” This stance was subsequently reiterated by OIR Chief Attorney Michael Gennaco.

The OIR is a civilian oversight group that was created by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2001 to “monitor the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and provide legal advice to ensure that allegations of officer misconduct involving the LASD are investigated in thorough, fair, and effective ways.”

OIR consists of six attorneys with backgrounds in criminal law and civil rights issues who “work with LASD, but not for LASD.” OIR contends that it “has the freedom to arrive at its own conclusions and, if necessary, to challenge the department with regard to specific practices or incidents.”

LAPD STATUS

Repeated efforts to obtain updates from the Los Angeles Police Department detectives assigned to the Richardson case have been unsuccessful.

The LAPD is the lead agency because the missing woman resided in Los Angeles with her great-grandmother. There have no formal briefings on whether there have been any recent sightings or exactly what is now being done by the LAPD to try to locate Richardson. Family members have expressed interest in trying to take up the case with new LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

FEDS PETITION

An online activist group whose concerns include criminal justice—change.org—has collected 2022 signatures toward its goal of 5000 signatures on a petition urging state and federal elected and appointed officials to initiate a federal investigation of the Mitrice Richardson case.

In addition to an effort to “help find Richardson,” the group wants “to ensure that this does not happen to additional persons.” The petition is at the group’s website: www.change.org

PRAYER SERVICE

Family and friends gathered last Saturday for a prayer service to “pray for the safe return of Mitrice Richardson” at the New Testament Church in Los Angeles, a church where the missing woman has worshiped in the past.

[Source]

New Website for Mitrice Richardson:

http://www.bringmitricehome.org/

Please Don't Forget about Missing 5 year old Hasanni Campbell: Reward - $75,000

2009-11-12T23:33:00.002-06:00

Volunteers trying to find a 5-year-old Fremont boy who's been missing for more than three months are hoping a $75,000 reward will bring some fresh leads to the case.

They've held a number of vigils for Hasanni Campbell since he was reported missing Aug. 10, but they say the latest one Tuesday had a poor turnout.

Authorities and volunteers have now raised the reward, up from the $60,000 announced in September.

Hasanni, who has cerebral palsy, reportedly went missing when his foster father, Louis Ross, briefly left him alone in a parked car in the city's Rockridge neighborhood.

Police initially arrested Ross and his fiancee, Jennifer Campbell, on suspicion of murder, but prosecutors declined to file charges due to lack of evidence. Authorities say searches have turned up no significant leads in the case.

[Source]

Low turnout at vigil for missing Fremont boy

Turnout was poor at a Tuesday night's vigil marking three months since 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell was reported missing, an organizer said Wednesday.

"We had a handful of people, but that was it," said Sherri Miller, who has organized searches, vigils and at least one fundraiser for the missing Fremont boy.

But after a fundraiser in Livermore last week, the reward for information leading to a conviction in Hasanni's abduction now stands at $75,000.

Tuesday's gathering at College Avenue Presbyterian Church drew television news cameras, but few attendees, Miller said.

Hasanni's foster parents, Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell, of Fremont, reported the boy missing Aug. 10 near a shoe store in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood. The two were later arrested on suspicion of murder, but released after prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to charge them. The foster parents did not attend Tuesday's vigil.

Several police and volunteer searches since then have turned up no significant leads as to Hasanni's whereabouts, police said.

"The more frustrating it gets, the harder we have to work," Miller said. "He's out there somewhere and that's the bottom line. He's out there and he deserves to be found. Hopefully with the city's new police chief and new district attorney, maybe they'll get some answers. Maybe we'll figure it out. I don't know what it's going to take, but we haven't found him yet, so we just have to keep going until we do."

Campbell was about six months pregnant at the time of Hasanni's reported disappearance, and declined police requests that she take a polygraph test because, she said, she was worried that the test might affect her pregnancy.

Police have not discussed new leads in the case.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Oakland Police Department at 510-777-3211 or 510-238-7934 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.

Supporters continue to hold monthly vigils for the boy. The next one will be on Dec. 10. For more information, visit www.hasannicampbell.com or e-mail findhasanni@gmail.com.

If you know anybody that live in California or Oakland area, please help support this little boy. Foster children are often forgotten about (especially when they go missing because some would assume that they are just running away from their problems) and Hasanni needs us now more than ever.

