Missing Minorities

Use YouTube and Email

2008-11-13T16:45:00.005-05:00

It's been a long time since anything has been posted on this blog. Hopefully, everyone has been clicking on the links I've put on the right for current news.

However, here is a tip I received today in the comment section for this missing child: Jewel Mahavia Strong - Missing Since 5/28/07.

The comment gives some tips on using YouTube as a way to help in a missing person search.

I came across your story from an email forward I received. I have a suggestion that might help locate your daughter. If you have video of her you should post it to you tube. That is another way of getting her more visible. If you dont' have video, make one of the family holding her pictures and begin an email chain - this might help. Thank you.

And thanks to the anonymous commenter who sent it. I hope this helps someone.

Miami, FL: Safety Awareness Community gathering & Candlelight Vigil in honor of Lucely “Lilly” Aramburo

2008-05-27T02:12:00.001-04:00

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION:

On June 1, 2007, almost one year ago, Lucely “Lilly” Aramburo allegedly walked out of her fiance’s home with nothing on her feet, in her pajamas, with 2 bungee cords. She has not been seen or heard from since.

Lilly’s story is one that is not unique. There are families all over the Miami area who are searching for their loved ones and are seeking answers. We hope that all families of missing persons will join us in an effort to bring resolution to finding our loved family members and friends.

In honor of missing Miami mother, Lilly Aramburo, Justice in Miami will be hosting a free Safety Awareness Community gathering & Candlelight Vigil to increase public awareness of missing person cases.

Bring the whole family for a worthy cause, candlelight vigil, butterfly release, free safety I.D. kits and balloons for the little ones plus much more.

The Power 96 Street Team will be there, spinning live music & giving away prizes.

Sunday, June 1st at 6PM, Peacock Park, 2820 McFarlane Rd- Coconut Grove in Miami

For more details visit the Justice in Miami website at justiceinmiami.blogspot.com

Update: Stepha Henry Case

2008-01-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

Suspect arrested in student's Miami disappearance

BY MICHAEL WHITE
DAILY NEWS POLICE BUREAU

Tuesday, January 15th 2008, 11:46 AM
Stepha Henry, 22, (center) has been missing since May, when she vanished on a trip to Miami to visit relatives.

Stepha Henry, 22, (center) has been missing since May, when she vanished on a trip to Miami to visit relatives.

Detectives arrested a Brooklyn man suspected of killing a woman who vanished last year while visiting relatives in Miami, police said today.

Kendrick Williams, 32, was nabbed this morning after forensic tests of his car linked him to the victim, police said.

NYPD officers and detectives from Miami took Williams into custody about 8 a.m. at the Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn where he had been living out of a car. He was charged with murdering 22-year-old Stepha Henry, an aspiring lawyer who was last seen May 29 at Peppers Cafe Nightclub in Ford Lauderdale.

Henry and her 16-year-old sister had traveled to Florida just before Memorial Day to celebrate her sister’s birthday. They were staying with relatives, who last saw Henry getting into a black sedan driven by a man.

Florida police said Williams drove Henry to the club in an Acura Integra. He had initially told detectives he left the venue without Henry, police said.

Investigators impounded the car last September, and a forensic analysis found substantial evidence linking him to the victim, police said.

The two were believed to have been romantically involved, police said.

Henry, a graduate of Manhattan’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, had been preparing to take the entrance exams for law school when she vanished, her relatives said.

Her body has not been recovered. Police have not said how she was killed.

Source: NY Daily News

Of course it was buried underneath plenty of other news.

Veronica Ruiz - Missing Since Dec. 3, 2007

2007-12-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

This is a strange one. Veronica Ruiz, 25 and an IRS agent, has been missing since December 3rd. She went hiking up on Mount Tamalpais in Mill Valley (across the bridge from San Francisco) and hasn't been seen since.

I got an email from Vox telling me about this story, so I'm posting it. Thanks Vox.

