Black and Missing but Not Forgotten

Decatur police have issued an Amber Alert after two young boys, one of them a 1-month-old infant, who were abducted this afternoon. Authorities said that J-Amarcus Upchurch and Terry Antonio Smith were taken by two men in the 1900 block of East Cantrell Street at about 3:30 p.m. They were last seen in a silver passenger car with the partial Missouri license plate U D G, turning on to a side road off Cantrell Street.

J-Amarcus is described as a 1-month-old African-American boy, wearing a blue one-piece jumpsuit, weighing 8 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Terry is a 4-year-old African-American boy about 3-foot-6, 60 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt and blue jeans. The boys were taken by two African-American men, one about 5-foot-8 and wearing dark clothing.

 The alert didn’t indicate whether either man was believed to be a parent or relative. The Amber Alert lists the baby’s first name as J-Amarcus, but the Decatur police list the boy’s name as Jamarcus. Police could not explain the discrepancy, Anyone with information is asked to call Decatur police Det. James Wrigley at 217-424-2738.

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Ever wonder how certain missing persons get more coverage than the other?

Well some of this is due in part to social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook. But lately, Twitter has become the easiest and most simple way to get the word out. Today Twitter has 10+ million active user and many of those users use Twitter to send quick 140 characters to “tweet” about a missing person.

Lately, one of the most popular missing person tweeted was Chelsea King. Because of Twitter, the King family were able to get 900+ followers and more than 70,000 followers on Facebook to help join in the search for Chelsea. All it took was a quick sign up, an appealing profile picture and message, and loyal followers to help get the word out.

But for someone who is technologically challenged, it isn’t as simple as that. What is retweeting? What is a hashtag? Why do people do this “@” sign? How can I get out my message out effectively using only 140 characters?

A short but easy to follow book called “The Twitter Book” by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein explains it all. Whether you are a beginner or a master, this book tells you everything you need to know about how to get started and be successful at tweeting.

For a family of a missing person, this book can be a lifesaver. For a follower of Black and Missing but not Forgotten, it’s yours for free. I am giving away this book ($19.99 value) to one lucky reader on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. In the comments of this post, please provide your name and a valid email address for contacting the winner.

2. Answer this question: Name one recently missing black person and a brief description of their disappearance. The description can be a few sentences or just a link to an article.

3. Bonus Points: Invite someone to fan us on Facebook  follow us on Twitter. Let us know who you invited by commenting on our wall (FB) or sending us a direct message (Twitter).

This giveaway will serve two purposes: To provide the lucky reader or lucky family with the help they need to get the word out on Twitter and to show others how many of us are still missing and in desperate need of attention. Good luck! Contest ends March 16, 2010 at 12 noon!

Note: There was no picture for the boy in any of the three articles I found. Hopefully one will be put up soon.

Police are searching for a 6-year-old boy who has been missing since a carjacking early Sunday near Bellaire and Fondren.

The child, Kevin Williams, was asleep in the back seat of a 2000 Red Lincoln Navigator while his uncle stopped at a Walgreens in the 7700 block of Bellaire around 4:15 a.m. Two armed Hispanic men in a Silver Chrysler 300 forced the uncle out of the car.

Kevin is African-American with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a black sweatsuit.

An Amber Alert has been issued.

The armed men fled south on the Southwest Freeway. At least one of the suspects was in the Navigator, whose license tag is NFK961. One of the suspects was armed with a shotgun and described as 5′5” and about 170 pounds. The other man was wielding a semi-automatic weapon.

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New developments in the search for a missing Scotland Neck teenager. Now a judge has stepped in and issued a gag order to police.

Even before nine on your side learned of the gag order, the Scotland Neck Police Department, Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, and even the SB,I refused to answer any of our questions. But on the 10th day of the missing person investigation, the teen’s family was willing to speak today more than ever.

“Just knowing God and having faith. That’s what makes us think she’s going to walk through that door in any minute,” Jalesa Reynolds’ first cousin, Adreka Wiggins, said.