Refresh Your Memory on Hasanni Campbell's Disapperance

“The longer he’s out there and not found, it doesn’t look good,” Louis Ross says, choking up, in an interview about his missing foster son, 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell.

Campbell disappeared Aug. 10 in Oakland, Calif. when Ross left him in standing near the family car in the parking lot behind the shoe store where his fiancée, Campbell’s biological aunt and foster mom, Jennifer Campbell works. Upon seeing that their son had disappeared Ross and Campbell called 911 and began frantically searching.

“Hasanni does not wander away,” Ross told CBS 5 San Francisco.

How can Ross be so sure?

Hasanni was born with Cerebral Palsy, a type of permanent disorder that inhibits development of movement and posture, i.e., he had trouble walking, and according to Ross, could do so with concentration.

Contrary to early reports that described him wearing metal braces on his legs, Ross told reporters he wears plastic braces on his feet, which would not be visible over his clothes. He also said that if his son’s braces were removed he would still be able to walk, but would be looking down at the ground in focus.

Hasanni was left alone for “about five minutes, probably less,” Ross said in the same interview.

When asked what he think did happen in those five minutes, Ross tears up: “as a father, those are thoughts you don’t want to entertain.”

Jeff Thomason says Ross is mostly likely correct in his assumption that Hassani did not walk away: “anything’s possible but it’s not likely…right now no witnesses saw Hassani walking away from that area.”

The FBI has joined the search, along with several other local agencies. On the day of his disappearance a massive search was launched, including the use of a California Highway Patrol airplane and the K-9 unit. In the past eight days they have gone door-to-door in parts of Oakland and searched numerous locations, including a regional park and his foster parents’ home in Freemont.

Hassani Campbell, five, disappeared on Aug. 10 when his foster father left him in a parking lot for a mere five minutes.

The police have only received around 50 tips, which Thomason told reporters is an unusually low number for a week-old missing child case.

“We definitely need the public’s help,” Thomason said to CBS 5.

A $10,000 reward was offered Monday by Oakland Police and Crime Stoppers for information leading to the whereabouts of the boy.

“This is a continuous investigation that will be conducted day and night,” Officer Seth Neri said in a press conference.

The Oakland PD has been in touch with the biological mother, who lives in San Francisco, and told Crimesider that she is not a person of interest at this point.

Hasanni was removed from his 25-year-old mother’s home because she had physically abused him. Shemika Campbell, who also has Cerebral Palsy, says she thinks someone kidnapped him. In an exclusive interview with CBS 5 she says, “I always had a feeling that he would be gone from me one day.”

Missing and Not Forgotten: Priscilla Rogers (North Carolina)

2009-11-12T23:25:00.002-06:00

Sometimes late at night, when Larry Rogers was trying to sleep, he'd hear his name mentioned outside his home.

His sister, Priscilla Ann Rogers, was out on Red Cross Street in Wilmington, shouting at somebody about how they'd better shape up, or her big brother would be outside any minute.

Rogers, 50, would ignore her and go back to sleep. That, he says, is just how his little sister, known in the neighborhood as “Chuck E. Cheese,” often acts.

Priscilla, 41, loved to be seen and heard in downtown Wilmington where she's lived all her life and knew almost everyone, her family says.

But the mix of her outgoing personality and risky lifestyle - Priscilla was addicted to drugs and would work as a prostitute - makes it even more alarming that she hasn't been seen in Wilmington for more than four months. She's been officially missing since late August, and a police are again asking for help finding Priscilla.

“I think something happened to my sister,” Rogers said. “She would have called me.”

Disappeared

Priscilla was reported missing to the Wilmington Police Department on Aug. 28. But her family and police say they suspect she disappeared in mid-June. Rogers said Priscilla was last seen getting into a truck with someone she knew.

Several days later, he says, he and authorities entered Priscilla's home near Ninth and Queen streets and found food in the sink, lights on and her dog crying.

Family members said they didn't immediately fill out a missing persons report because Priscilla would sometimes leave town for short periods.

But Rogers says she would always called soon after she left.

“We know this time it's too long. Something ain't right,” he said.

Wilmington police Detective Paul Verzaal knew Priscilla and agreed she wasn't one to be in town and go unnoticed.

Since August, Verzaal says, he's looked for Priscilla and hung missing person signs in downtown convenience stores, but had no luck.