Here is a local flier announcing a community search: http://www.audcast.com/findveronicaruiz/

Here are screen shots from that flier (click on the image for a full view):

Here is a conversation about her case on the Yelp Community site:
Please Pray for Veronica Ruiz - Search For Missing Mill Valley Woman

KTVU: Search For Missing Mill Valley Woman Suspended

Tiasha Wingfield and Safiyah Horsford: Missing Since November 3, 2007

2007-11-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

TIASHA ROSETTA WINGFIELD

SAFIYAH AYEESHA HORSFORD

Tiasha and Safiyah may be together. They may still be in the local area or they may travel to Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, or Miami, Florida.

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
Port Saint Lucie Police Department (Florida) 1-772-871-5001

Missing From:
PORT SAINT LUCIE
FL
United States

Tiasha and Safiyah's Missing Kids poster: Tiasha and Safiyah have the same poster.

Tiasha's description:

DOB: Nov 8, 1993
Missing: Nov 3, 2007
Age Now: 14
Sex: Female
Race: Black
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
Weight: 112 lbs (51 kg)

Safiyah's description:
DOB: Aug 24, 1992
Sex: Female
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Gray
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Weight: 129 lbs (59 kg)

Dajah Hunter: Missing Since Novemeber 9, 2007

2007-11-15T23:16:00.000-05:00

Both photos shown are of Dajah. She may still be in the local area.

Missing From:
IRVINGTON
NJ
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
Irvington Police Department (New Jersey) 1-973-399-6600

Dajah's Missing Kids poster

DOB: Feb 8, 1999
Missing: Nov 9, 2007
Age Now: 8
Sex: Female
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 4'0" (122 cm)
Weight: 75 lbs (34 kg)

Annita Nicole Herrara and Destiny Zubia: Missing Since October 27, 2007

2007-11-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

Annita Nicole Herrara

Destiny Zubia

Anita and Destiny were last seen on October 27, 2007. They may be in the company of an adult female and an adult male. They may travel to Mexico.

Missing From:
COOLIDGE
AZ
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
Coolidge Police Department (Arizona) 1-520-723-5311

Their Missing Kid's poster, click here.

Anita's info:

DOB: Jun 11, 1992
Missing: Oct 27, 2007
Age Now: 15
Sex: Female
Race: Hispanic
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 4'9" (145 cm)
Weight: 125 lbs (57 kg)

Destiny's info:
DOB: Nov 25, 2006
Missing: Oct 27, 2007
Age Now: 11 Month(s)
Sex: Female
Race: Hispanic
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 2'0" (61 cm)
Weight: 20 lbs (9 kg)

Mashana Washington: Missing Since October 12, 2007

2007-11-05T00:02:00.000-05:00

Mashana was last seen on October 12, 2007 wearing blue jeans and a black shirt. She may still be in the local area.

Missing From:
VIRGINIA BEACH
VA
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
Virginia Missing Children's Clearinghouse
1-800-822-4453
Virginia Beach Police Department Sgt. John Gandy 757-385-8175

Mashana's Missing Kids poster.

DOB: Oct 30, 1992
Age Now: 15
Missing: Oct 12, 2007
Sex: Female
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Weight: 120 lbs (54 kg)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Race: Black

Sharita Frazier: Missing Since October 14, 2007

2007-11-04T23:49:00.000-05:00

Sharita was last seen on October 14, 2007 wearing a white Tee-shirt, black jacket and blue jeans. She has shoulder length hair that maybe in a pony tail. She may still be in the local area.

Missing From:
COLONIAL HEIGHTS
VA
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
Virginia Missing Children's Clearinghouse
1-800-822-4453
Colonial Heights Police Department Officer H.S. Whirley III 804-520-9300

Sharita's Missing Kids poster.