As three dozen officers, deputies, and rescue crews reinitiated a ground sweep off Cemetary Road near the home where it’s believed Reynolds’ last logged onto her facebook account, her family’s optimism grew.

“This is a praying family. And we are like this in all situations and at all times—that’s why we have faith that she’s coming back safe,“ said Wiggins.

The missing teen’s mother says her daughter will come home.

“Just hoping for the best, not for the worst,“ said Reynolds’ mother, Bernice.

Divers with the Littleton Volunteer Fire Department also search the muddy waters of the Roanoke River.

It was a busy morning. Superior Court Judge Alma Hinton issued a gag order on police. Unknown to the family, they say it should quiet growing rumors.

“If the gag order is to protect some type of evidence, I say protect it or to keep something from being leaked I’m for it,” said Reynolds’ cousin, Frederick Lassiter.

Nine on your side called Judge Hinton’s office as well as the District Attorney’s office to get details about the gag order. Our calls have yet to be returned. In a conversation with Police Chief Joe Williams on Thursday, so far 60 people have been interviewed and authorities weren’t in a position to rule anyone out.

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Okay, why isn’t this national news? Here are some reason why I think it should make national news:

1. A gag order? What kind of evidence do they possibly have? In the years that I’ve been researching missing person coverage, the more evidence (especially shocking evidence like a blood stained clothing) the more coverage. At least that’s one of the reasons why Chelsea King got the attention she got. Police suspect foul play in Jalesa’s case, so it can’t be good.

2. Jalesa’s character: Her family said she was very quiet and went to the library every single day to get on Facebook. She was more outgoing to those she met online than those she met offline, which can cause her to trust and meet the wrong person.

3. Police said that the day she went missing, her last known location was the house of a sex offender. (A sex offender is another reason why Chelsea King’s case got attention).

4. Another national attention “requirement” is going missing from an area where something horrible happened – like in the case of Morgan Harrington, the Virginia Tech massacre led to the media paying more attention to her case because Morgan was a student at Virginia Tech. Well, do anyone know that Scotland Neck where Jalesa is from is roughly 45 minutes from Rocky Mount (as in the Rock Mount slayings and serial killer)?

So what’s the deal? She was last seen Feb 22, 2010. The first real article on her came March 1st, indicating more than a description and that foul play is involved. Maybe a week too late. Are we too late?

[Source for information mentioned aboved about Jalesa]

[Rocky Mount Murders]

Richmond police need your help to find a missing woman.

Tonselara Miller, 56, is 5′ 6″ tall. She was last seen at her home on Short Street in Richmond at 8 a.m. on February 26th.

That was the last time she spoke with any of her relatives.

Police say she was wearing a brown sweatsuit and white overcoat when she left her home. The family car was not taken.

Her family told police Miller has been depressed and is taking medication that may cause memory loss. If you have information, call Richmond police at (859) 623-1162.

[Source]

Baltimore County police are looking for a 24-year-old woman who has been missing for more than a week. Cherice Maria Ragins of the 3600 block of N. Rogers Ave. in Baltimore was last seen Feb. 21 in Catonsville, near U.S. 40 and Rolling Road. She went to Catonsville to meet with someone, police said Wednesday in a statement. “She has not been seen or heard from since,” said the statement, which asked for the public’s help in locating her.

Ragins is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. She has her first name tattooed on her neck, and she was last seen wearing gray sweat pants, a red hooded sweat shirt over a black shirt and green-and-pink shoes. She was also carrying a black purse with silver trim. Anyone with information about Ragins’ whereabouts is urged to call the Baltimore County Police Department at 410-307-2020

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The Fort Bragg Police Department has issued an Amber Alert for a 5-year-old child.

Authorities say Te’Amani Leshay Gerald was taken from her front yard in Fort Bragg, NC around 8:15 Thursday morning.