Rumors she was found dead near Leland or Greenfield Lake have turned up nothing, he said. He also checked with the N.C. State Medical Examiner's Office, but still hasn't found any sign of Priscilla.

Verzaal said he's spoken with people who knew her, and is still following leads. But he also said he is looking for help from anyone who might know where she is. Verzaal has considered the family's fear that something bad has happened to her.

“We're still treating it as a missing person case until we're proven otherwise,” Verzaal said.

Priscilla's description has been entered in a national database, which will tell any law enforcement she encounters that she is missing from Wilmington, Verzaal said.

Rogers is a black woman, who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 100 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.

In an interview, Verzaal asked hunters who are heading into the woods in the coming months to report anything that could be human remains.

Wondering

Larry Rogers and Beverly Rivers, Priscilla's sister, say wherever they go in Wilmington, people ask about Priscilla, and they don't know what to tell them.

They acknowledge she led a risky lifestyle, and Rivers says she prayed for years Priscilla would quit drugs and lead a more normal life.

But her brother and sister say she's a happy person, with family who cared for her, and who treated everyone with respect.

“She deserves more than to not be found,” Rivers said. “It's just not the same with her not around.”

[Source]

Missing: Dalon Harkless (New Jersey)

2009-11-12T23:23:00.002-06:00

Police in Camden County are searching for a teenage boy with autism who went missing Thursday evening.

Dalon Harkless, 13 was last seen laving his home on Madison Avenue in Lindenwold at about 5:10 p.m.

Authorities said Harkless, who answers to "Day", is mentally around the age of 6. He is described as a black male, approximately 6 feet tall with a medium to thin build.

Harkless was last wearing black-hooded sweatshirt, nylon warm-up pants and was carrying a backpack filled with magazines.

If you have any information, please contact Lindenwold Police at 856-784-4800.

[Source]

Spotted but Still Missing: Shaniya Davis (North Carolina)

2009-11-12T23:13:00.004-06:00

A missing 5-year-old North Carolina girl was seen with a man at a hotel, but not the same person charged in her kidnapping, police said late Thursday.

Shaniya Davis was spotted in Sanford with a man identified as Mario Andrette McNeill, said Fayetteville Police spokeswoman Teresa Chance. She was seen with him Tuesday, about an hour after she disappeared from her home in Fayetteville, about 40 miles away.

Late Wednesday night, police arrested and charged 30-year-old Clarence Coe, who told a judge at his first court appearance that he is not guilty of kidnapping the girl. Police did not comment on any possible link between Coe and McNeill.

Chance said a hotel worker called police to report seeing a child matching Shaniya's description, but by the time police got there, McNeill had left. Authorities reviewed surveillance video and, after speaking with family members, confirmed the child's identity.

Chance said authorities are uncertain of the connection between McNeill and the child. Her father, Bradley Lockhart, made a tearful appeal for his daughter's safe return.

"We just ask that they bring her home safe. We all miss her and love her very much," Lockhart said. "Shaniya, if you're listening to daddy, I miss you so much, honey. I'm waiting for you. I'm not going to give up. You don't give up either, honey."

In court on Thursday, Cumberland County Judge Tal Baggett asked Coe if he understood why he was there.

"No, but I'm not guilty, sir," Coe said. He did not enter a formal plea to the kidnapping charge, and Baggett said the court would appoint an attorney.

Baggett also said Coe was also accused of "terrorizing" the child's mother, although he did not elaborate.

Chance said a witness spotted Coe taking Shaniya Davis out of the trailer park where she was reported missing.

"I think it's safe to say this is not a random occurrence," Chance said.

Chance also said authorities believe the girl is alive.

"We believe she's safe. We just want him to return her. We have no reason to believe that he would harm her, none at all," Chance said.

Barbara Davenport, property manager at Sleepy Hollow Mobile Home Park, said Coe is dating Shaniya's mother, Antoinette Davis, and has visited several times.

Investigators said police dogs did not pick up the child's scent during a search of the neighborhood.

"Our hopes are that she's close by," Chance said.

Coe was being held at the Cumberland County jail. He has several criminal charges on his state record, including an April conviction for misdemeanor breaking and entering, and he was released from prison in mid-August, according to Department of Correction records.

Coe was previously convicted of assault on a female, felony breaking and entering, larceny, robbery and other charges dating to 2001.

Investigators found a blanket that may have belonged to Shaniya in a garbage can outside a neighbor's home. Lt. Alex Thompson said investigators also found other items Shaniya may have been wearing.