DOB: Nov 10, 1990
Age Now: 16
Missing: Oct 14, 2007
Sex: Female
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Weight: 172 lbs (78 kg)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Race: Black

Oneika Jones: Missing Since October 12, 2007

2007-11-04T23:30:00.000-05:00

This one is really lacking a lot of information. There isn't even a city where she was last seen. The picture is a profile shot too. I don't even want to theorize about why. Let's hope she's found. Here is the info.

Oneika was last seen on October 12, 2007. She may still be in the local area.

Missing From:
VA
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
Virginia Missing Children's Clearinghouse
1-800-822-4453
Caroline County Sheriff's Office Officer P.H. Blasiol 804-633-5400

Oneika's Missing Kids poster.

DOB: May 23, 1991
Age Now: 16
Missing: Oct 21, 2007
Sex: Female
Height: 5'0" (152 cm)
Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Race: Black

Sherry Florence: Missing Since October 6, 2007

2007-11-04T23:07:00.000-05:00

Sherry was last seen on October 6, 2007. She has a scar over her left eye and a scar on her left hand from a cigarette. She may still be in the local area.

Missing From:
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY
VA
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
Virginia Missing Children's Clearinghouse
1-800-822-4453
Prince William County Police Department (703) 792-6500

Here is Sherry's Missing Kids poster.

Missing: Oct 6, 2007
DOB: Jan 7, 1991
Age Now: 16
Sex: Female
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Weight: 230 lbs (104 kg)

Repost: Gloria Walker

2007-10-30T06:37:00.000-04:00

This is posted over at the CSB: Crime Scene Blog, but I wanted to repost it here.

Gloria Walker has been missing since May 20, 2007. Someone has to know where she is.

-------------------------------

Gloria Walker

Name: Gloria Walker

Date Missing: May 20, 2007

Missing From: Cleveland, Ohio

DOB: 8/12/1960

Age: 46 yrs old

Hair Color: Black

Height: 5’2

Weight: 125 lbs

Eye Color: Brown

Sex: Female

Race: Black

Complexion: Medium

Police/Sheriff: Cleveland Police Dept

Officer/Deputy Name: Det. Chism

Officer’s Phone #: 216/6233333

Officer’s Case #: 200700186890

TES Case #: 07719Gloria Walker, age 46, was last seen on Sunday, May
20, 2007 around 11:30 p.m. in Cleveland, Ohioand has not been seen or
heard from since. Gloria was last seen wearing red jogging pants and
open toe sandals, top unknown. She was last seen driving a 1996 Chevy
Lumina.

Call: 281/3099500

Toll free 877/2709500

[Source]

Article:

Gloria Walker, 46, disappeared from Cleveland’s eastside three months ago.

Saturday, Walker’s family received a helping hand, from 1,100 miles away.

EquuSearch, the same organization that mobilized thousands of people
in the search for Jessie Davis, the missing, pregnant mother in Stark
County, took on Walker’s case.

More than 80 volunteers waded through shoulder-high grass and
explored vacant homes on Cleveland’s east side. They peeled their way
through vacant homes and raked through heavy brush along the railroad
tracks. They looked for any sign of Gloria Walker.

Richard Johnson saw a missing person’s flier in his neighbor and decided to help out.

“We’re down here looking for shoes, any kind of personal
identification,” Johnson said as he probed 3-foot-tall weeds with a
stick. “You know, it’s time consuming, but it’s fulfilling. I think
everybody should do more to help everybody else.”

Tim Miller, founder of Equusearch mapped out specific areas for
volunteers to look for Walker. Miller said EquuSearch has found 72
people in the more than 700 cases they’ve taken on.

Walker was last seen May 20, driving a car her long-time boyfriend
had been repairing for a relative. Walker’s brother reported her
missing, five days after neighbors last saw her.

That car was found two weeks later in the Harvard/Fleet area of Cleveland, only three miles from her house.

Saturday, volunteers checked potential dump sites in that area. They
found a five-foot long, mound of dirt next to the tracks near Walker’s
home. It was nothing.