The young girl is about 3 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds. She was reportedly last seen wearing a pink “Dora the Explorer” coat, blue jeans and a black shirt. She had two braids in her hair.

According to police Alexis D. Gerald and Phyllis Gerald took the girl and are heading to Big Ben Court in Charleston, SC. They were last seen driving a black 1999 Chevrolet Suburban with SC license tag number FVC504.

Alexis is described as a black woman, 5′6″ tall, weighing 200 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. No description of Phyllis was provided.

Anyone with information regarding the abduction is asked to contact the Fort Bragg Police Department, (910) 396-6608, or call 911 or *HP.

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Found “safe” in a suspected drug house? Thank God for his mercy!

A 3-year-old girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert after being reported missing in northwest Indiana was found safely in a south suburban home Wednesday afternoon.

Naomi Primos was last seen at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of Roosevelt Street in Gary, according to the alert issued Wednesday morning by Gary police. She was found safe Wednesday afternoon at a home in the 1300 block of Wentworth in Chicago Heights, according to a release from Gary police.

Naomi had been missing for about four hours when her mother reported her missing, and the mother’s boyfriend, Nelson Chew, 44, was named as a suspect by police.

Police did not say how they located the girl in Chicago Heights, but said the location where she was found is a suspected drug house. The girl was apparently unharmed, according to police, and was being transported to a Gary hospital for observation.

Police said Chew was taken into custody but no charges had been filed as of late Wednesday afternoon.

[Source]

Note: There are 49 sex offenders within a two mile radius of where this little girl went missing from.

Police have issued an Amber Alert for a missing Gary child believed to be in extreme danger.

Police believe that Naomi Primos, four years old, was taken by Nelson Chew (mother’s boyfriend). He was driving a 2004 taupe Cadillac SRT SUV wagon, IN plates MW3473.

If you have any information on Naomi Primos, please contact the Gary Police Department at 1-888-58AMBER.

Further description:

Naomi is African-American, 3′4″, 48 pounds, brown shoulder length hair, brown eyes with a scar on her lower back near the left side of her waist.

She was last seen at 11:30 AM on March 2, 2010 at 311 Roosevelt St., Gary, Indiana, wearing tan pants with a green long sleeve undershirt under a white polo shirt with a green crest that says Midwest Elite.

Chew is 44 years old, 6′2″, 200 pounds, short brown hair, brown eyes.

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UPDATE: Police suspect foul play and they now know that the person they found in the immediate search area is a convinced sex offender.  Note: There are actually three sex offenders within a one mile radius of the library she was last seen at. That coupled with the fact that she was going to the library every day to use the internet and facebook and being more outgoing to those online than those in person (according to her family) is cause for concern.

Family members of a missing Halifax County teenager last seen more than a week ago pleaded on Tuesday for her safe return.

Jalesa Reynolds, 18, was seen at the Scotland Neck Memorial Library around 11 a.m. on Feb. 22.

Reynolds’ cousin Frederick Lassiter said Tuesday that it was uncharacteristic of Reynolds to not come home.

“We just love Jalesa,” he said. “If there is anybody out there that knows anything about this case or the whereabouts of her, just call the Scotland Neck police department.”

Investigators said they have since traced Reynolds’ Internet activity to a computer at a home on the 200 block of Cemetery Road. They think she went to the home after going to the library.

Investigators said the man who owns the residence where Reynolds accessed the computer is a person of interest in her disappearance.

“Jalesa was a very shy girl. She was very quiet, kept to herself,” Lassiter said.

On Monday, police searched a wooded area where Reynolds was last seen. Authorities have declined comment on the case. The State Bureau of Investigation is also involved in the case.

Reynolds is described as 5-foot-2 inches tall and 220 pounds. She has a medium complexion and short black hair. She was wearing tan pants, a pink shirt and a denim jacket with a flower design on the back.

Anyone with information about Reynolds’ whereabouts is asked to contact Scotland Neck police at 252-826-4111.

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