Davis and Shaniya's father, who flew in from out of state, have been speaking with investigators.

[Source]

Missing: Cassandra Morton (Virginia)

2009-11-12T16:44:00.002-06:00

A Lynchburg woman has been missing for more than a month, and police are asking for the public’s help in locating her.

Lynchburg police said Thursday that Cassandra Ann Morton, 23, was last seen on Oct. 10, a Saturday, around 10 p.m. near Park Avenue in Lynchburg.

Morton’s family told police that Morton has always stayed in touch with friend and family.

Police described Morton as a black female, 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 125 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective M.R. Soyars with the Lynchburg Police Department at 455-6160 or Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900.

[Source]

Missing: Regina McDaniel II (Detroit)

2009-11-12T16:41:00.001-06:00

Relatives of a Detroit woman missing since Nov. 3 are praying she’s still alive and that she’ll return home safely to family including her 2-year-old son.

Regina McDaniel II was last seen Nov. 3, and that night she left her last entry on Facebook, her mother, also named Regina McDaniel, said this morning. Her daughter, 20, is studying to become a pharmacy technician and has a 2-year-old son, Kimoni McDaniel.

Regina McDaniel said she’s holding out hope even though police on Wednesday discovered her daughter’s unoccupied silver 2004 Mercy Sable sedan had been burned out and towed to an impound lot, Detroit Police Officer Phillip Cook said.

Regina McDaniel II was last seen leaving her home in the 200 block of Merton. She was last seen wearing a pink jacket, blue jeans and leopard print boots.

Investigators are trying to determine whether a body found in a Dumpster Tuesday may be Regina McDaniel II. The woman, discovered in the 6900 block of Mettetal, just east of where Fenkell and Grand River cross the Southfield Freeway, still had not been identified this morning, officials said.

“I don’t even know how to begin to live my life without her,” Regina McDaniel said this morning as her grandson cried in her arms. “She’s quiet and kept to her self, but she also had a sassy side. She was so beautiful, and so kind.”

Regina McDaniel II lived at the family home near Palmer Park. Her mother said it’s been heartbreaking watching Kimoni McDaniel run to the window looking for his mother’s car and calling out for her.

Anyone with information about Regina McDaniel II’s disappearance is asked to call the Detroit Police at 313-596-1200 or Crime Stoppers to leave anonymous info at 800-773-2587.

[Source]

Anthony Sowell: 10 Victims Identified

2009-11-12T16:16:00.003-06:00

If you missed the news on Anthony Sowell:

Three More Victims Identified: Crystal Dozier, Amelda Hunter, Michelle Mason

Cleveland police on Saturday told three more families that their relatives were among the 11 women whose bodies were removed from the house and yard of serial murder suspect Anthony Sowell.

The names of Crystal Dozier, 38; Amelda Hunter, 47; and Michelle Mason, 45, are now added to the list of victims discovered around Sowell's Imperial Avenue home between Oct. 29 and Nov. 2.

Hunter, known as Amy, was the sixth of eight children, a mother of three and a beautician. Denise Hunter, Amy's 46-year-old sister, said her sister might still be alive if not for an injury that left her unable to use one of her arms.

"She was a fighter. If she wasn't hurt she would've given him [her attacker] a fight for his money," she said.

Dozier went missing in May 2007. The second oldest of four children, she shared a birthday with her mother, Florence Bray, 57.

"That was me and her special day," Bray said Saturday, adding that the two often dressed in matching jeans or jumpsuits on their birthdays.

Antonia Dozier, 23, one of Dozier's seven children, said she just recently started crying while assembling a special sandwich that her mother used to make -- pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese toasted on bread. "I wish I could see her just one more time," she said.

Reached by phone, a member of the Mason family declined to comment.

Sowell, 50, remains in the City Jail under a $5 million bond.

Earlier this week, authorities identified four other women found around Sowell's home including Tonia Carmichael, 52; Nancy Cobbs, 43; Tishana Culver, 31, and Telacia Fortson, 31.

Members of the FBI's behavioral analysis team were in Cleveland Saturday looking into Sowell's background and touring the neighborhood around his house. Agents said they are gathering information to see if Sowell may be linked to unsolved cases in cities where he once lived. During eight years as a U.S. Marine, he was stationed in North Carolina, Okinawa and California.