“I think Gloria is findable,” Miller said. “I think some new
information came to law enforcement that may lead them in another
direction.”

Greg Washington, who said he fathered a son with Walker, was thankful for Miller’s expertise.

“He’s a godsend,” Washington said. “Every day has been getting up thinking about Gloria. Where is she?”

Even though Saturday’s searchers did not find Walker, Washington said the search encouraged him.

“We’ll keep turning over every stone we can,” Washington said. “I’m
not giving up. I promised her we would always watch each other’s back.”

[Source]

Video:

[Click]

Joshua Akeem Bland: Missing Since Sept. 27, 2007

2007-10-30T03:47:00.001-04:00

Missing: Sep 27, 2007.

Joshua may still be in the local area. His front tooth is chipped. Joshua's nickname is Josh.

Missing From:
COUNTRY CLUB HILLS
IL
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
Country Club Hills Police Department (Illinois) 1-708-798-3191

Joshua's poster

DOB: Feb 20, 1994
Age Now: 13
Weight: 125 lbs (57 kg)
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Hair: Black

Restaffing...

2007-10-30T03:39:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lag, but I've been swamped.

However, I've put out the call for more help and so far so good.

So more to come. However, in the meantime click over to the Black and Missing blog because she's doing great work.

Olivia Maricela Soriano-Almendaris: Missing Since Oct. 2, 2007

2007-10-07T08:21:00.000-04:00

Ohio Police Seek Missing Pregnant Mom

Ohio police issued missing person alert Thursday for a pregnant woman who disappeared from a bank on Oct. 2.

Olivia Maricela Soriano-Almendaris, 20, of Columbus, Ohio, is nine months pregnant and vanished on the same day she was due to give birth, according to the release from the Columbus Division of Police.

Soriano-Almendaris is 5-feet, 6-inches tall, weighs 150 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing green pants, a white T-shirt and a gray sweater, police said.

Authorities believe she may have been driving a black 1995 Ford Explorer with Ohio license plate number DZW-7021.

Anyone with information is asked to call the missing persons unit of the department's special victims bureau at 614-645-2358.

Shardae "Mimi" Jenkins: Missing Since Sept. 29, 2007

2007-10-05T09:07:00.000-04:00

Mother Seeks Help In Finding Missing 13-Year-Old

CHICAGO -- A North Side mother is asking for the public's help in finding her missing teenager.

Shardae "Mimi" Jenkins, 13, left the home she shares with her mother near Peterson and Western avenues on Saturday night and has not been seen since.

Her mother said that the girl may be with a boyfriend who is known to the mother only as "Outlaw." She described him as a black man between 17 and 21 years old.

Shardae was last seen wearing a white shirt with dollar signs on it and blue jeans. Her mother described her as being 5 feet 4 inches tall and about 104 pounds. She is a light-skinned black girl, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Chicago Police Department's Area 3 Special Victims Unit at 312-744-8266.

Glenda Furch: Last Seen Sept. 28, 2007

2007-10-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

PD: Fort Worth Woman's Disappearance Suspicious

Missing Fort Worth Woman's Car Found Burned

There's new information concerning the search for a Fort Worth grandmother who has been missing for nearly a week.

According to police, Glenda Furch's burned-out car was found in Dallas Thursday morning.

Furch's daughters have been holding vigil at their mother's Fort Worth apartment. The girls said they were hoping their 51-year-old mother would come back safe and sound.

Furch's daughter Shimon is begging the public for help. "We just need to know what happened. So if anybody knows anything we just plead to the community... today it's me, tomorrow it could be you. Just to the community, just to get involved and if you know anything just call the police and let them know."

The women broke down in tears when they learned about the discovery of the vehicle.

Furch has not been seen since she left her job at the General Motors plant in Arlington around midnight on Friday. Police have been looking for her and her 1998 4-door gold/champagne colored Mazda Millenia ever since.