All of the victims were black females between the ages of 31 and 52. All were mothers.

Cobbs, Culver, Dozier and Mason lived or had lived in the area, according to public records. Carmichael and Hunter frequented the area. Police reports list Fortson as a victim and a suspect in multiple crimes in the neighborhood.

All of the women had criminal records and a history of drug abuse. Police believe drugs and alcohol were keys to Sowell's ability to lure women to his house.

A woman who came forward Tuesday to accuse Sowell of attacking her in April says, that as he choked her he said, "You just another crack [expletive] from the street, no one will know if you missing," according to a police report.

While all of the women were missed by family members and friends, three of the victims -- Culver, Fortson and Hunter -- were not reported to police until after authorities began removing bodies from the house Oct. 29.

Family members of Fortson, who was last seen in June, said they called East Cleveland police and thought that a police report was taken.

Carmichael was reported missing to Warrensville Heights within weeks of disappearing in November 2008. Cobbs' family reported her missing to Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority within days of not seeing her.

CMHA shares its reports with Cleveland police, but the Cobbs report never made it into the department's system, according to records.

Dozier, who disappeared in June 2007, and Mason, who was last seen in October 2008, were both reported missing to Cleveland police. The 'department's response to the report about Dozier was not clear Saturday. But family members said they didn't do enough.

Antonia Dozier said that since her mother had been missing previously, police said she likely would turn up. Antonia disagreed: "It's not like her not to call," she said. "They said there was nothing they could do because she was an adult."

Antonia Dozier said the family continued the search on their own, periodically calling the coroner and hospital and posting fliers in stores and on power poles.

Although the news was difficult to face, Bray said she was grateful in a way. "It's comforting to know she is in a better place," she said. "I have closure now."

Police did react to the missing report on Mason. According to records, officials checked Mason's home, a relative's home and three areas Mason was known to frequent along with hospitals and the morgue. They also alerted the FBI's National Crime Information Center.

Janice Webb Identified

Officials have identified another woman found dead at Anthony Sowell's house on Imperial Avenue in Cleveland.

Janice Webb, 49, was last seen June 3 when she left the Lakewood house where she was living with her boyfriend.

For days now, her family has been awaiting word on whether she was one of the 11 women removed from the Imperial Avenue house of suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell, 49.

Like the other women police suspect Sowell of killing, Webb had a criminal record, a history of drug abuse and ties to the neighborhood where Sowell lived.

The other women are identified as Tonia Carmichael, 52; Nancy Cobbs, 45; Tishana Culver, 31; Crystal Dozier, 38; Telacia Fortson, 31; Amelda Hunter, 47; Michelle Mason, 45.

Sowell, 50, is in jail with bond set at $5 million.

He has been charged with five counts of aggravated murder and rape in connection with the bodies removed from his house.

Sowell also faces charges of kidnaping, rape and attempted murder in connections with an attack on a 36-year-old woman on Sept. 22. Sowell lured a 36-year-old woman to his house on Cleveland's East Side to drink malt liquor with him, then used an extension cord to choke the women until she passed out and raped her, authorities say.

Authorities suspect that Sowell is responsible for the deaths of all 11 women found dead in his home on Imperial Avenue in Cleveland.

Investigators outside the city also are looking at Sowell as in connection with other crimes, including in East Cleveland, where police are trying to connect Sowell to three unsolved murders.

9th Body Kim Yvette Smith

Authorities have identified 44-year-old Kim Yvette Smith as the ninth of 11 women whose bodies were found in and around the house of suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell. Post your condolences to the families of the victims here.

Like the other seven women who police say were victims of Sowell's, Smith had a criminal record and a history of drug abuse. She was not reported missing to Cleveland police until Nov. 2, the day authorities finished removing bodies from the house.

The other women are identified as Tonia Carmichael, 52; Nancy Cobbs, 45; Tishana Culver, 31; Crystal Dozier, 38; Telacia Fortson, 31; Amelda Hunter, 47; Michelle Mason, 45, and Janice Webb, 49.

Sowell, 49, is in jail with bond set at $5 million.

He has been charged with five counts of aggravated murder and rape in connection with the bodies.

Sowell also faces charges of kidnaping, rape and attempted murder in connections with an attack on a 36-year-old woman on Sept. 22. Sowell lured a 36-year-old woman to his house on Cleveland's East Side to drink malt liquor with him, then used an extension cord to choke the women until she passed out and raped her, authorities say.