Early Wednesday morning firefighters in southeast Dallas found a car on fire at an abandoned car wash near Hatcher and Military Parkway.

After tracing the cars identification numbers, investigators confirmed Thursday that the vehicle is Furch's.

Investigators with the Fort Worth Police Department say the discovery of the car is a significant development. "That's one less thing that we have to focus efforts on – finding the car," says FWPD Spokesman Lt. Dean Sullivan. "Now we have to find out who's responsible for setting it on fire, determine whether or not there's any involvement."

Fort Worth homicide detectives and crime scene investigators spent part of the day in Dallas looking for evidence in or on Furch's car and checking out the area where it was found.

"Really still, at this point even though we suspect foul play, we haven't concluded exactly that there's any crime that's been committed. Of course worst case scenario, if it does determine that we locate her in peril or some otherwise means of course we'll have to start working on developing suspects," Sullivan said.

Furch's co-workers from the Arlington GM plant are planning a candle light vigil for her on Saturday.

Black Children Missing in Alarming Numbers

2007-10-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

This is a news piece from May 2006, but I notice that it's still very much the case. I pull a lot of the missing children from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website.

I notice that the numbers of missing black children is huge. I noticed because you can run searches based on race. I almost always search for the most recent cases, so I run searches for case where the child has been missing for a month or less.

I always get a page full of faces of missing black kids, but from time to time no results for minority children of other races. Of course, I wish for no results at all, but it's profoundly disturbing to see how many kids who look like me go missing on a monthly basis.

Anyway, here is the link to the audio report: Black Children Missing in Alarming Numbers

Crusade to find missing Nailah made us care

2007-10-05T08:28:00.000-04:00

An interesting article by Mary Mitchell at the Chicago Sun-Times discussing how the crusade to find Nailah was different from other cases of missing black women.

Crusade to find missing Nailah made us care
Black families push to get coverage of disappearances

October 2, 2007
BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist

The relatives of Nailah Franklin are living a family's worst nightmare. Last Friday, an unclothed body that was discovered in the Calumet Woods was identified as the 28-year-old Franklin. With her fashion model looks, Franklin has been described as the "star" of her close-knit family.

Franklin was reported missing Sept. 19.

Like most parents, I worry about my adult daughters because, unfortunately, there is too much mayhem in the world. I don't think my family is much different from a lot of others.

And while every missing person is neither pretty or even lovable, if someone we love goes missing, we want police to turn over every stone. We want our friends and our neighbors to fan out across the city and join in the search. We want that person's face plastered on national news programs as well as in the local papers.
She was not seen in the same light

Yet, too often when young black women disappear, none of those things happen without the family waging a crusade.

These relatives have to scuffle to get alerts posted, and when the police department distributes the alert, it is still a fight to get the notice in a newspaper.

Franklin's disappearance didn't follow that pattern for several reasons.

First, she was a very attractive black woman who came from a middle-class background.

As such, her disappearance didn't get typecast as a throwaway. Franklin wasn't seen in the same light as the troubled black women who walked the streets in neighborhoods like Roseland and Englewood and ended up being found dead in abandoned buildings without anyone knowing they were missing.

Neither was Franklin's disappearance viewed in the same way as law enforcement views the average teenage runaway. Although many of the parents and guardians of these young people do their best to get media attention, their pleas are routinely ignored. And while police will pick up runaways if they happen to bump into them, they don't make it a priority to locate teens who bolt from their homes.

Franklin's relatives and friends made sure her plight was not ignored. Her sister, Lehia Franklin Acox, used her media contacts to ensure that photographs of her missing sister were widely circulated. For consecutive days, Nailah's beautiful smile graced the front pages, while updates of the search aired regularly on national news programs.

This is a significant change from just four years ago.

When Nancie Walker, a Chicago businesswoman, disappeared in 2003, her family and friends had to pressure the Chicago Police Department to investigate the disappearance as a possible abduction even though Walker was not known to take off without letting anyone know of her whereabouts.