Special to The Plain DealerKim Yvette SmithAuthorities suspect that Sowell is responsible for the deaths of all 11 women found dead in his home on Imperial Avenue in Cleveland.

Investigators outside the city also are looking at Sowell as in connection with other crimes, including in East Cleveland, where police are trying to connect Sowell to three unsolved murders.

10th victim: Leshanda Long

A 25-year-old Cleveland woman has been identified as the 10th victim found at serial killings suspect Anthony Sowell's home.

Leshanda Long was familiar with Sowell's neighborhood on Imperial Avenue and last resided on Denison Avenue. She had been reported missing to Cleveland police twice: once in 1997, when she was 13, and in 2000, when she was 17, according to police Lt. Thomas Stacho.

Long was not reported as a missing person to police recently, he said. Family members told police she had last been seen in August 2008. Long's relatives were too distraught to talk late Wednesday night.

"This is still hard to believe," a cousin said. "We tried to prepare ourselves for this but we couldn't."

Long's father did not want to speak to reporters, the man said. Long's uncle said his niece had three daughters and battled a crack cocaine addiction for years. The Cuyahoga County coroner's office used DNA analysis to identify her, which was complicated because only her skull was available, Stacho said.

FBI agents are expected to use thermal imaging equipment to search for bodies today at the house next door to Sowell's. City workers were at Sowell's home Wednesday clearing debris in preparation for the search and detectives took several evidence bags from the home.

Their work seemed to stir up foul odors that flooded the southeast Cleveland neighborhood, though no new bodies were found.

The coroner's office is working to identify the 11th and final victim found in Sowell's home or yard.

The other victims already identified include Tonia Carmichael, 52; Nancy Cobbs, 45; Tishana Culver, 31; Crystal Dozier, 38; Telacia Fortson, 31; Amelda Hunter, 47; Michelle Mason, 45; Kim Yvette Smith,44; and Janice Webb, 49.

Most of the women were strangled, authorities said.

Sowell is in jail under a $5 million bond, having been charged with five counts of aggravated murder. Cuyahoga County prosecutors said more charges are expected and they could seek the death penalty.

Sowell served 15 years in prison after being convicted of attempted rape in 1990. He moved into the Imperial Avenue home after getting out of prison in 2005.

The house was owned by his late father and his stepmother. Allen Sowell, the suspect's brother, said he was told by Sowell that their stepmother was living in a nursing home, but Allen Sowell said he was concerned about her fate since he had not spoken to her in at least a year.

Stacho said police were able to talk to the woman in recent days and confirm that she is safe.

Police went to arrest Sowell on Oct. 29, about one month after a woman told them he choked and raped her inside the home. He was not home at the time but police went in and found two bodies.

Investigators found four more bodies the next day. Sowell remained at large for nearly two days until police arrested him walking down the street Nov. 1 about a mile from his home.

Three days later, police found four more bodies, and a skull in the basement.

Most of the victims battled drug addiction and police believe Sowell lured them into his home by offering them liquor or drugs.

Consideration of a Missing Persons Unit

In the wake of the Imperial Avenue stranglings, Cuyahoga County officials are considering tactics to more easily find missing people.

County Administrator Jim McCafferty said at today's commissioners' meeting that he and Sheriff Bob Reid have had preliminary discussions about creating a database of missing persons or forming a missing persons unit.

The discussions come two weeks after police found bodies at Anthony Sowell's home on Imperial Avenue on the east side of Cleveland. So far, 10 of 11 victims have been identified, all women, many of them strangled.

Most of the victims battled drug addiction, and some often went missing for days or longer. Police believe Sowell lured them into his home by offering them liquor or drugs.

Commissioner Tim Hagan said he would encourage the sheriff to meet with local police chiefs to make a concerted effort to track down Clevelanders who go missing.

"There seems to be some kind of breakdown here," Hagan said. "We want to be as supportive as we can."

Telacia Fortson Remembered

The life of Telacia Fortson, a victim of a suspected serial killer, was celebrated today at an emotional ceremony that called on the community to unite as it copes with a still-unfolding tragedy.

The funeral - the first for any of the victims removed from a house on Imperial Avenue - overwhelmed Fortson's adoptive mother, Inez Fortson, who began hyperventilating and was taken to a hospital, Rev. Ivory Jones III said during the service. A family spokeswoman said after the service that Inez Fortson was stable.