Three months after vanishing, Walker's dismembered body was found in plastic bags. No one has been charged with that crime.

The way Nailah Franklin's disappearance was handled -- not just by the police but by the media -- shows that black families now are more aggressive about getting the media's help.

Because of the Franklin family's efforts, I saw the face of Nailah Franklin so often, I began to feel as if I knew her. And just as the faces of two other missing persons -- Laci Peterson and Natalee Holloway -- were etched into our consciousness through media exposure, by the time Franklin's body was found 10 days after she disappeared, many of us were genuinely moved by the tragedy.

It is a tragedy, but also a blessing that Franklin has been humanized in a way that so many missing black women have not been.
Case can't be dismissed

From her sisters, we learned that Franklin was someone who brought incredible joy to their lives. From her employers, we learned that the young professional was so well-respected in the workplace that her unscheduled absence was cause for alarm.

During days of waiting, we learned that Franklin had a spiritual family, that she had career goals and that she was a real role model for her younger relatives.

Nailah Franklin's family made sure there would be no presumptions. People who loved Franklin made sure that her disappearance wouldn't be dismissed as just another act of random violence.

No missing person should get less than that.

If Madeleine McCann was Black, Would the Media Care?

2007-09-29T22:41:00.000-04:00

This is an blog by Robbie Gennet that I found on the Huffington Post today.

I've copied the text here, but you can click over to read the original.

It's Gennet's writing and comments should be posted there. So click over if you have any feedback on this.

If Madeleine McCann was Black, Would the Media Care?
Madeleine McCann, who you've no doubt heard has been missing over in Europe, is a white British four-year-old whose disappearance has sparked a massive global media focus. Front pages of major magazines, top news stories on television and a hunt that has spanned continents. No matter how awful that is, it is hard to imagine this same scenario playing out if she was not white.

Imagine if the exact same chain of events -- daughter missing on vacation, parents distraught and searching for clues -- happened to a black family. Or Hispanic, Asian, name your race. Would the world be in such an uproar? Would the parents be invited to the Vatican to pray with the Pope, as did the McCann's recently? Imagine if the genocide in Darfur got the media coverage of Madeleine McCann. Or any one of the thousands of missing children in this country others that are so unfortunate as to be non-white. Now I am not a parent (though I am a new uncle) but I can imagine the grief one would go through having their child go missing.

However, the media focus on this case has grown to a level that is completely out of balance with reality. I'm sure we all agree that solving Madeleine's disappearance would be a positive turn of events. But until there is some parity in the world's concern about ALL missing children of EVERY race, color and nationality, a case like this only serves to propagate the mistaken stereotype that if you're white, you somehow matter more. And to all the parents of missing non-white children out there, that is a cruel and unnecessary facet of a reality that desperately needs to change.

Ethlin Williams Ruddock: Missing Since Sept. 22, 2007

2007-09-29T22:27:00.000-04:00

North American Missing Persons Network: Ethlin Ruddock

Brooklyn Woman with Alzheimer's Still Missing
Last Seen in Flatlands

NEW YORK -- An elderly Brooklyn woman with Alzheimer's has been missing from her Brooklyn home for a week. Her family has been handing out photo fliers, hoping someone has seen Ethlin Williams Ruddock, 78.

Police said she was last seen Saturday, September 22, at 5:30 p.m. on East 46th Street in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn.

She was wearing a floral-print shirt, beige skirt, black sandals, a black Coach purse, and a gold wedding band inscribed with "To Ethlin Love Alvin." She is of African-Caribbean descent and has black eyes, a dark complexion, and thin salt-and-pepper hair.

Ruddock is enrolled in the Alzheimer's Association Safe Return program. Her identification number is 232665, but she is not wearing any of her identification products.

Anyone with information can call the Alzheimer's Association Safe Return program at 800-572-1122 or the Crime Stoppers hot line at 800-577-TIPS (8477).