Family and friends of Fortson, 31, remembered her at the Grace Missionary Baptist Church in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood as a caring and generous mother who had a playful, competitive side.

Fortson is one of 11 women whose bodies were removed two weeks ago from Anthony Sowell's property on Imperial Avenue on Cleveland's East Side. The victims are all black women.

The pastors who spoke at the funeral urged the capacity audience to embrace those who are suffering through the tragedy.

Telacia FortsonQuita Thompson, who knew Fortson for years and babysat her children, said the community has to keep the funeral's message in mind after all the victims have been grieved.

"At times of tragedy, people come together. We got to do it all the time," she said. "If everybody was together, these 11 women would've had a different outcome."

Still Missing: Shaniya Davis - Foul Play Suspected (North Carolina)

2009-11-11T11:00:00.003-06:00

Cumberland County authorities say foul play is suspected in the disappearance of Shaniya Nicole Davis. The 5-year-old girl went missing from her home, 1116-A Sleepy Hollow Drive in Fayetteville, Tuesday morning.

An Amber Alert was initiated for Shaniya just before noon, Lt. David Sportsman said.

Police responded to the home around 6:50 a.m., and Shaniya's mother told officers that she last saw her daughter at 5:30 a.m. The mother’s boyfriend and her sister, along with an infant and Shaniya's 7-year-old brother were also in the home when the girl went missing.

“There is definitely something not right about the situation. Foul play is suspected,” Fayetteville police spokeswoman Theresa Chance said Tuesday evening.

It is unclear how the child left the home.

"The circumstances surrounding her disappearance are very odd. A 5-year-old usually... [is] not awake at 5:30 a.m. normally, and they just wouldn't leave their home," Chance said. "If she would have wandered out of her home, she would be around here somewhere."

Chance said the family has a history with the Department of Social Services.

"There have been major DSS issues with this family – who has custody, switching back and forth," Chance said.

Chance said it's unknown whether the child's disappearance is related to those issues. Police said Shaniya's father flew in from out of state Tuesday afternoon and was talking to investigators.

"We're treating this as a child in danger, with the information we have," Chance said.

Chance said police have been called to the home before. This summer, officers served a search warrant at the home and found a variety of drugs inside.

The family was not allowed inside the home Tuesday evening after it was deemed a health hazard due to extensive sewage leaks, authorities said.
Police K-9s, firefighters and sheriff's deputies searched the area throughout the day Tuesday.

“We are searching for her and hoping to find her alive, but we just don't know at this point,” Chance said.

Chance noted that search dogs did not pick up Shaniya's scent, which they would have if the child was wandering around outside.

Shaniya is described as 3 feet tall and 40 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt with pink underwear. She is thin and has a scar on her foot.

Fayetteville police say three registered sex offenders live in the neighborhood. Chance said the offenders, along with everyone else in the neighborhood, have been interviewed.

The sex offenders are not considered suspects, Chance said.

Anyone with information is urged to call Fayetteville police at 910-433-1856.

[Source]

No Amber Alert for Missing 2 week old black male (SC)

2009-11-10T12:31:00.004-06:00

Apparently the baby doesn't have a name and neither does mom.

- Conway Police are looking for a 2-week -old boy who went missing from his bed late last night.

According to Conway Police, officers were called to a home on Duckett Street in Conway just after midnight Tuesday morning. The mother told police she put her 1-year-old daughter and 2-week-old son to bed around 11 p.m. When she checked on them an hour later, the boy was missing.

Officers searched the area, but were unable to find the boy. He is described as a 2-week-old black male with brown hair and brown eyes last wearing navy pants, a football print blue shirt and light blue socks. The child was born Oct. 24, 2009.

Anyone with information on the incident or the location of the infant is urged to contact the Conway Police Department.

An AMBER Alert has not been issued at this time. According to the AMBER Alert Program, an alert can be activated once an investigation reveals the following (all must aplpy):

The law enforcement agency believes that the child has been abducted;

The child is 16 years old or younger, and the law enforcement agency believes the child is in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death;

or if the individual is 17 years old or older, and the law enforcement agency believes the individual is at greater risk of immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death because the individual possesses a proven physical or mental disability;

All other possibilities for the victim's disappearnace have been reasonably excluded;

There is sufficient information available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the victim, suspect, or vehicle used in the abduction.

[Source]