Courtney Raven Morgan: Missing Since Sept. 2, 2007

2007-09-29T22:24:00.001-04:00

Courtney was last seen on September 2, 2007 around 1100 hours. She was last seen with her cousin, Alicia (B/F), on a Greyhound bus headed towards Baltimore, Maryland. Courtney wears corrective black glasses and has a scar on her right hip.

Missing From:
HALIFAX COUNTY
VA
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
Virginia Missing Children's Clearinghouse
1-800-822-4453
Halifax County Sheriff's Office Deputy Burton (434) 476-3334

Courtney's Missing Kids poster.

DOB: Dec 18, 1993
Age Now: 13
Missing: Sep 2, 2007
Sex: Female
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
Weight: 140 lbs (64 kg)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black
Race: Black

Nailah Franklin's Body Found

2007-09-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

Update 1 (Sept. 30, 2007 @ 9:38am KST)

There were some people who didn't believe the body was Nailah's. However, authorities have confirmed that it's her body with medical records.

Here is the article: Police identify body of missing Chicago woman
______________________________________________

Horrible news - Nailan Franklin's body has been found according to a report from the Associated Press.

I'm posting the article here, but as I mentioned in the original post on Nailah, the Crime US blog is posting regular updates on this case.

Uncle: Missing drug rep's body found

Story Highlights

NEW: Uncle of Nailah Franklin says her body was found

Police haven't identified body found in Illinois forest preserve

Franklin was reported missing September 19 after missing a meeting

Her car was found in Hammond, Indiana, near abandoned building

CALUMET CITY, Illinois (AP) -- A drug sales representative who disappeared last week was found dead near a forest preserve, not far from where her car was abandoned, her uncle said Thursday.

Calumet City Police Chief Russell Larson confirmed only that an unidentified woman's body had been found in the area Thursday morning.

But Nailah Franklin's uncle Jon Merrill and family friend Andrew Holms said authorities had told the family the body is that of Merrill's 28-year-old niece.

Franklin, a pharmaceutical sales representative for Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, was reported missing September 19 after she missed a meeting at work. Her car was discovered in Hammond, Indiana, on Friday night near an abandoned building.

Franklin had filed a police report shortly before her disappearance about getting threatening phone calls from a man she had dated briefly.

Chicago police said Monday they had interviewed someone Franklin once dated but have not named a suspect in her disappearance.

Since her disappearance, family members and volunteers have papered the area with fliers and taken out a newspaper ad seeking the public's help.

They have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.

JOSIAH DAWSON: Missing Since Sept. 24, 2007

2007-09-27T02:43:00.000-04:00

Josiah was last seen on September 24, 2007 wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and white Nike sneakers. He may have a backpack with the Harley Davidson logo. Josiah may be in the company of an adult female. He may be in need of medical attention.

Missing From:
Newark, NJ, USA

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACTNational Center for Missing & Exploited Children1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)Newark Police Department (New Jersey) 1-973-733-6000
Link to Josiah's Missing Kids poster

DOB: Mar 24, 2006
Missing: Sep 24, 2007
Sex: Male
Height: 2'0" (61 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Race: Black
Age Now: 1
Weight: 26 lbs (12 kg)

Simone Baldwin: Missing Since Sept. 8, 2007

2007-09-27T02:28:00.000-04:00

Simone was last seen on September 8, 2007 wearing a red t-shirt and yellow shorts with red strawberries on them. She has pierced ears and wears glasses. She may be in the company of a Hispanic male named Carlos. She may still be in the local area.

Missing From:
RICHMOND
VA
United States

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
Virginia Missing Children's Clearinghouse
1-800-822-4453
Henrico County Police Department Officer Nance (804) 501-5000

Link to Simone's poster.

DOB: Nov 1, 1992
Missing: Sep 8, 2007
Age Now: 14
Height: 5'1" (155 cm)
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)